Fast Response Onsite Testing (FROST) has more than 30 years’ experience in Emergency Services health and safety and is proud of its “cradle to grave” career safety and screening programs. As experts in respiratory protection and aerosol transmissible disease (ATD) prevention, FROST current oversees the screening and ongoing annual monitoring of hundreds of law enforcement agencies in California. These include sheriff departments, city police agencies, state prison guards and corrections officers. Complete CalOSHA 5144 Respiratory protection and 5199 ATD services are available either individually, or as an agency wide model.

Clearly, the economic environment in the public sector has changed significantly: more crime/prisoners and lower staffing rates combined. Unfortunately, OSHA health and safety compliance has also become more aggressive and now has more requirement areas than ever before. One of the ways to approach this problem is with enhanced employee safety and improved ongoing tracking/compliance.

• When accounting for time and materials, FROST can provide these mobile services at your workplace for less cost than the local occ health providers, while providing the services a more cohesive and comprehensive result.
• FROST provides enhanced Cal OSHA 5144 / 5199, TB compliance with streamlined document management.
• FROST aids the employer in risk management by providing extensive expertise in respiratory protection and CalOSHA compliance with an arm’s length relationship to the employer.

Police Officer Standardized Training (POST) has addressed and supports Cal/OSHA Regulation 5144 and requires employers to develop and implement a written respiratory-protection program that includes work site procedures and elements for required respirator use. The regulation also specifies the minimum medical evaluation requirements determining an employee’s ability to use a respirator.

FROST is the ideal partner to assist POST law enforcement agencies in developing their own written agency program that satisfies Cal/OSHA requirements. Working closely with FROST, agencies will make amendments to fit their agency specific program. This resulting program is intended to clarify the requirements for law enforcement to meet Cal/OSHA standards in the following areas:

• Employee medical requirements
• Annual equipment fit testing
• Annual training in the use of air purification and powered air purification respiratory equipment use

According to the CDC, Emergency workers (including law enforcement) are the primary providers of public care during a disaster response. The potentially hazardous job duties of emergency workers include lifting citizens and equipment, providing hands-on first aid on victims with possible infectious illnesses, handling hazardous chemical and body substances, and participating in the emergency transport of patients in ground and air vehicles. These duties create an inherent risk for emergency worker occupational injuries and illnesses; and research has shown that they have high rates of fatal injuries and nonfatal injuries and illnesses.

The September 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center (WTC) are a vivid reminder of how vulnerable first responders are to unexpected hazards. The collapse of the WTC created a hazardous environment where New York City Police (NYPD) and Fire Department (FDNY) rescue workers faced numerous health and safety challenges. Virtually every police officer, firefighter and ambulance worker in FDNY’s workforce participated in the 10-month WTC rescue and recovery effort; thousands subsequently reported respiratory and other health symptoms.

NOTE: In 2002, the “WTC cough syndrome,” consisting of an initial cough followed by persistent upper and lower respiratory symptoms, often accompanied by gastroesophageal reflux disorder (GERD), was first described by our group. Since then, many investigators have also reported associations between WTC exposure and respiratory symptoms, abnormal pulmonary function and accelerated declines in pulmonary function.

FROST has designed a comprehensive respiratory protection program that aligns with other California law enforcement agencies and then supports that baseline by adding an annual compliance program designed to comply with POST and CalOSHA regulations and to enhance officer health and safety.

This program covers equipment selection, medical screening, fit testing, training, use and maintenance of respirators to be used by the following types of officers:

• Officers who are issued respirators to be used for escape from hazardous atmospheres.
• Officers who are issued respirators to be used while maintaining perimeters at hazardous materials incidents. These are officers who will be stationed in the support (“cold” or “green”) zone, where contaminants are not expected to exceed levels deemed safe for unprotected persons, as determined by the incident commander.
• Officers who are issued respirators for use in maintaining the perimeter at crowd-control incidents where chemical agents (e.g., CS or CN tear gas) are used.
• Officers who are issued respirators to prevent exposure to tuberculosis and other serious airborne respiratory infections due to sustained contact with, or transport of, persons who are suspected of carrying an active infection with a serious airborne respiratory disease (such as tuberculosis).
• Officers who, in exigent or emergency situations, are required to enter an area where CS, CN, smoke, or other tearing agents have been expelled.

FROST looks forward to discussing your agency’s needs and helping you design the program that fits your requirements.