Video: What You Need to Know About Respirator Fit Tests

Maybe your workers are exposed to vapors, fumes, chemicals and other toxins or contaminants that could cause irreparable damage to lungs, heart or brain …

Or maybe your team sandblasts, creating silica dust that can cause silicosis (something nobody wants) …

Or maybe you work in conditions where oxygen is scarce …

Whatever the situation, it’s good to know OSHA rules require that employers need to take care of their workers and keep their lungs and body as safe and healthy as possible.

There are many respirators, masks, models and makes to choose from—and a host of standards to follow.

Here’s what you need to know about fit testing for respirators and how to stay compliant.

#1: Set Aside Time for Medical Checkups

Just like for a major life insurance policy, workers need a medical examination before using respirators.

Is it a nuisance? Maybe.

Will it protect workers against harmful contaminants and toxins …

and allow them to breathe when deprived of enough oxygen?

Definitely.

But only if it’s the right fit for each user’s face and sealed correctly.

Long-term health is the priority here, so take the time to fill out the confidential medical questionnaires and talk to doctors or healthcare practitioners.

Once cleared, it’s on to the next stage.

#2 Before Fit Testing, Plan and Train Your Team

If you’re the safety manager, you will need to have all of your fit-testing plans and training in place before you send anyone to work on a job with a respirator.

Would you allow a child to go swimming without being taught? Heck no.

Same situation applies here. Only, there’s more to it than just learning a physical motion.

Use of a respirator requires judgment and awareness—including maintenance, storage and—this is very important: Being able to check the respirator’s seal.

Please understand, however, that a “user seal check” is absolutely not a fit test.

Why else would users need to train or be trained on respirators?

•        To understand protection limitations

•        To know what to inspect, put on and take off

•        To know what to do in an emergency

•        And to recognize medical symptoms that something’s wrong

A fully fleshed-out protection plan with training and user seal testing always comes before fit testing.

#3 Conduct a Fit Test

It’s exactly what it sounds like: According to OSHA, it “tests the seal between the respirator’s facepiece and your face.”

That’s right, a respirator has to be customized to work with each user’s biological features—and any other PPE in use, like goggles or earmuffs.

That means putting on all protective gear during the fit test. Real-world conditions matter.

OSHA says it takes about 15 to 20 minutes to get this right—and then the safety manager needs to retest for fit each year.

Once you have the exact fit for a specific model and make—that is the respirator a worker must use on the job. This is non-negotiable.

Oh, and so it’s clear, there are two types of fit tests: qualitative and quantitative.

Qualitative uses a pass/fail model with four acceptable methods:

•        Isoamyl acetate: It smells like bananas.

•        Saccharin: It’s a sugary sweet taste in your mouth.

•        Bitrex: It’s a bitter taste in your mouth.

•        Irritant smoke: You’ll cough.

The qualitative method is mostly used for half-mask respirators, which include filtering facepiece respirators, such as “N95s,” and elastomeric respirators.

Quantitative uses machine measurement.

There are three quantitative fit test methods accepted by OSHA:

•        Generated aerosol

•        Ambient aerosol

•        Controlled negative pressure

Take note: If a respirator fails at any point—then you go back to the drawing board and keep trying until the right fit is found.

It’s incumbent on the worker and safety manager to know the exact model, make, size and style. Even if you’ve used one at a different job and have approval to bring it to the new one, you’ll need to have the fit test documented and memorized.

Every employer is liable.

One more thing: It’s critical to know the schedules for replacing filters and cartridges.

#4: Check Fit with Beards and Hair

In an age of personal style and bodily based expression, facial hair and other physical features can be at odds with respirator use. It doesn’t necessarily mean you have to cut off all of your hair or beard. But if it interferes with a respirator, be prepared.

Again, this is all about making sure there is no leakage—anywhere—and that your workers are safe.

No one wants to enforce this as a punishment. But, as the saying goes, safety first.

Anything that could impede proper respirator use has to be managed—and documented.

For more expert advice on how to ensure your shop’s safety, visit MSCdirect.com/BetterMRO