× The federal government has shut down due to the failures of the President and Congress to continue government funding. Millions of Californians receiving benefits from state programs may be impacted. For now, California’s Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) will continue to provide services and enroll eligible families as long as funding is available. No new federal funding to California WIC will be provided until the President and Congress take action. Families should continue to use their WIC benefits and attend their WIC appointments. This information is subject to change, so please monitor the California WIC website for updates.

Please be wary of potential highly partisan political messaging while visiting federal government websites for information related to the federal government shutdown.

Occupational Health Branch

Respirator Use in Health Care – a Toolkit for Program Administrators

OHB's evaluations of respirator use in hospitals showed that some hospitals could use help to improve the effectiveness of their programs. We created this Respirator Program Toolkit with funding from the NIOSH National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory and in collaboration with a number of partners. It is designed to assist California hospital respirator program administrators, particularly those without formal education in workplace health and safety.

Much of the information in this Toolkit will also be useful for health care settings other than hospitals that use respirators to reduce exposure to infectious diseases.

Guide

A Guide for Respirator Program Administrators (PDF, 5MB) – 44-page guide with links to additional tools and resources

Tools & Resources

Written Respiratory Protection Program Template for Hospitals (Word) – customizable for your hospital’s program

Respiratory Protection Program Evaluation Checklist & Instructions for Use (PDF) – help to ensure your program’s effectiveness

Respirator Selection Guide for Aerosol Transmissible Diseases (PDF) – a 2-page quick reference

Publications & Reports

Hospital Respirator Use During H1N1 - Journal article abstract

Activities

Respirator Use in Health Care Workplaces - Protecting workers from infectious diseases

Related Links & Resources

Respiratory protection resources - general

Respiratory protection resources - health care

Cal/OSHA Respiratory Protection Standard

Page Last Updated :