Background: You’ve pointed out that in some workplaces, employees may be required to wear a different harness on the same manufacturer’s model facepiece and sealing surface for different work scenarios such as different work modes (negative vs. positive pressure) or for flame and heat protection. During our meeting, we discussed… One respirator model has two harness options that connect to the same attachment points on the facepiece and adjust in the same manner but are made of different material (i.e., rubber or Kevlar®). Another model has either a five-point or a four-point head harness option, but the facepiece only has four attachment points.
Question: Does OSHA’s Respiratory Protection standard require a separate fit test for each harness where respirator wearers are required to use different harnesses, depending on their job task?