Your workers must use respirators to protect their health while at work. Their masks must be snug to protect their lungs from harmful dust, sprays, or gases. The greatest method to guarantee their safety is required fit testing for respirators.
There are two types of fit testing that you can encounter in your research: qualitative and quantitative fit testing. There could be some misunderstandings because of this. How can I tell the two apart? In what ways does the qualitative test differentiate between different respirators? Does quantitative suitability matter? Here in this article, we will let you know about the major differences between the two forms of fit tests.
Qualitative Test Fitting
A qualitative fit test can be performed using the sensations of taste and smell to determine whether a respirator is properly fitted to a person. The total fit factor of the half masks being tested must be 100 or lower (mask particle concentration / ambient particle concentration). Bittrex, a substance that is safe but has a bitter taste, is used in the test and is the deciding factor in whether you pass. With a qualitative fit test, the amount of air that leaks into the facepiece is not important. What matters is the success of the test. If you get a bitter taste in your mouth, it’s a bad sign.
Specifically, some establishments provide trials limited to the sense of taste. Saccharin is available for people who cannot recognize bitter flavours.
- Bittrex is a substance that has a very unpleasant aftertaste.
- Saccharin is a substance that has a pleasant aftertaste.
Quantitative Test Fitting
Scientists use quantitative fit testing to determine how much air is escaping from tight-fitting facepieces. The machine takes the measurements instead of you and your sense of taste for the bitter compounds. The facepiece is often connected to a probe hosed to the actual measuring device. Three quantitative fit testing procedures comply with OSHA standards:
- Aerosol
- Atmospheric Aerosol
- Negative pressure.
Each employee who passed the required test gets a card detailing the type, model, and size of the respirator they were issued. You would also be provided with a site-wide summary report detailing the results of employee respirator fit testing, along with information about the specific brand, model, and size of the respirator each employee is approved to use.
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