CPD Important at Safety Scotland
Continue Professional Development is important to Safety Scotland and recently Chris completed the Face Fit Train the Trainer course.
Where work activities may result in harmful substances contaminating the air in the form of dust, mist, gas or fumes Respiratory Protective Equipment (RPE) must be worn. Where respiratory protective equipment (RPE) is used, it must be able to provide adequate protection for individual wearers. RPE can't protect the wearer if it leaks. A major cause of leaks is poor fit – tight-fitting facepieces need to fit the wearer's face to be effective.
People come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, therefore it is unlikely that one particular type or size of RPE facepiece will fit everyone. A fit test should be carried out as part of the initial selection of the RPE and repeated whenever there is a change to the RPE type, size, model or material or whenever there is a change to the circumstances of the wearer that could alter the fit of the RPE; for example:
- weight loss or gain
- substantial dental work
- any facial changes (scars, moles, effects of ageing etc) around the face seal area
- facial piercings
- introduction or change in other head-worn personal protective equipment (PPE).
Employees should ensure that the make, model, type and size of facepiece that they wore when they had their successful fit test is made available for their use. If an employee wears more than one type of tight-fitting facepiece, then each type of facepiece should be fit tested.
If you need any advice, support or would like to get your employees face fit tested please contact Safety Scotland at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 01224 826777
