Municipal Public Works Department
How a city public works department saved $58,240 annually with centralized respirator compliance across Fire, Water, Wastewater, and Sanitation
210
Municipal Workers
73%
Cost Reduction
$58K
Annual Savings
4 Depts
Fire, Water, Wastewater, Streets
City Overview
A mid-sized municipal Public Works Department serves a population of 82,000 with 210 municipal workers requiring respirator medical evaluations across four departments: Fire Department (45 firefighters), Water Utilities (68 workers), Wastewater Treatment (52 operators), and Streets/Sanitation (45 workers).
Workers require respirators for confined space entry, hazmat response, wastewater operations, mold remediation, asbestos abatement, painting operations, chemical handling, and emergency response. Managing compliance across multiple departments with union contracts, shift schedules, and budget constraints created significant administrative challenges.
Quick Facts
Population Served: 82,000
Total Workers Requiring Respirators: 210
Departments: Fire, Water, Wastewater, Streets/Sanitation
Annual Budget (Respirator Program): $79,500
Previous Compliance Rate: 64%
Union Representation: AFSCME Local 3456, IAFF Local 782
The Challenge: Fragmented Multi-Department Compliance
Department-Specific Challenges
Fire Department
- 24-hour shift schedule made clinic appointments nearly impossible
- Firefighters required to take personal time for medical evaluations
- SCBA compliance tied to medical clearance - station coverage issues
Water & Wastewater
- Shift workers (rotating schedules) struggled to schedule clinic visits
- Confined space entry required immediate medical clearance - production delays
- Union grievances filed over mandatory off-duty clinic appointments
Streets & Sanitation
- Field crews scattered across city - difficult to schedule clinic time
- Seasonal workers needed evaluations before start date - hiring delays
- Lost productivity: 3+ hours per worker per clinic visit (travel + wait time)
HR & Compliance
- No centralized tracking system - paper records in 4 different locations
- Audit preparation required manually compiling records from 4 departments
- City Council budget scrutiny - needed to justify respiratory protection costs
The Solution: Centralized Municipal Platform
The city deployed RespiratorTest.com's municipal platform with centralized HR dashboard, department-level coordinator access, 24/7 online evaluations for shift workers, and automated compliance tracking across all four departments.
97%
Compliance Rate
All 4 departments
$58K
Annual Savings
73% cost reduction
1.3
FTE Eliminated
Admin time savings
3 weeks
Full Rollout
All 210 workers live
Cost Breakdown: Before vs After
| Cost Category | Traditional Clinics (Before) | RespiratorTest.com (After) | Annual Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medical Evaluation Cost | $31,500 ($150 avg × 210 workers) | $8,400 ($40 × 210 workers) | $23,100 |
| Administrative Overhead | $63,000 (1.5 FTE × $42K avg salary) | $21,000 (0.5 FTE oversight) | $42,000 |
| Lost Productivity (Clinic Visits) | $18,900 (210 workers × 3 hrs × $30/hr avg) | $6,300 (210 workers × 1 hr × $30/hr) | $12,600 |
| Technology Platform | $0 (No existing system) | $6,300 (Municipal plan + setup) | -$6,300 |
| OSHA Citation Risk | $13,800 (64% compliance = high risk) | $0 (97% compliance = minimal risk) | $13,800 |
| Total Annual Cost | $127,200 | $42,000 | $85,200 |
Implementation Timeline
Week 1: Planning & Setup
- HR and department coordinators training (2 hours)
- Import existing medical evaluation records (210 workers)
- Configure department-level access permissions
Week 2: Soft Launch (Fire Department)
- Pilot with Fire Department (45 firefighters)
- All 45 firefighters completed evaluations in 3 days (24/7 access)
- Union leadership gave enthusiastic approval
Week 3: Full Rollout (Water, Wastewater, Streets)
- Launched to remaining 165 workers
- Email notifications sent to all workers with unique access links
- HR dashboard showed real-time completion status
Week 4: Compliance & Audit Readiness
- 97% completion rate (204 of 210 workers)
- Automated expiration alerts configured (90-day advance notice)
- Audit-ready reports generated for City Manager review
Key Results & Benefits
Compliance Improvement
From 64% to 97% compliance in 3 weeks. Eliminated OSHA citation risk and workers' compensation liability exposure.
Fire Department achieved 100% compliance for first time in 5 years.
Real-time dashboard gave City Manager visibility into compliance status across all departments.
Budget & Cost Savings
$85,200 annual savings (73% cost reduction). City Council reallocated savings to fund 2 additional seasonal workers.
Eliminated 1.3 FTE administrative overhead (HR + department coordinators).
Reduced lost productivity from 630 hours/year to 210 hours/year (clinic visits eliminated).
Union & Employee Satisfaction
Zero union grievances filed related to respirator medical evaluations (previously 8-12 grievances/year).
24/7 access eliminated mandatory off-duty clinic appointments.
Anonymous employee survey: 94% satisfaction rating for new evaluation process.
"RespiratorTest.com solved a problem we'd been struggling with for years. Our firefighters, water operators, and field crews could never find time to schedule clinic appointments—and we had zero visibility into compliance status across departments. The 24/7 online platform eliminated scheduling conflicts, saved us over $85,000 annually, and gave us instant audit readiness. The City Council was so impressed with the results they approved a 3-year renewal after just one year. Best decision we've made for workplace safety compliance."
Maria Gonzalez, MBA, CSP
Director of Human Resources & Risk Management
Municipal Public Works
Ready to Streamline Your Municipal Respirator Compliance?
Join 30+ municipal governments managing respirator compliance for fire departments, public works, water/wastewater utilities, and sanitation with RespiratorTest.com. Centralized tracking, 24/7 shift worker access, union-friendly, and significant budget savings.