Unaccredited - Qualitative Face Fit Testing course syllabus.

This course has a certificate issued by the Training Provider. It is not accredited by any outside body but is a valuable aid to gaining knowledge in this field.

Category: Health-and-Safety

Level: Beginner

Where respiratory protective equipment (RPE) is used as a control measure under Health and Safety Legislation, it is vital that the selected RPE is adequate and suitable. RPE must reduce exposure to as low as reasonably practicable, and in any case to an acceptable level (e.g. below any applicable Workplace Exposure Limits or Control Limits). To ensure that the selected RPE has the potential to provide adequate protection for individual wearers, the ACoPs supporting COSHH, CAR and CLAW stipulate that tight-fitting RPE must be fit tested as part of the selection process. This will help to ensure that inadequately fitting facepieces are not selected for use. Ill-fitting facepieces can create inward leakages of airborne contaminants.

Note: A tight-fitting facepiece is a full face mask, a half mask, or a filtering facepiece (commonly referred to as a disposable mask). The performance of these types of facepieces, irrespective of whether they are used in negative pressure respirators, power assisted respirators or compressed air supplied breathing apparatus, relies heavily on the quality of fit of the facepiece to the wearers face. An inadequate fit will significantly reduce the protection provided to the wearer. The presence of facial hair in the region of the faceseal will significantly reduce the protection provided.

By subjecting each wearer to a face fit test you can be sure that your organisation is meeting and fulfilling the requirements laid out in the Health & Safety Executives (HSE) guidance note HSE 282/28.

Download Fact Sheet

Qualitative face fit testing is only suitable for disposable half masks and reusable half mask respirators. Full mask respirators cannot be tested using this method they have to be tested by the quantitative method

Selection, Use and Maintenance of RPE

Background of Face Fit Testing

Legislation and Guidance

Set-up of Equipment

Sensitivity Test

Fit Test Protocol

Practical Face Fit Testing

Troubleshooting

Attendance Certificate issued by Training Provider