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Employee Loses Consciousness While Voluntarily Using an N95 Respirator at Work
Question:
An employee chooses to wear an N95 respirator at work, voluntarily. After walking briskly through the office to return to his desk from the bathroom, he loses consciousness. Is it recordable?
Answer:
YES. Voluntary usage of an N95 or other filtering facepiece respirator may not require an employer to provide fit testing, but is NOT excepted for OSHA recordkeeping.
1904.7(a) You must consider an injury or illness to meet the general recording criteria, and therefore to be recordable, if it results in any of the following: death, days away from work, restricted work or transfer to another job, medical treatment beyond first aid, or loss of consciousness. You must also consider a case to meet the general recording criteria if it involves a significant injury or illness diagnosed by a physician or other licensed health care professional, even if it does not result in death, days away from work, restricted work or job transfer, medical treatment beyond first aid, or loss of consciousness.