CHECKLIST FOR FIT TESTING

Check that your facility:

Employees who are using tight fitting respirator facepieces have passed an appropriate fit test prior to being required to use a respirator.

Fit testing is conducted with the same make, model, and size that the employee will be expected to use at the worksite.

Fit tests are conducted annually and when different respirator facepieces are to be used.

Provisions are made to conduct additional fit tests in the event of physical changes in the employee that may affect respirator fit.

Employees are given the opportunity to select a different respirator facepiece, and be retested, if their respirator fit is unacceptable to them.

Fit tests are administered using OSHA-accepted QNFT (quantitative) or QLFT (qualitative) protocols.

QLFT is only used to fit test either PARPs, SCBAs, or negative pressure APRs (air purifying respirators) that must achieve a fit factor of 100 or less.

QNFT is used in all situations where a negative pressure respirator is intended to protect workers from contaminant concentrations greater than 10 times the PEL (permissible exposure limit).

When QNFT is used to fit negative pressure respirators, a minimum fit factor of 100 is achieved for tight fitting half-facepieces and 500 for full facepieces.

For tight-fitting atmosphere-supplying respirators and powered air purifying respirators:

Fit tests are conducted in a negative pressure mode.

QLFT is achieved by temporarily converting the facepiece into a negative pressure respirator with appropriate filters, or by using an identical negative pressure APR.

QNFT is achieved by modifying the facepiece to allow for sampling inside the mask midway between the nose and mouth. The facepiece is restored to its NIOSH approved configuration before being used in the workplace.