What is face fit testing?

 

When you’re working with any kind of hazardous materials, it’s important to make sure you’ve got the right safety equipment. Respiratory protection equipment helps reduce the risks from working with dangerous materials or in hazardous conditions. As this equipment serves such an important role in helping keep you and your employees safe, it’s vital that masks fit properly and effectively to keep any harmful contaminants out. Fitted face masks and other protective respiratory equipment help filter out any dangerous particles from the air to help make sure the air you’re breathing at work is clean and safe. They can filter a wide variety of different contaminants and are an essential piece of health and safety equipment.

 

Why get your mask professionally fitted?

 

A properly, professionally fitted mask provides the best health and safety possible for you and your employees. Your masks should only be fitted by an competent tester, who should ideally be accredited by Fit2Fit, a scheme run by the British Safety Industry Federation to help ensure high standards of fitting and testing. When your mask is properly fitted, it can more effectively keep out dangerous hazards, as well as being more comfortable to wear for long periods and abiding by laws when it comes to working with certain substances.

 

What dangers can a properly fitted mask help avoid?

 

Substances like asbestos and silica are extremely dangerous to health, and using protective respiratory equipment is essential when working with them. Any working environment that has fumes, dust, or particles in the air should only be worked in with a properly fitted respirator mask. Prolonged exposure to contaminated air can cause serious breathing problems in the short and long term.

 

Respiratory protection equipment is suitable for use in many working environments, including cutting materials such as stone or wood, handling a product that contains volatile solvents, working with dusty or powder-based products, or welding stainless steel. If you are removing asbestos from a building, you must wear protective respiratory equipment as asbestos is extremely hazardous, can cause cancer and many other lung problems. Similarly, inhalation of silica may cause bronchitis, cancer and autoimmune diseases, so it’s very important to ensure you’re properly protected when working with or near these substances.

 

Getting your mask fitted

 

At Plantool we have our own Fit2Fit accredited tester, Lee, who can provide this service to you. He can perform face fit testing on-site at your business premises or at any of our six depots. After performing testing, you’ll be issued with a report to confirm that your mask is now Fit2Fit tested and suitably fitted to the user as required by the PPE regulations. You will need to select and provide your own mask for this service. The delegates will also be required to be clean shaven, with no stubble to enable Lee to perform the test.

 

At Plantool we currently have a special offer on face fit testing. Get 10% off your booking with a minimum booking of five people. Call Plantool today to secure your spot for face fit testing: http://plantooltraining.co.uk/contact-us/