Chapter 3 – Personnel, Training, and Employee Relations

31020.8 Respiratory Protection Program

• Purpose

  • Each worksite has a written Respiratory Protection Program (RPP) that contains required worksite-specific procedures and elements for required respirators use for compliance with the California Code of Regulations (CCRCalifornia Code of Regulations), Title 8, and section 5144, Respiratory Protection. This RPP policy also assists HA, managers, supervisors, and employees in promoting the health and safety of all CDCRCalifornia Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and CCHCS employees, inmate workers, and youth workers, and visitors. The RPP model plan and instructions are accessible to the Worksite RPP Administrator at
    https://cdcr.sharepoint.com/sites/CDCR_Admin_fmb_ECS_OCC_RPP/sitepages/home.aspx.

• General Responsibilities for the Respiratory Protection Program

  • CDCRCalifornia Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and CCHCS shall work with the RPP Administrator to view the ‘User Profiles’ located within the Business Information Systems (BIS), Environmental Health and Safety (EHS), RPP system and the Strategic Offender Management System (SOMSStrategic Offender Management) to identify specific job classifications and task associated with those classification or inmate workers assignments which are required to wear respiratory protection. Employees required to wear a tight-fitting respirator are determined based on a job hazards assessment of the worksite and worksite tasks or other tasks that their classification may require. The RPP Administrator at each worksite shall ensure that employees required to don a tight-fitting respirator are identified and shall generate a compliance report to determine those employees that need medical clearance and need to be fit tested and ensure fit testing and training occurs annually (no less than 12 months from the last fit testing and training) or whenever a different size, make, or model of respirator is used or there is a change in an employee’s health or working conditions that would prompt new fit testing.

  • CDCRCalifornia Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and CCHCS HAs shall ensure that all employees who are required to wear a tight-fitting respirator have completed an RPP medical questionnaire and medical evaluation within the last four (4) years, before they are fit tested and required to use a respirator to perform their various job functions in the workplace.

  • Medical evaluations of employees may be completed by an Employee Medical Monitoring Services contractor. CDCRCalifornia Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and CCHCS HAs shall refer to the specific contract language to determine CDCRCalifornia Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and CCHCS, or the vendor’s responsibilities regarding medical evaluation and fit testing of health care registry providers and contract workers. Consult with the appropriate contract manager for more information.

  • CDCRCalifornia Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and CCHCS institution and facility employees who are required to wear respirator(s) shall comply with CCRCalifornia Code of Regulations, Title 8, sections 5144 and 5199.