Stop handing out N95s and hoping that counts.
Offered and required are different obligations. RestShade watches smoke tiers at every site, keeps the respirator plan with the daily record, and documents which tier the day hit. Most days you do nothing. When respirator steps trigger, it flags the site and pings the right people.
The problem
Shops hand out N95s and assume they are covered. Above the top tier the same mask becomes mandatory, and mandatory use brings medical evaluation and fit testing.
How RestShade helps
RestShade keeps the written respirator plan with the smoke plan and records the tier from the day's reading, so offered and required are documented rather than remembered.
What you walk away with
- A written respirator plan you can show alongside the smoke plan
- A record of voluntary availability on the days it applied
- The mandatory-use tier flagged when the reading crossed it
What RestShade handles
- Voluntary use duties: availability plus training on how to wear one
- Mandatory triggers: AQI 500 in California, PM2.5 200.9 in Oregon (abbreviated program), PM2.5 500.4 in Washington
- Plan available in English and Spanish
- Stored with the daily reading that produced the tier
How it works
- RestShade keeps respirator and smoke plans paired Both documents stay versioned and consistent in one account.
- Smoke tiers are evaluated continuously Voluntary availability and mandatory use thresholds are tracked per state.
- The log shows what the tier required Offered, required, and escalation are recorded on the same day's reading.
Frequently asked questions
- Does RestShade run fit testing? No. Fit testing and medical evaluation are things you arrange. RestShade documents the plan and the days that required them.
- Is voluntary use really an obligation? Making NIOSH-approved respirators available and explaining their use is part of the smoke rules in CA, OR, and WA at the lower tiers.
- Which reading decides the tier? The one you record for that shift. Many shops log a second reading when the air worsens so the escalation is visible.
Related guides
- Voluntary N95 use vs a respirator program
- California wildfire smoke employer requirements
- Washington wildfire smoke workplace requirements