OSHA compliance
The regulations behind the physical.
Since 1980, OSHA has required fire departments to make sure their people are physically capable of the work. Our program is built on those regulations and reviewed against them every year.
Background
What the standard asks of your department.
OSHA’s Fire Brigade standard, 29 CFR 1910.156, took effect in 1980. It applies to fire brigades, industrial fire departments and private or contractual fire departments. Airport crash rescue and forest firefighting operations are the exceptions.
The regulation is not specific about what type of health screening or fitness program should be used. It does state that employers shall assure that employees expected to do interior structural firefighting are physically capable of performing the duties that may be assigned to them.
Because the regulation leaves the method open, and because of the liability that comes with implementing a fitness program, selecting the right contractor to provide these services is very significant.
What we provide for compliance
- Fire brigade clearance formA physician’s certificate for each structural firefighter.
- Respirator clearance formFor each person assigned to tasks requiring a respirator.
- OSHA respiratory questionnaireReviewed and signed off by our physician.
- Annual compliance reviewThe program and the Physician’s Certificate are reviewed each year against 1910.156, 1910.120 and 1910.134.
The regulations
North Greenville Fitness complies with the following OSHA regulations.
29 CFR 1910.156
Fire Brigades
1910.156(a)(2) Application. The requirements of this section apply to fire brigades, industrial fire departments, and private or contractual type fire departments. The requirements of this section do not apply to airport crash rescue or forest fire fighting operations.
1910.156(b)(2) Personnel. The employer shall assure that employees who are expected to do interior structural fire fighting are physically capable of performing duties which may be assigned to them during emergencies. The employer shall not permit employees with known heart disease, epilepsy or emphysema to participate in fire brigade emergency activities unless a physician’s certificate of the employee’s fitness to participate in such activities is provided.
29 CFR 1910.134
Respiratory Protection
1910.134(e)(1) 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.
29 CFR 1910.120
Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response
1910.120(b)(1)(i) Employers shall develop and implement a written safety and health program for their employees involved in hazardous waste operations. The program shall be designed to identify, evaluate, and control safety and health hazards, and provide for emergency response for hazardous waste operations.
Regulation text is quoted for reference. For the current official wording, consult the standards at osha.gov.
NFPA 1582
A strong recommendation, and not a federal law.
NFPA 1582, the Standard on Comprehensive Occupational Medical Program for Fire Departments, is an outstanding set of guidelines. It is also a recommendation. The NFPA itself states that it has no power to police or enforce compliance with its documents.
We take the feasibility of NFPA 1582 seriously and can meet and exceed its recommendations. Our primary focus is the OSHA regulations, because those are the ones your department is required to meet.
Worth knowing: under NFPA 1582, tobacco use in any form is a Category A medical condition, meaning one that would preclude a member from training or emergency operations. A department that adopted every recommendation literally could find a large share of its members disqualified.
Our “Did You Know?” newsletter covers this in more detail, along with what your current blood panel may be missing.
Read the newsletter (PDF)Further reading
Firefighter Screening Protocols
Our founder’s article from Carolina Fire Rescue EMS Journal on graded exercise testing, EKG monitoring and what a blood panel should include.
Schedule a screening
We bring the clinic to your department.
Tell us how many personnel you need screened and where. We’ll build a testing schedule around your shifts.