OSHA 1910.134 respiratory protection.

At a glance

These rows are taken from the text of 29 CFR 1910.134 as read in the eCFR on November 2, 2026. The paragraph column shows where each appears.

Scope and permissible practice: paragraph (a)

• This section applies to General Industry (part 1910), Shipyards (part 1915), Marine Terminals (part 1917), Longshoring (part 1918), and Construction (part 1926).
• (a) Permissible practice. (1) In the control of those occupational diseases caused by breathing air contaminated with harmful dusts, fogs, fumes, mists, gases, smokes, sprays, or vapors, the primary objective shall be to prevent atmospheric contamination. This shall be accomplished as far as feasible by accepted engineering control measures (for example, enclosure or confinement of the operation, general and local ventilation, and substitution of less toxic materials). When effective engineering controls are not feasible, or while they are being instituted, appropriate respirators shall be used pursuant to this section.
• (2) A respirator shall be provided to each employee when such equipment is necessary to protect the health of such employee. The employer shall provide the respirators which are applicable and suitable for the purpose intended. The employer shall be responsible for the establishment and maintenance of a respiratory protection program, which shall include the requirements outlined in paragraph (c) of this section. The program shall cover each employee required by this section to use a respirator.

Selected definitions: paragraph (b)

Terms that the later paragraphs rely on, as printed.

• Assigned protection factor (APF) means the workplace level of respiratory protection that a respirator or class of respirators is expected to provide to employees when the employer implements a continuing, effective respiratory protection program as specified by this section.
• Fit test means the use of a protocol to qualitatively or quantitatively evaluate the fit of a respirator on an individual. (See also Qualitative fit test QLFT and Quantitative fit test QNFT.)
• Immediately dangerous to life or health (IDLH) means an atmosphere that poses an immediate threat to life, would cause irreversible adverse health effects, or would impair an individual's ability to escape from a dangerous atmosphere.
• Maximum use concentration (MUC) means the maximum atmospheric concentration of a hazardous substance from which an employee can be expected to be protected when wearing a respirator, and is determined by the assigned protection factor of the respirator or class of respirators and the exposure limit of the hazardous substance. The MUC can be determined mathematically by multiplying the assigned protection factor specified for a respirator by the required OSHA permissible exposure limit, short-term exposure limit, or ceiling limit. When no OSHA exposure limit is available for a hazardous substance, an employer must determine an MUC on the basis of relevant available information and informed professional judgment.
• Physician or other licensed health care professional (PLHCP) means an individual whose legally permitted scope of practice (i.e., license, registration, or certification) allows him or her to independently provide, or be delegated the responsibility to provide, some or all of the health care services required by paragraph (e) of this section.
• Qualitative fit test (QLFT) means a pass/fail fit test to assess the adequacy of respirator fit that relies on the individual's response to the test agent.

Respiratory protection program: paragraph (c)

• (c) Respiratory protection program. This paragraph requires the employer to develop and implement a written respiratory protection program with required worksite-specific procedures and elements for required respirator use. The program must be administered by a suitably trained program administrator. In addition, certain program elements may be required for voluntary use to prevent potential hazards associated with the use of the respirator. The Small Entity Compliance Guide contains criteria for the selection of a program administrator and a sample program that meets the requirements of this paragraph. Copies of the Small Entity Compliance Guide will be available on or about April 8, 1998 from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's Office of Publications, Room N 3101, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC, 20210 (202-219-4667).
• (1) In any workplace where respirators are necessary to protect the health of the employee or whenever respirators are required by the employer, the employer shall establish and implement a written respiratory protection program with worksite-specific procedures. The program shall be updated as necessary to reflect those changes in workplace conditions that affect respirator use. The employer shall include in the program the following provisions of this section, as applicable:
• (3) The employer shall designate a program administrator who is qualified by appropriate training or experience that is commensurate with the complexity of the program to administer or oversee the respiratory protection program and conduct the required evaluations of program effectiveness.
• (4) The employer shall provide respirators, training, and medical evaluations at no cost to the employee.

Selection of respirators: paragraph (d)

The table below is the assigned protection factor table as printed.

