Text For Citation: 01 Item/Group: 001A Hazard:

29 CFR 1910.134(c)(1): A written respiratory protection program that included the provisions in 29 CFR 1910.134(c)(1)(i) - (ix) with worksite specific procedures was not established and implemented for required respirator use: a) Elmhurst Operator, LLC located at 50 Maude Street in Providence: On or about July 22, 2020, the employer did not develop and implement a written respiratory protection program with worksite-specific procedures for respirator use that included all provisions in 29 CFR 1910.134(c)(1)(i) - (ix). The employer required employees to wear N95 filtering facepiece respirators throughout their shifts to protect against the SARS-CoV-2 virus while providing care to suspected or confirmed positive COVID-19 patients and residents. Deficiencies in the program included: lack of a written program, lack of medical evaluation prior to respirator use, lack of fit-testing prior to respirator use, and failure to implement procedures and training for the proper use of respirators including but not limited to, prohibiting tight-fitting filtering facepiece respirators to be worn by employees who had facial hair that came between the sealing surface of the facepiece and the face.