Services

303.398.1622 | Melissa Horsman horsmanm@njhealth.org

National Jewish Health is one of the few organizations in the United States that offers a full-service respiratory protection program. All of our services are specifically tailored to meet the unique needs of each of our clients while ensuring compliance with all requirements of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and other federal, state, and local regulations.

Medical Clearance Exams

Workers who are required to wear a respirator on the job must be medically cleared to ensure they are physically capable of wearing a respirator. At a minimum, this medical clearance consists of a clinician review of the required OSHA questionnaire. National Jewish Health has developed a proprietary questionnaire that meets of OSHA requirements and allows our clinicians to provide a basic medical clearance for most employees without a traditional medical exam. This questionnaire can be securely administered online to ease the administrative burden for our clients while still protecting the privacy of workers. For workers with more complex exposures or medical issues, we have a fully staffed Occupational Medicine clinic to facilitate the medical clearance process. For those workplaces with large numbers of workers that need to be medically cleared, we can arrange for onsite medical clearances. All medical clearances include the OSHA-required documentation for each worker's medical clearance for respirator use. 

 

Respirator Fit Testing

OSHA requires annual respirator fit testing for workers who use a respirator. Fit testing ensures that a respirator properly seals to the user’s face to protect them from exposure to hazardous substances. We can provide fit testing at the National Jewish Health campus or at your facility. National Jewish Health performs qualitative and quantitative fit testing:

  • Qualitative Respirator Fit Testing

     National Jewish Health developed the OSHA approved automatic Qualitative Fit Test Device and the method for qualitative fit testing to perform high-volume qualitative respirator fit testing. It is a proprietary device that conducts up to 8 fit tests at a time, which saves time and money and aids in the prevention of technician ergonomic issues for our clients. Our clients currently use it to complete over 9,000 annual N95 respirator fit tests, the most common respirators used in healthcare. Learn more about how the automatic QFTD can help you. Available nation-wide.

 

  • Quantitative Respirator Fit Testing

    For half face and full face respirators to be used at the highest protection level, quantitative fit testing is the preferred method. National Jewish Health has the equipment and expertise to provide quantitative fit testing to ensure employees the best protection while at work.

All fit tests at National Jewish also cover the OSHA-required annual training for workers, which covers cleaning, storage, maintenance, and limitations of the respirator and filters. To ensure compliance with OSHA record keeping requirements, clients receive documentation for each worker’s fit test.

 

Clinical Care, including physical exams and pulmonary function tests

We can perform medical surveillance, screening, physical examinations, and pulmonary function testing to ensure the safety of your employees. Spirometry can be performed for workers exposed to hazardous substances either as part of a more comprehensive medical clearance or a medical surveillance program to detect early lung disease. Spirometry includes measurement of FEV1, FVC and FEV1: FVC ratio and comparison to normal predicted values correct for age, height and sex. This screening allows early detection of lung disease and referral for a more comprehensive medical examination if necessary. National Jewish Health specializes in performing high quality spirometry, meeting all American Thoracic Society (ATS) requirements. Testing is always performed by our National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)-certified pulmonary technicians. This service can be provided in our Occupational Medicine clinic or we can design a program to test workers onsite to save your company time and money.

 

Worker Training

National Jewish Health has an experienced team that conducts training programs across the U.S. on a wide variety of occupational health and safety topics, and can be delivered at the worksite or we can arrange training at an offsite location. We have received training grants from OSHA and developed training materials on the following topics:

Our training sessions are customized to meet your needs and our team of medical and exposure professionals allows us to deliver training on complex topics in a context that is understandable and meaningful for workers. Some of the trainings we have developed include:

  • First Responder Exposure to Clandestine Methamphetamine
  • First Responder Exposure to Illegal Marijuana Grow Operations
  • Healthcare
  • Hazard Communication
  • Noise and Hearing Conservation
  • Respiratory Protection

 

Respiratory Protection Program Consultation

For Industry:
We can help you create a comprehensive OSHA-compliant respiratory protection program for your company that provides maximum protection for your workers and is easy to administer. National Jewish Health has the resources to help you with exposure assessment, written program development, medical clearances, fit-testing, and training – a combination unmatched in the Rocky Mountain Region.

For Healthcare:
Let us help you with the annual fit-testing and training requirements of the OSHA Respiratory Protection Standard. We specialize in high-volume fit-testing and can develop a program to train and fit test all your workers with the least disruption to your operations. We also have special interest and expertise in protecting employees potentially exposed to Mycobacterium tuberculosis and other infectious agents. Our program is specifically designed to meet OSHA, Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines relevant to personal respiratory protection for exposures to Mycobacterium tuberculosis.