RESPIRATOR FIT TESTING

Respirator Fit Testing

The Science of Compliance.
OSHA 29 CFR 1910.134 mandates that the employer is responsible for the establishment and maintenance of a respiratory protection program when employees are working in an environment where breathing air is contaminated.

OccuFit provides on-site respirator fit testing. This testing includes both respirator clearance and respirator fit testing. These two tests work in conjunction to verify that your employees are healthy enough to wear respirators, and know how to properly fit and wear them.

Respirator Fit Tests

Respiratory function is one of the most commonly violated OSHA requirements. One of the biggest contributors to the violations is the lack of proper respiratory fit testing. 

Before an employee may be required to use any respirator with a negative or positive pressure tight-fitting facepiece, the employee must be fit tested with the same make, model, style, and size of respirator that will be used. Employers are required to administer either a qualitative fit test (QLFT) or quantitative fit test (QNFT). OccuFit provides both forms of fit testing for its customers. 

OccuFit administers QLFTs and QNFTs using OSHA-accepted protocol. QLFT is performed with a hood, collar, sweet or bitter solutions, and a nebulizer. QLFT is typically used to conduct half-mask respirator fit tests. These include n95 mask fittings and dust masks. Qualitative Fit Testing relies on the wearer to use their sense of taste or smell to detect a potential leak in the mask.

QNFT is generally used for full-face respirator fit tests. These include self-contained breathing apparatus and supplied air respirators. Rather than relying on the wearer’s senses, the Quantitative Fit Test uses a machine to determine leakage. For QNFT, OccuFit employs a device that that pulls negative pressure inside a respirator mask. The device provides a measurement of the amount of air that leaked into the respirator, and this is converted to a fit factor. The test can be conducted in under two minutes. 

Respiratory Protection Program

Employers are required to provide respirators, training, and medical evaluations at no cost to the employee. Additionally, employers must provide a sufficient number of respirator models and sizes so that the respirator correctly fits the user.

OccuFit provides a medical questionnaire to customers to be provided to their employees in accordance to OSHA 29 CFR 1910.134(e). The information in the questionnaire must be kept confidential and not shared with employers. Employers will collect the questionnaires and send them for review by OccuFit physicians which will make a determination on each employee’s ability to use a respirator.
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