Respirator
MEQ
Respirator Medical Evaluation Questionnaire
OSHA requires a medical evaluation before any employee wears a respirator. Our digital rMEQ clears most workers in about 20 minutes.
Starting at
UNDERSTANDING THE REQUIREMENT
What is an rMEQ?
An OSHA-mandated evaluation that identifies medical conditions that could impair respirator use or put workers at risk.
The definition
A Respirator Medical Evaluation Questionnaire is a critical requirement of OSHA's respiratory protection standard (1910.134) that determines if an employee can safely wear respiratory protection.
The purpose
A respirator is personal protective equipment worn on the body, and wearing one adds physical strain. Existing health conditions can make that strain worse, sometimes intolerable or unsafe. The questionnaire-based evaluation surfaces those conditions before fitting and use.
Who needs it
Every employee required to wear any respirator on the job, from disposable N95s to supplied-air systems. OSHA sequences it first: evaluation, then fit testing, then use.
ON THE PLATFORM
How it works
The worker answers on their phone. Most are cleared before they submit.
The questionnaire asks every mandatory Appendix C question, then builds the rest of the interview in real time: each answer either opens a deeper branch or moves the worker forward. Dr. Martin and his team review the submissions that don't clear instantly, and follow up with a phone interview when an answer needs more detail. Every determination, instant or reviewed, lands in the same record system as your fit tests and training.
Want to see the complete financial breakdown? A 100-employee facility saves $9,100 annually on baseline evaluation costs alone, more once clinic upselling is factored out.
Read the cost analysis →The experience
The first questions
Three questions from the mandatory questionnaire, exactly as a worker meets them. Keep scrolling and watch it adapt.
Real questions
Every item comes straight from Appendix C. The rMEQ asks all of them.
Do you currently smoke tobacco, or have you smoked tobacco in the last month?
Sample only.
Branches in real time
A yes adds a follow-up on the spot. The total just grew from three to four.
Have you ever had asthma?
Sample only.
Two ways out
Clean answers clear instantly with a written determination. Answers like these get human eyes first.
This one gets eyes on it
Answers like these route to Dr. Martin's team, usually resolved with a quick phone interview. Either way it ends in a written determination.
Sample only.
The paper trail
What you get
Every evaluation ends in a written determination. It's the document OSHA expects you to produce when asked.
Only the determination reaches you
The regulation limits what the employer receives to the recommendation itself. Your team never sees a worker's medical answers.
APPROVED
Sample only.
Exactly what 1910.134(e)(6) requires
The clearance, any suggested limitations, and any follow-up needed. The worker's copy goes straight to their email.
APPROVED
Disposable Respirator (N95, P100, etc.)
Routine Use
Dust • Infectious Agents
Partial-Face Air Purifying (APR)
Situational Use
Chemicals • Vapors
Sample only.
Filed where your fit tests live
Determinations land in the same record system as fit test records and training certificates. One place when the inspector asks.
APPROVED
Disposable Respirator (N95, P100, etc.)
Routine Use
Dust • Infectious Agents
Partial-Face Air Purifying (APR)
Situational Use
Chemicals • Vapors
Medical Director
MD, MBA, MPH, MMCi
Sample only.
REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS
The eight requirements
OSHA 1910.134(e) spells out eight provisions: who runs the evaluation, what it must ask, what follow-up looks like, and what gets documented. Each one is a place a manual program can fail an audit.
01Medical evaluation required
1910.134(e)(1)Ensures every worker is expertly evaluated and medically cleared before respirator usage
Medical evaluation required
1910.134(e)(1)Ensures every worker is expertly evaluated and medically cleared before respirator usage
The requirement
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.
Proxima solution
Our PLHCP-reviewed digital questionnaire meets this requirement. We provide direct physician involvement and oversight. Employees completing Dr. Martin's form receive an in-depth, real-time, algorithmic interview. Based on the results of the interview, Dr. Martin and his team may review the questionnaire, and may even perform a phone interview when necessary.
02PLHCP and evaluation methods
1910.134(e)(2)(i)Maintains the application of medical expertise while streamlining the evaluation process
PLHCP and evaluation methods
1910.134(e)(2)(i)Maintains the application of medical expertise while streamlining the evaluation process
The requirement
The employer shall identify a physician or other licensed health care professional (PLHCP) to perform medical evaluations using a medical questionnaire or an initial medical examination.
