Fit Testing Requirements
When booking a fit test session through NZ Fit Testing, there are a few things you need to be aware of, and to make available to us on the day.
Availability
You’ll need to ensure that the staff to be fit tested are available during the time slot of the booking.
For groups of 10 or larger, we request that you provide a list of employees in the order you would like them to be tested.
Tests usually take around 30 minutes, but flexibility is required in regards to the scheduling of staff within the session you have booked. Tests can take up
Training
Respirator use training takes approximately 30 minutes
Our preference is to do this in groups to save time.
Additional costs may be incurred if you require each person to be trained individually.
Respirator
Your workplace will need to provide the respirators to be fit tested.
We recommend that multiple options of make and model are available, as respirators are not one-size-fits-all.
Having multiple respirators available increases the likelihood that all of your staff will be successfully fit tested during the session.
If someone is fit tested for one model of mask, this is the only model that they should be using. If they need to change models, they should be fit tested again with the new model.
Respirator Fit Testing success rates vary with make and model - some have a higher success rate than others. Please get in touch with us if you would like more information on respirators.
Our independent fit testers generally try to carry a small number of demonstration respirators in case someone is unsuccessfully fit tested using the workplace-provided respirators.
Can we eat/drink?
Only water in the hour before your fit test.
Currently we offer the Qualitative Fit Testing (QLFT) method , which relies on the subject’s sense of taste during the test.
This means that it’s important that food and beverage are not consumed in the hour leading up to the test. Refrain from smoking and drinking coffee within that hour.
Drinking still, bottled, or tap water is encouraged up to the test.
Facial Hair
Facial hair can interfere with the seal of a respirator.
The hazard that a respirator is trying to protect against is often far smaller than a human hair.
For these reasons, staff with facial hair are required to complete the test clean-shaven where possible.
Facilities
Access to hot water, a sink, with paper towels is required.
Throughout the session, we may need change testing solutions and to do this we need to clean our equipment with hot water.