What is a Fit Test?
Respirator Fit Testing is a test protocol done to ensure a mask fits properly around someone’s face and provides proper protection. The process is either a qualitative or quantitively. The qualitative test will test for the person’s sense of smell and the qualitative test uses an instrument to measure and verify the fit for a person.
Why is Fit Testing important?
This is important to ensure harmful environmental toxins do not leak into the mask. Facial hair, weight gain/loss, face shape, etc. can affect how a mask fits an individual.
Fit testing is used in a variety of different industries including but not limited to healthcare, construction and manufacturing. There are many different kinds of fit tests depending if you are exposed to an oil based, water based or particulate toxic environment.
OSHA (Occupational Safety & Health Administration) requires employers to fit test all employees who work in areas that a high in environmental toxins. This law 28 CFR.1910-134 mandates that fit testing must be done on employees annually.
How is fit testing conducted?
- Qualitative Fit Tests – This test is conducted using a hood that goes over the head of the person. The person is given a mask to wear. Once the person is within the hood an agent like saccharine, Bitrex or an irritant is sent into the hood. If the person can smell the agent, then the mask has to be replaced with another mask and the person needs to be retested.
- Quantative Fit Test – Uses a machine to measure the leakage from a mask. It uses one of the following processes. Generated aerosol, ambient aerosol or Controlled Negative Pressure to measure the leakage.
Individuals who are fit tested must use the same mask / model that they fit tested with. No other masks can be used except those approved via the fit testing process. Masks used could be the N-95 mask and any NIOSH certified masks.
Facial hair can cause leakage into a mask and the recommendation is to remove facial hair if a person is in an industry that requires them to wear a mask. Facial hair does not trap gases, toxins and viruses. This could cause 20 – 1000 times more leakage compared to a clean-shaved person per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) research.
A medical review has to be conducted on every individual once before the fit test is ordered to verify that the person is approved to wear a mask and proceed with the fit test.
There could be times when a medical evaluation can require a re-evaluation if it is determined by your supervisor, or the testing technician that you need a new medical evaluation. A licensed medical review officer can also require a new medical review.
OSHA allows any one of the above methods to conduct fit tests.
Frequency of Fit Testing
Fit testing & retesting must be done under the following guidelines:
- Annually by an employer
- When an employee has weight changes
- When a person has had facial surgery
- When a person has facial scaring
Fit test are critical for all organization that have employees who work in high risk environments. It is a requirement of OSHA and the CDC.
Contact SmarTest Labs for further guidance on fit testing. We conduct fit tests for numerous organizations and can provide you information on the tests.
Contact number: 301-686-8566
Email: contact@smartestlabs.com
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