Respiratory Use:
- Voluntary Respirator Use is characterized by the employee requesting to use an N95 respirator when not required by the employer.
- Examples of usage: At-risk individuals (e.g., immunocompromised, unvaccinated, elderly), hazardous air pollution due to wildfire events, seasonal allergies for outdoor work environments, working in non-hazardous dusty work environments, odors within non-hazardous work environments, and workers who use BSL2 materials inside a biosafety cabinet.
- Mandatory Respirator Use is characterized by the employer requiring the employee to wear an N95 respirator when performing potentially hazardous activities. Reference the table below to determine the appropriate designation.
- Examples of usage: Potentially hazardous work operations (e.g., laboratory operations, chemicals, mold spores), medical settings (e.g., bioaerosols), general work-related exposure to hazardous dusts, vapor/gases, and fumes/smoke.
Steps to Obtaining Respiratory Protection:
- Submit a Respirator Hazard Assessment webform. - an Industrial Hygienist will review your request and assign the appropriate respiratory protection.
- Submit a Respirator Medical Evaluation Questionnaire here. Only submit the respirator questionnaire, unless you also require the Animal History Questionnaire.
Please allow approximately two weeks for review of medical questionnaires. Occupational Health or the Ashe Center will contact you if more information is needed, and will notify EH&S of approval/completion.
Complete the appropriate pre-requisite online education by logging into
- First time users please read how to navigate WorkSafe
- Otherwise enroll in the NEW! Respirator Protection Online Training - WorkSafe Course ID: ENV-RESP-OL
- Respirator Protection Online Training - combined training for Half-Face and Full-Face Respirator Training and N-95 Respirator Education Training.
- Please address any questions to the Industrial Hygiene team's inbox indhyg@ehs.ucla.edu
- Sign up for your in person Fit testing in WorkSafe
- Use "Course Search" box to locate the appropriate Fit testing you need (N95 or Half-face/Full-face).
NOTE: You must complete the medical evaluation process and training prior to fit-testing. Schedule your fit test at least two weeks from the submission of your Medical Questionnaire to allow for proper review.
- Please arrive for the fit test session on time and do not eat or drink at least 15 minutes prior to the session.
- Be sure to bring all of the respirators that you use.
- Men must be clean-shaven to participate in the fit test. Please refer to this infographic for more information.
- Fit Test sessions are held in TS Conference Rooms 124-C and 157, located inside Transportation Services on the first floor of the Strathmore Building (directions)."
