Comments to OSHA on Medical Evaluation for Respirators

ARTBA submitted responses to questions raised during an August 2026 U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) public hearing, where ARTBA provided oral comments on proposed changes to medical evaluation requirements for certain respirators. The proposal would eliminate mandatory medical evaluations before employees use filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs) and loose-fitting powered air-purifying respirators (PAPRs). ARTBA supported eliminating the mandate while recommending that OSHA retain medical evaluations as a best practice through nonmandatory guidance, giving employers flexibility to determine when an evaluation is appropriate.

Read ARTBA’s responses here.