Medical Clearance for Respirator Use

At the Houston Area Safety Council, NIOSH Certified technicians administer the mandatory OSHA medical clearance questionnaire.  This questionnaire takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. Answers from the questionnaire are entered into our computerized spirometry program and a pulmonary function test (PFT) is administered. 

A pulmonary function test will measure lung volume and flow and is a good indicator of whether a person would experience difficulty using respiratory protective equipment. If the results of the person’s PFT show a forced expiratory volume and forced vital capacity greater than 70%, the person is medically cleared and can proceed on with the respirator fit test.

All HASC technicians who conduct Pulmonary Function Tests and administer the questionnaire have completed a NIOSH certification course. HASC uses state-of-the-art computerized spirometers. It only takes approximately five minutes to administer a PFT. After the medical data is collected, it is reviewed by the HASC physician. The clearance letter, signed by the physician, is available within 30 minutes.

To order Pulmonary Function Tests, register your employees for 19PFT. Service is now available at the Houston Area Safety Council Deer Park-Headquarters and NASA-Annex.