Before an employee may be required to wear a respirator on the job, Cal/OSHA's respiratory protection standard generally requires:

Explanation

Section 5144 requires, before an employee is required to use a respirator at work: a medical evaluation of the employee's ability to wear one, a fit test for any tight-fitting facepiece, and training on why the respirator is necessary, what its limitations are, how to put it on and check the seal, and how to maintain it. Option (d) drops the medical evaluation, which exists because the respirator is itself a load on the heart and lungs. Option (c) keeps it but on a fixed cycle, when the standard instead requires a further evaluation on a change of circumstances - an employee reporting difficulty breathing, a change in physical condition, or a change in the work. Option (b) confuses the cartridge with the facepiece: the fit test is owed before first use, at least annually, and whenever a different size, model or make of facepiece is used.