Policy Text
Procedure
705Garden Grove Police Department
Procedures Manual
Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2022/08/26, All Rights Reserved.
Published with permission by Garden Grove Police
DepartmentPersonal Protective Equipment Procedures - 1Personal Protective Equipment Procedures
705.1 PURPOSE AND SCOPE
The purpose of this procedure is to protect the health of employees from airborne hazards and
to provide guidelines necessary to control occupational diseases caused by exposure to air
contaminated with harmful dusts, fogs, fumes, mists, gases, smokes, sprays, or vapors.
705.2 INTRODUCTION
The Respiratory Protection Program shall cover all employees of the Garden Grove Police
Department who are permanently or temporarily assigned respiratory protection equipment.
These employees include sworn and non-sworn personnel who are required to wear respiratory
protection equipment during regular work activities, or who may be required to wear such
equipment during emergency situations in which harmful contaminants are present in the
atmosphere.
All participants in the program shall be thoroughly trained regarding the respiratory equipment's
purpose and limitations.
705.3 MEDICAL EVALUATION AND QUALIFICATION FOR USE OF RESPIRATORS
Personnel are considered medically qualified to use respiratory protection equipment after
completing the POST Medical History Statement or its equivalent, and after successfully passing
a medical evaluation which must meet or exceed the standards described in the POST Medical
Screening Manual for California Law Enforcement. These requirements can be satisfied by a pre-
employment, or post-employment medical evaluation.
Employees who were hired prior to the implementation of the POST Medical History Statement
(POST 2-252), which was December of 2001, shall complete the Cal/OSHA RESPIRATOR
MEDICAL QUESTIONAIRE. The approved medical personnel shall then review it.
The Police Department shall designate an occupational health physician to administer the medical
evaluations. The Respiratory Protection Program Administrator will ensure that the physician has
a copy of the most recently updated version of the Police Department's Respiratory Protection
Program. The physician will review the program and the Respirator Use Information form when
determining if an employee is medically qualified to use respiratory protective equipment. A copy
of the Respirator Use Information form is attached to this General Order.
(a)A pre-employment medical evaluation shall be administered to each employee as a
condition of his/her employment with the Garden Grove Police Department.
(b)A post-employment medical evaluation shall be required when:
1.an employee reports to supervisor or manager medical signs or symptoms that
are related to their ability to use a respirator.
2.A physician or other licensed health-care professional (PLHCP), supervisor,
manager or the Respiratory Program Administrator or Instructor determines the
Garden Grove Police Department
Procedures Manual
Personal Protective Equipment Procedures
Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2022/08/26, All Rights Reserved.
Published with permission by Garden Grove Police
DepartmentPersonal Protective Equipment Procedures - 2employee needs to be reevaluated prior to using a respirator. Only licensed
health care professionals (PLHCP), or physicians shall be allowed to ask
employees medical questions related to their ability to use a respirator.
3.Observations made during fit testing indicate the employee requires re-
evaluation.
4.A change occurs in workplace conditions (e.g., physical work effort, protective
clothing, temperature, etc.) that may result in a substantial increase of exertion
placed on the employee's physiological system.
(c)When circumstances described above require an employee to undergo a post-
employment medical evaluation, the following procedures shall apply:
1.The employee's supervisor shall complete a Preventative Treatment
Authorization form (PTA), and send the employee for evaluation by a City
designated occupational health physician. The physician shall administer the
medical questionnaire contained in this General Order, and provide a written
recommendation regarding the employee's ability to use a respirator. The
physician will retain the questionnaire, and the employee shall return the written
recommendation to the City's Human Resources Department for filing in their
medical file, and shall promptly notify their supervisor and the Respiratory
Protection Program Administrator of their status. The PTA forms are available
from the Respiratory Protection Program Administrator and City's Human
Resources Department.
2.The employee may elect to see his or her personal physician in lieu of the City's
designated occupational health physician. In these instances, the employee
shall take a copy of the Police Department's Respiratory Protection Program,
medical questionnaire and Respirator Use Information form to the attending
physician. The employee's physician shall be required to administer the medical
questionnaire, and include a written recommendation regarding the employee's
ability to use a respirator. The attending physician shall retain the questionnaire,
and the employee shall return only the written recommendation to the City's
Human Resources Department for filing in their medical file, and promptly inform
their supervisor and the Respiratory Protection Program Administrator of their
status. The written recommendation provided by the attending physician shall
contain the same information.
705.4 ASSIGNMENT OF RESPIRATORY PROTECTION EQUIPMENT
The Police Department, on a permanent or temporary basis, will issue respiratory equipment to all
first responders and other personnel, sworn or non-sworn, who may be called upon to respond to
situations in which hazardous materials have been expelled into the atmosphere. Considerations
in the selection of respirators shall include facial irregularities, e.g., scars, dentures, etc. Additional
factors may include the nature of work being performed by the employee, which may place unusual
stress on the employee's respiratory protection system.
Permanent Assignment - All respirators permanently assigned to employees shall be issued
by the Department's Respiratory Protection Program Administrator or his designee, and only
Garden Grove Police Department