• (d) Selection of respirators. This paragraph requires the employer to evaluate respiratory hazard(s) in the workplace, identify relevant workplace and user factors, and base respirator selection on these factors. The paragraph also specifies appropriately protective respirators for use in IDLH atmospheres, and limits the selection and use of air-purifying respirators.
• (1) General requirements. (i) The employer shall select and provide an appropriate respirator based on the respiratory hazard(s) to which the worker is exposed and workplace and user factors that affect respirator performance and reliability.
• (3) Respirators for atmospheres that are not IDLH. (i) The employer shall provide a respirator that is adequate to protect the health of the employee and ensure compliance with all other OSHA statutory and regulatory requirements, under routine and reasonably foreseeable emergency situations.

Medical evaluation: paragraph (e)

• (e) Medical evaluation. Using a respirator may place a physiological burden on employees that varies with the type of respirator worn, the job and workplace conditions in which the respirator is used, and the medical status of the employee. Accordingly, this paragraph specifies the minimum requirements for medical evaluation that employers must implement to determine the employee's ability to use a respirator.
• (1) General. The employer shall provide a medical evaluation to determine the employee's ability to use a respirator, before the employee is fit tested or required to use the respirator in the workplace. The employer may discontinue an employee's medical evaluations when the employee is no longer required to use a respirator.

Fit testing: paragraph (f)

• (f) Fit testing. This paragraph requires that, before an employee may be required to use any respirator with a negative or positive pressure tight-fitting facepiece, the employee must be fit tested with the same make, model, style, and size of respirator that will be used. This paragraph specifies the kinds of fit tests allowed, the procedures for conducting them, and how the results of the fit tests must be used.
• (1) The employer shall ensure that employees using a tight-fitting facepiece respirator pass an appropriate qualitative fit test (QLFT) or quantitative fit test (QNFT) as stated in this paragraph.
• (2) The employer shall ensure that an employee using a tight-fitting facepiece respirator is fit tested prior to initial use of the respirator, whenever a different respirator facepiece (size, style, model or make) is used, and at least annually thereafter.
• (3) The employer shall conduct an additional fit test whenever the employee reports, or the employer, PLHCP, supervisor, or program administrator makes visual observations of, changes in the employee's physical condition that could affect respirator fit. Such conditions include, but are not limited to, facial scarring, dental changes, cosmetic surgery, or an obvious change in body weight.
• (4) If after passing a QLFT or QNFT, the employee subsequently notifies the employer, program administrator, supervisor, or PLHCP that the fit of the respirator is unacceptable, the employee shall be given a reasonable opportunity to select a different respirator facepiece and to be retested.
• (5) The fit test shall be administered using an OSHA-accepted QLFT or QNFT protocol. The OSHA-accepted QLFT and QNFT protocols and procedures are contained in appendix A of this section.
• (6) QLFT may only be used to fit test negative pressure air-purifying respirators that must achieve a fit factor of 100 or less.
• (7) If the fit factor, as determined through an OSHA-accepted QNFT protocol, is equal to or greater than 100 for tight-fitting half facepieces, or equal to or greater than 500 for tight-fitting full facepieces, the QNFT has been passed with that respirator.

Use of respirators: paragraph (g)

The opening of the facepiece seal protection rules.

• (g) Use of respirators. This paragraph requires employers to establish and implement procedures for the proper use of respirators. These requirements include prohibiting conditions that may result in facepiece seal leakage, preventing employees from removing respirators in hazardous environments, taking actions to ensure continued effective respirator operation throughout the work shift, and establishing procedures for the use of respirators in IDLH atmospheres or in interior structural firefighting situations.
• (1) Facepiece seal protection. (i) The employer shall not permit respirators with tight-fitting facepieces to be worn by employees who have:
• (A) Facial hair that comes between the sealing surface of the facepiece and the face or that interferes with valve function; or
• (B) Any condition that interferes with the face-to-facepiece seal or valve function.
• (ii) If an employee wears corrective glasses or goggles or other personal protective equipment, the employer shall ensure that such equipment is worn in a manner that does not interfere with the seal of the facepiece to the face of the user.
• (iii) For all tight-fitting respirators, the employer shall ensure that employees perform a user seal check each time they put on the respirator using the procedures in appendix B-1 or procedures recommended by the respirator manufacturer that the employer demonstrates are as effective as those in appendix B-1 of this section.

