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Respirator Fit Testing is recognised as best practice for testing the effectiveness of respiratory protective equipment (RPE), particularly for manufacturing, construction and healthcare workers. RPE is designed to protect your employees from airborne contaminants such as asbestos, welding fumes and hazardous chemicals. If there isn’t a good face seal, contaminated air will leak into the respirator and can lead to adverse health effects.
The purpose of Respirator Fit Testing is to ensure that your employees have maximum protection from airborne contaminants. Our testing covers:
Our Respirator Fit Testing, alternatively known as a Mask Fit Test, also assesses the respirator’s comfort, compatibility with other PPE and provides on-the-spot training on the correct fit and use. It is used for checking tight fitting facepieces.
Quantitative Fit Testing
Quantitative fit testing is considered the gold standard for workers exposed to hazardous particles in the workplace. It is an objective method that can be used to fit-test most tight-fitting respirators and uses specialised equipment to measure how much air leaks into the respirator.
Qualitative Fit Testing
Qualitative fit testing is subjective, requiring the wearer to provide input to the fit test. A commonly used method is the Aerosol Taste Test (ATT) method. During this test, a solution is sprayed inside a hood, and the respirator wearer determines if they can taste it whilst conducting a number of fit test exercises. If the test solution is not tasted during the fit test, then the test is deemed a pass.
Many studies show that the presence of facial hair between the respirator’s sealing surface area and the skin can significantly reduce the expected level of protection. Facial hair, including beards, moustaches, sideburns and stubble will stop the respirator from sealing properly. Workers should be clean-shaven where the respirator facepiece comes into contact with the skin before wearing their respirator.
You should keep a written record of fit tests carried out for each worker, including:
As a person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU), you are required under WHS/OHS law to provide a working environment that is safe and free of risk to health, so far as is reasonably practicable. This may involve giving workers Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), including Respiratory Protective Equipment, to minimise a risk.
It’s the duty of a PCBU to:
Respirator Fit Testing is conducted in accordance with the Australian Standard AS/NZS 1715:2009 Selection, use and maintenance of respiratory protective equipment and ISO 16975-3 Respiratory protective devices – Selection, use and maintenance – Part 3: Fit-testing procedures and the RESP-FIT syllabus as approved by the Australian Institute of Occupational Hygienists.
You are required to conduct Respirator Fit Testing:
All types of tight-fitting respirators (negative and positive pressure) must be fit tested as required by AS/NZS 1715, AS/NZS ISO 16975.3:2023 and all other international RPE guidance. This includes all disposable/filtering facepieces (FFP), reusable half face, reusable full face including those attached to a powered air purifying respirator (PAPR) or supplied air source such as SCBA cylinder and compressed airline hose.
Our preferred option is to conduct quantitative testing as it is objective and more accurate. However, if the respirator isn’t suitable, such as a full face mask, we will conduct qualitative testing.
We conduct our Respirator Fit Testing onsite at your premises. The room should be quiet and private with power available. Each fit test will take approximately 10 to 20 minutes depending on the selected protocol.
The process will involve:
The key objective of a fit test is to determine the respirator’s ability to retain its seal when the wearer is in motion. Several exercises are used to put the seal of the tight-fitting respirator under stress. The exercises include:
PPE, such as prescription and safety spectacles, goggles, face shields, hearing protection, hard hats and coverall’s hoods, can affect the efficacy of a respirator. PPE that could interfere with the respirator’s seal should be worn during the fit test. This will help identify any problems before they happen on the job.
After the conclusion of all the fit tests, individual reports are provided for each person tested and the company receives a summary of who was tested, the date testing was conducted and if the test was a pass or fail. The report will also highlight when the next RFT is required.
The 5-minute comfort assessment period is required as part of the overall fit test. Its objective is to allow the respirator to settle to assess if it is comfortable for the wearer before starting the fit test. If a respirator is not comfortable (even if an adequate fit can be achieved), the wearer is likely to adjust or remove the respirator on the job and protection will be reduced or not achieved at all.
Respirators are often worn with other head-mounted PPE such as safety eyewear, earmuffs or hard hats. This PPE can impact how the respirator fits. The objective of a fit test is to replicate how a respirator will be worn on the job. If a fit test is conducted without the other PPE, then it won’t provide an accurate indication of fit. Someone may pass a fit test but when worn on the job with other PPE an adequate fit may not be able to be achieved.
RESP-FIT is a national respiratory protective equipment (RPE) fit testing training and accreditation program developed to improve the competency of fit testers against both the Australian and international ISO respirator standards for fit testing. RESP-FIT was developed by the Australian Institute of Occupational Hygienists (AIOH) through close collaboration with many industry stakeholders such as:
Respirator Fit Testing should be conducted by a competent person. The competent person may be an Occupational Hygienist, safety professional, a company employee who has undertaken appropriate training or an external fit test service provider.
A quantitative fit test involves using an instrument to measure leakage around the face seal and produces a numerical result called a “fit factor.” A fit factor of 100 is required for half-face respirators and a minimum fit factor of 500 for a full-face respirator. Qualitative fit tests, which are subjective and rely on the user’s senses, simply yield a pass or fail.
A fit test confirms a fit between a wearer and a particular style, brand or size. A user seal check (fit check) is performed each time the respirator is used to confirm a fit in conjunction with the previously conducted fit test.
Positive pressure loose-fitting headtops or hoods connected to a powered air purifying respirator (PAPR) or a compressed airline hose don’t require fit testing. The amount of positive pressure inside the headtop or hood pushes out the close seal preventing contaminants from entering into the respirator. Generally, these combinations have a lower assigned protection than a positive pressure tight-fitting combination.
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Head Office Melboune
139 Ormond Road Elwood, VIC 3184
Mornington Peninsula
20 Lister Avenue,
Sorrento,
VIC 3943
JTA Health, Safety & Noise Specialists acknowledges the Boon Wurrung People of the Kulin Nation as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the land on which the home of JTA resides. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging, and acknowledge and uphold their continuing relationship to this land.
