Respirator User Training puts the wearer through 10 hands-on decisions — cartridge selection, positive and negative seal checks, and end-of-service recognition — validating 7 competencies so a worker can prove they know how to make their own respirator actually seal.
User-level respirator training aligned with Manitoba WSH Regulation Part 6 (Personal Protective Equipment) and CSA Z94.4 (Selection, Use, and Care of Respirators). This course is about the boring habit that is the actual protection: donning the respirator right, doing a user seal check EVERY single time you put it on, keeping it on for the whole exposure, staying clean-shaven where it seals, and caring for it between uses.
Enable workers who are already required to wear a respirator to don it correctly, perform a positive and negative user seal check every time, keep it on for the whole exposure, stay clean-shaven where it seals, care for and store it, know its limits, and report damage or poor fit.
At a glance
Format: Online, self-paced and interactive
Length: about 1 hour, 5 modules
Pass mark: 80% on the final test
Certificate: QR-verified, valid for three years
Jurisdiction: Manitoba law and standards
Who this course is for
Workers required to wear tight-fitting respirators for dusts, fumes, vapours, or gases in shops, plants, and confined tasks.
Workers required to wear a respirator on the job
Auto-body, refinishing, and paint-spray workers
Welders, grinders, and abrasive-blasting workers
Construction, agriculture, and manufacturing workers
Supervisors confirming correct respirator use on the job
What you will learn
Don a respirator in the correct sequence and position it for a real seal
Perform a positive-pressure AND negative-pressure user seal check every time it is donned
Keep the respirator on for the whole exposure — the minutes off in bad air are the exposure
Explain why facial hair on the sealing surface breaks the seal and what to do about it
Inspect, clean, store, and change cartridges/filters on a schedule between uses
Recognize the limits of the respirator and never exceed what it is rated for
Course outline
Donning: Putting It On So It Can Protect You — Donning the respirator in the correct sequence and positioning it so the whole sealing surface contacts the face — the first half of the ritual.
The Seal Check: The Habit That Holds — The positive- and negative-pressure user seal check done every single donning, and why facial hair on the sealing surface breaks the seal that tightening straps cannot fix.
Wear Discipline: Keep It On for the Whole Exposure — Wearing the respirator continuously for the whole exposure and knowing its limits — the minutes it is off in bad air are the actual exposure.
Care Between Uses: Inspect, Clean, Store, Change — Inspecting, cleaning, and storing the respirator between uses and changing cartridges/filters on a schedule rather than by smell.
Limits and Reporting: When to Stop and Speak Up — Recognizing the respirator’s limits and the warning signs (breathing difficulty, a smell getting through, damage) that mean stop, leave, and report for assessment.
Laws and standards covered
Manitoba Workplace Safety and Health Act (C.C.S.M. c. W210)
Manitoba WSH Regulation MR 217/2006, Part 6
CSA Z94.4 — Selection, Use, and Care of Respirators
CSA Z180.1 — Compressed Breathing Air and Systems (for supplied-air systems)
NIOSH 42 CFR Part 84
OSHA 29 CFR 1910.134
Certificate and renewal
Passing the final test issues a QR-verified certificate, valid for three years. User refresher is recommended every 3 years, or sooner after a change of process/contaminant, a new respirator type, or an incident.
This certificate records completion of user-level knowledge training in wearing a respirator. It is not a fit test and does not authorize the holder to wear a tight-fitting respirator. Anyone required to wear one must be medically cleared and fit-tested on the specific make, model and size before use, and re-tested at least as often as CSA Z94.4 requires.
Common questions
How long does Respirator User Training take?
About 1 hour online, over 5 modules, at your own pace. It ends with a final test that needs 80% to pass.
How long is the Respirator User Training certificate valid?
Three years from the day you pass. User refresher is recommended every 3 years, or sooner after a change of process/contaminant, a new respirator type, or an incident.
Which laws and standards does Respirator User Training cover?
Manitoba Workplace Safety and Health Act (C.C.S.M. c. W210); Manitoba WSH Regulation MR 217/2006, Part 6; CSA Z94.4 — Selection, Use, and Care of Respirators; and 4 more listed on this page.
Is the online certificate enough on its own?
This certificate records completion of user-level knowledge training in wearing a respirator. It is not a fit test and does not authorize the holder to wear a tight-fitting respirator. Anyone required to wear one must be medically cleared and fit-tested on the specific make, model and size before use, and re-tested at least as often as CSA Z94.4 requires.