Start the Year with Fresh Air

Before providing the respiratory protection you have chosen for employees, there is another step to complete: fit testing. (photo courtesy J.J. Keller & Associates, Inc.)

You’ve selected respirators for the work environment and are ready to provide them to employees but, before you do, you have another step to complete in providing adequate respiratory protection: fit testing.

What is a Fit Test?

A fit test estimates how well the respirator’s facepiece can form a seal with an individual’s face. All tight-fitting respirators, both negative and positive pressure, must be fit tested. An employee must pass a fit test before using the respirator for the first time.

Why is a Medical Evaluation Necessary?

Before employees can wear respirators, you must know whether they are medically qualified. Before fit testing, an initial medical evaluation must be conducted to identify individuals whose health may be harmed by the limited respirator use associated with fit testing. A physician or other licensed healthcare professional (LHCP) can perform the medical evaluation. The employer must provide information to the physician or LHCP on the type of respiratory protection to be provided to determine whether it will be safe for employees’ health to wear the protection.

What are the Testing Procedures?

Once you know the employee is medically able to wear the selected respirator, you need to make sure that, if it’s a tight-fitting facepiece, the employee has a good fit. OSHA’s respiratory protection standard at 1910.134 outlines accepted qualitative and quantitative fit test protocols that must be followed. These are outlined in mandatory Appendix A, Fit Testing Procedures.

In a qualitative fit test, the person wearing the respirator must indicate if he or she can smell or taste the challenge agent contaminant during the test exercises. The test depends on the person’s subjective indication of whether or not the challenge agent leaks into the facepiece.

A quantitative fit test uses a facepiece fitted with the sensing probe of an instrument that measures the concentration of the challenge agent contaminant. This equipment measures the concentration of the challenge agent, both outside and inside of the facepiece, resulting in a numeric fit factor.

OSHA’s Small Entity Compliance Guide for the Respiratory Protection Standard includes a table of Acceptable Fit Testing Methods for various types of respirators.

Different types of respirators and brands of the same kind have different fit characteristics. No one respirator will fit everyone. (photo courtesy J.J. Keller & Associates, Inc.)

What Factors Determine a Good Fit?

The appropriate fit test depends on factors including:

  • The type of respirator;
  • The contaminant; and
  • The expected concentration of the contaminant in the workplace.

Different types of respirators and brands of the same kind have different fit characteristics. No one respirator will fit everyone. Some employees may be unable to get an adequate fit with certain respirator models of a particular type. This is why employers must provide sufficient respirator models and sizes to ensure every employee can select an acceptable respirator that fits properly.

Tight-fitting respirators cannot provide proper protection without a tight seal between the facepiece and the wearer’s face. Consequently, beards and other facial hair, as well as the absence of normally worn dentures, facial deformities, jewelry or headgear that projects under the facepiece seal, can also seriously affect the fit of a facepiece. Employees should check the facepiece each time they wear the respirator to ensure proper respiratory protection. This is done by performing either a positive-pressure or negative-pressure user seal-check.

How Often Must Fit Tests Be Done?

Fit tests are required annually. They are also required whenever a different respirator facepiece (size, style, model or make) is used and whenever the employee reports; or the employer, the physician or other licensed health care provider (PLHCP), supervisor or program administrator makes visual observations of changes in the employee’s physical condition that could affect respirator fit. Such conditions include, but are not limited to:

  • Facial scarring;
  • Dental changes;
  • Cosmetic surgery; or
  • An obvious change in body weight.

Employees can suffer a serious illness or death if their respirators don’t fit correctly. As such, OSHA requires employers to conduct fit tests. The standard outlines these testing procedures to ensure that employees are protected.

Inspecting respirators for wear and tear before and after each use is important, giving special attention to rubber or plastic parts that can deteriorate or lose pliability. (photo courtesy J.J. Keller & Associates, Inc.)

