<img alt="" src="https://secure.tent0mown.com/160156.png" style="display:none;">

The Scishield EHS Community Connection Webinar Series

Fit Testing Do's & Don'ts

Though coronavirus has increased the importance of fit testing respirators, there is also a risk of close contact and exposure. Our panelists will share how they've found the right balance.

 [This webinar aired on Thursday February 25, 2021]

Download the Fit Testing Do's & Don'ts webinar Q&A (.xlsx)

Meet the Panelists:

Mary Duda Headshot
 

Mary Duda

Chemical Coordinator
Creighton University
mjduda@creighton.edu

Mary Duda is an environmental health and safety professional and CHMM with over 15 years in the field, focusing mostly on lab safety and compliance, including hazardous waste handling and disposal. Working in a small EH&S department necessitates her wearing quite a few different EH&S hats, though. Her educational background is in chemical engineering, with a BChE and MS in the field.

Recommended Fit Testing Resources:

I recommend learning by doing. It’s hard to learn this from a website or a book, but having someone show you, and then coach you as you fit-test people is the best way to go about it.

With Zoom and other online tools, it’s easier to learn remotely; we’ve been training some of our remote locations this way.

Post-Webinar Resources:

Someone asked about masks that fit smaller faces. We used Moldex 2200 and Makrite Sekura at various points. They didn’t fit ALL of our smaller faces, but we had decent luck with them.  

Here are some of the links I saw go by in the chat: [duplicate links removed]

https://www.osha.gov/memos/2020-04-08/expanded-temporary-enforcement-guidance-respiratory-protection-fit-testing-n95

https://envomask.com/

 
Ladan Khandal Headshot
 

Ladan Khandel

Industrial Hygienist
Lawrence Berkeley National Lab
LinkedIn

Ladan Khandel is an Industrial Hygienist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, a Department of Energy funded-lab. Since starting this position in May 2020, she has managed the day-to-day activities of the Respiratory Protection Program, which involved training and fit testing over 300 individuals on half- and full-face elastomeric respirators. She recently completed her MPH degree in Industrial Hygiene and Environmental Health Science at the University of California, Berkeley.

Recommended Fit Testing Resources:

I recommend reading the OSHA Fit Testing Procedures document, which goes into details on each different method of fit testing: https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1910/1910.134AppA 

TSI also has online resources for conducting quantitative fit testing: https://tsi.com/learn/portacount-fit-testing-videos-resources/ 

Post-Webinar Resources:

TSI Data on how the PortaCount works and the risk of transmission of respiratory particles from one fit-testee to the next

https://www.tsi.com/getmedia/86b6a456-633f-4305-8f4a-9d9376db2166/ITI-034?ext=.pdf

NIOSH Technical Report: Filtering Facepiece Respirators with an Exhalation Valve: Measurements of Filtration Efficiency to Evaluate Their Potential for Source Control 

https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2021-107/pdfs/2021-107.pdf?id=10.26616/NIOSHPUB2021107

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory EH&S COVID Website - contains information on fit testing safely during COVID-19 and decontamination procedures. 

For specific fit testing information, please see the section titled "Face Coverings and Respirators" 

https://ehs.lbl.gov/coronavirus/

 

 
Jill Parrett Headshot
 

Jill Parrett

Director of Environmental Health and Safety
Providence College
jparrett@providence.edu
LinkedIn

Jill Parrett, CSP, CHMM, PG is the Director of Environmental, Health and Safety at Providence College, a mid-sized institution in Providence, Rhode Island. Prior to her time at PC, Jill served as EHS Specialist at both a combined cycle power plant and a fire and natural disaster research institution. She holds a bachelor's in Earth Sciences from Boston University and a Master of Environmental Health from the University of Saint Francis.

Recommended Fit Testing Resources:

Fit testing guidelines for specific model/manufacturer of respirator – 3M has a great Quick Reference Guide and video. 

The NIOSH infographic about facial hair is very useful to have printed during training.

Post-Webinar Resources:

Here’s the single-use hoods: 

https://www.flexcon.com/products/test-hood

Here’s the NIOSH poster on acceptable facial hair: 

https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl/pdfs/facialhairwmask11282017-508.pdf

We don’t have strictly 3M masks, but they’re my strong preference.  Sourcing is a problem, particularly sourcing the same model in different orders. 

https://multimedia.3m.com/mws/media/1822363O/u-s-osha-position-on-fit-testing-during-covid-19-technical-bulletin.pdf

https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/worker-health-safety-us/3m-safeguard/ 

 
Matt Segal headshot
 

Matt Segal

Matt found his way to SciShield after working at Boston Children's Hospital performing translational rare blood disease research. As the safety guy in his lab, he saw firsthand how challenging it was to manage safety in a laboratory environment and wanted to find a way to help. He now spends his time hosting webinars, arguing with his 3D printer, and cooking food in plastic bags at low temperatures.