Fit testing is an ABSOLUTE CRITICAL path in our Respiratory Protection Program; therefore, ensuring it is done CORRECTLY and ACCURATELY is a must. Over the past two years (2018-2019) we have seen nine (9) facilities where they had done their quantitative fit testing; however, upon closer examination of the results of the tests, we found that ERT members (e.g. wearing their SAR in an IDLH atm) passed with a fit-factor less than 500. Most of these tests were done by technicians that, in my opinion, were not qualified to perform fit testing by themselves. Some of these cases were just a failure of not setting up the test software correctly and therefore the software thought 1/2 face respirators were being tested. This allowed the software to tell the tester that anything over 100 was a “PASS” when in-fact the test subject must achieve a score of 500 for a full-facepiece. In some cases, the tester did not even understand “fit-factor” and argued with the facility (and me) regarding what a passing fit-factor is…
(EMPHASIS BY ME)
1910.134(f)(7) If the fit factor, as determined through an OSHA-accepted QNFT protocol, is equal to or greater than 100 for tight-fitting half facepieces, or equal to or greater than 500 for tight-fitting full facepieces, the QNFT has been passed with that respirator.
Now, to be honest, I have made the same setup mistake with my software, but I caught it when I looked closely at a worker’s test results I doubted was going to pass. When the report said he passed with a fit-factor less than 500 I was puzzled and then realized the report said 1/2 mask was tested. I had done my Pilot Plant and R&D Lab personnel the week before and they wore 1/2 masks and when I began testing my ER team I did not change the setting in the software to reflect full-face pieces.
Attention to details matters when working in IDLH atmospheres.