Training and information: paragraph (k)

• (k) Training and information. This paragraph requires the employer to provide effective training to employees who are required to use respirators. The training must be comprehensive, understandable, and recur annually, and more often if necessary. This paragraph also requires the employer to provide the basic information on respirators in appendix D of this section to employees who wear respirators when not required by this section or by the employer to do so.
• (1) The employer shall ensure that each employee can demonstrate knowledge of at least the following:
• (i) Why the respirator is necessary and how improper fit, usage, or maintenance can compromise the protective effect of the respirator;
• (ii) What the limitations and capabilities of the respirator are;
• (iii) How to use the respirator effectively in emergency situations, including situations in which the respirator malfunctions;
• (iv) How to inspect, put on and remove, use, and check the seals of the respirator;
• (v) What the procedures are for maintenance and storage of the respirator;
• (vi) How to recognize medical signs and symptoms that may limit or prevent the effective use of respirators; and
• (vii) The general requirements of this section.
• (2) The training shall be conducted in a manner that is understandable to the employee.
• (3) The employer shall provide the training prior to requiring the employee to use a respirator in the workplace.
• (4) An employer who is able to demonstrate that a new employee has received training within the last 12 months that addresses the elements specified in paragraph (k)(1)(i) through (vii) is not required to repeat such training provided that, as required by paragraph (k)(1), the employee can demonstrate knowledge of those element(s). Previous training not repeated initially by the employer must be provided no later than 12 months from the date of the previous training.
• (5) Retraining shall be administered annually, and when the following situations occur:
• (i) Changes in the workplace or the type of respirator render previous training obsolete;
• (ii) Inadequacies in the employee's knowledge or use of the respirator indicate that the employee has not retained the requisite understanding or skill; or
• (iii) Any other situation arises in which retraining appears necessary to ensure safe respirator use.
• (6) The basic advisory information on respirators, as presented in appendix D of this section, shall be provided by the employer in any written or oral format, to employees who wear respirators when such use is not required by this section or by the employer.

Recordkeeping: paragraph (m)

• (m) Recordkeeping. This section requires the employer to establish and retain written information regarding medical evaluations, fit testing, and the respirator program. This information will facilitate employee involvement in the respirator program, assist the employer in auditing the adequacy of the program, and provide a record for compliance determinations by OSHA.
• (1) Medical evaluation. Records of medical evaluations required by this section must be retained and made available in accordance with 29 CFR 1910.1020.
• (2) Fit testing. (i) The employer shall establish a record of the qualitative and quantitative fit tests administered to an employee including:
• (A) The name or identification of the employee tested;
• (B) Type of fit test performed;
• (C) Specific make, model, style, and size of respirator tested;
• (D) Date of test; and
• (E) The pass/fail results for QLFTs or the fit factor and strip chart recording or other recording of the test results for QNFTs.
• (ii) Fit test records shall be retained for respirator users until the next fit test is administered.
• (3) A written copy of the current respirator program shall be retained by the employer.
• (4) Written materials required to be retained under this paragraph shall be made available upon request to affected employees and to the Assistant Secretary or designee for examination and copying.

Limits of this page

1910.134 is one of the longest OSHA sections. This page quotes its scope, a selection of definitions, the program, selection, medical evaluation, fit testing, training and recordkeeping paragraphs and the opening of paragraph (g). It omits paragraphs (h) to (j) and (l), the remaining definitions and the appendices, including the fit testing protocols in Appendix A. It does not say which respirator, fit test method or cartridge a hazard needs, and it is not a substitute for the full section; questions about a real workplace belong with a qualified industrial hygienist, the program administrator, a physician or other licensed health care professional, or the OSHA office. The text was requested from the eCFR as of October 29, 2026; the version history linked under Sources shows when the section last changed.

Sources

Sources opened and read November 2, 2026.

• eCFR: 29 CFR 1910.134 (text requested as of October 29, 2026; read November 2, 2026)
• eCFR versioner API: version history of 29 CFR 1910.134 (read November 2, 2026)