Respirator Inspection & Maintenance: KeyS to Safe Use

Respirators often require PPE in many workplaces. Frequent and repeated use can damage respirators, making them unsafe. Proper inspection and maintenance are critical to ensure continued safety and long-term use.

Inspections

Inspecting all respirators for wear and tear before and after each use is important, as well as giving special attention to rubber or plastic parts that can deteriorate or lose pliability. The facepiece, headband, valves, connecting tube, fittings, cartridges, canisters or filters must be in good condition. A respirator inspection must include checking the connections’ tightness and the apparatus’s function. At a minimum, you should follow the manufacturer’s inspection instructions accompanying the respirator.

Self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) type respirators require inspection of the air and oxygen cylinders to ensure that the cylinder pressure is maintained at or above 90% of the manufacturer’s recommended pressure level and that the regulator and low-pressure warning devices function properly. SCBAs must be inspected at least monthly, and employers must keep records of inspection dates and findings.

For respirators that are available for emergency use, you must certify in writing, on a tag or label attached to the storage compartment, that an inspection was performed to include:

  • The name (or signature) of the person who made the inspection;
  • The findings of the inspection;
  • Any remedial action; and
  • A serial number or other means of identifying the inspected respirator.

Cleaning

An employer is allowed to choose the cleaning and disinfecting program that best meets the requirements of the standard and the particular circumstances of their workplace. In other words, an employer can have respirators cleaned (and repaired) in a centralized location where they are passed out to employees, or the employer may require the respirator user to handle all cleaning and respirator maintenance functions.

If respirators are individually assigned, they must be cleaned and disinfected as often as necessary to keep them sanitary. You must also ensure that shared respirators and emergency-use respirators are cleaned and disinfected immediately after each use. It is OSHA policy that if the employer elects to have employees clean their own respirators, you must provide the cleaning and disinfecting equipment, supplies and facilities, as well as time for the job to be done.

Respirators should be washed in a detergent solution and then disinfected by immersing them in a sanitizing solution. Cleaner-sanitizers that effectively clean the respirator and contain a bactericidal agent are available commercially. The bactericidal agent frequently used is a quaternary ammonium compound. Strong cleaning and sanitizing agents and many solvents can damage rubber or plastic respirator parts. Use these materials with caution or after consultation with the respirator manufacturer.

Respirator cleaning instructions are outlined in the respiratory protection standard’s mandatory Appendix B-2, Respirator Cleaning Procedures.

Storage

Store respirators in a way that protects them against dust, sunlight, heat, extreme cold, excessive moisture and damaging chemicals. Each respirator should be positioned to retain its natural configuration when packed or stored. A good method is to place them in individual storage bins.

Facepieces and exhalation valves should usually rest to prevent the rubber or plastic from deforming. If hung on a peg for long, respirator facepieces will become distorted, and the straps will lose their elasticity.

Storing a respirator in a plastic, sealable bag after use is not considered a good practice. The respirator may be damp after use, and sealing prevents drying and encourages microbial growth. If plastic-based respirators are used, they must be allowed to dry before storage.

Repairs

An employer must replace, repair or discard a respirator that is not functioning properly. This applies to the routine replacement of respirators and respirator parts. A malfunctioning or otherwise defective respirator must be replaced or repaired before the user returns to the work area.

Only an experienced person can make repairs using parts specifically designed for the respirator. This person must consult the manufacturer’s instructions for any repair, and no attempt should be made to repair or replace components or make adjustments or repairs beyond the manufacturer’s recommendations. IHW

Ray Chishti is a dedicated EHS Editor at J. J. Keller & Associates, Inc. Prior to joining the team in 2017, Ray held prominent roles in EH&S, executing audits, steering management strategies and spearheading executive leadership endeavors, all while overseeing multimillion-dollar projects. Ray’s extensive expertise spans over 20 years and diverse sectors, including fossil fuel power plants, utilities, retail establishments, warehousing and college campus construction.

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