Proxima solution
Dr. Martin and his team of licensed providers provide evaluations through our comprehensive digital questionnaire and phone interview process, which obtains far more information than the required questionnaire.
03Mandatory questionnaire content
1910.134(e)(2)(ii)Ensures comprehensive health assessment while reducing redundant questioning
Mandatory questionnaire content
1910.134(e)(2)(ii)Ensures comprehensive health assessment while reducing redundant questioning
The requirement
The medical evaluation shall obtain the information requested by the questionnaire in Sections 1 and 2, part A of appendix C of this section.
Proxima solution
Our questionnaire includes all mandatory OSHA Appendix C questions plus adaptive follow-ups based on employee responses.
04Follow-up medical examination
1910.134(e)(3)Ensures employees with potential medical concerns receive proper evaluation before respirator use
Follow-up medical examination
1910.134(e)(3)Ensures employees with potential medical concerns receive proper evaluation before respirator use
The requirement
The employer shall ensure that a follow-up medical examination is provided for an employee who gives a positive response to any question among questions 1 through 8 in Section 2, part A of appendix C.
Proxima solution
Proxima's real-time algorithmic review and phone interview process, when necessary, provide simplified and cost-effective follow-ups to the base question set, reducing the need for deferrals dramatically.
05Confidential administration
1910.134(e)(4)Protects employee privacy while providing flexible access to medical evaluations
Confidential administration
1910.134(e)(4)Protects employee privacy while providing flexible access to medical evaluations
The requirement
The medical questionnaire and examinations shall be administered confidentially during the employee's normal working hours or at a convenient time and place.
Proxima solution
Our secure platform enables confidential completion on any device, allowing employees to complete evaluations at convenient times while maintaining enterprise-grade security.
06Information provided to PLHCP
1910.134(e)(5)Enables PLHCPs to make appropriate recommendations based on actual workplace conditions
Information provided to PLHCP
1910.134(e)(5)Enables PLHCPs to make appropriate recommendations based on actual workplace conditions
The requirement
The employer must provide the PLHCP with information about respirator type, workplace conditions, temperature/humidity extremes, and the respiratory protection program.
Proxima solution
Our platform automatically provides PLHCPs with comprehensive workplace and respirator information, ensuring informed medical decisions.
07Written medical determination
1910.134(e)(6)Ensures compliant documentation while enabling immediate work clearance decisions
Written medical determination
1910.134(e)(6)Ensures compliant documentation while enabling immediate work clearance decisions
The requirement
The employer shall obtain a written recommendation regarding the employee's ability to use the respirator from the PLHCP.
Proxima solution
PLHCPs provide written recommendations through our platform, with automated generation of written determinations.
08Additional medical evaluations
1910.134(e)(7)Ensures ongoing medical monitoring throughout the employee's respirator use
Additional medical evaluations
1910.134(e)(7)Ensures ongoing medical monitoring throughout the employee's respirator use
The requirement
Additional medical evaluations must be provided when an employee reports medical signs or symptoms related to respirator use, when a PLHCP or program administrator informs the employer of the need, or when required by the standard.
Proxima solution
Employees can complete a new rMEQ at any time without scheduling or planning.
MEDICAL EXPERTISE
Physician-level assessment
Every evaluation runs under Dr. Martin's clinical rules. What the algorithm clears, it clears by his protocols; what it can't clear, his team sees.
Dr. Bill Martin
Chief Medical Officer
MD, MBA, MPH, MMCi
Board-certified physician providing medical direction for every respiratory evaluation.
Clinical assessment
A health history review that catches the conditions a respirator makes worse.
OSHA compliance
Every evaluation built to the letter of 29 CFR 1910.134(e).
Evidence-based protocol
Protocols built on current occupational health research, updated as the evidence moves.
The Program
The Full Program
OSHA respiratory protection is a program, not a single step. Pair rMEQ with medical clearance, fit-test records, and training on one platform.
Respirator Fit Test Record Storage
Complimentary centralized storage for all fit test records
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