WorkAble provides qualitative fit testing for businesses using Respiratory Protective Equipment across Tairāwhiti (Gisborne region), Bay of Plenty and Hawke’s Bay. Book in fit testing on its own or combine it with our Spirometry (lung health) checks to ensure your team are getting the annual health check that they need.
If your employees are exposed to airborne hazardous substances, you may need to provide them with Respiratory Protective Equipment (RPE).
Examples of airborne hazardous substances include dust, mist, vapour and gas (including wood dust and solvent vapour). These substances can have a short and longer term impact on the health of your employees if you do not provide the correct protective equipment.
To find out more about the impact of airborne hazards, read our blog on Fit-testing your Respiratory Protective Equipment.
When you acknowledge that your employees are at risk from airborne hazards it’s important to instruct them to wear RPE. Once you’ve identified the right kind of protective equipment, you need to be sure it’s working. Fit testing is recommended for all facepieces as part of the AS/NZS 1715 Standard.
Fit testing helps you to be certain that your employees are being kept safe by their RPE. Fit testing needs to be carried out when employees are first issued with Respiratory Protective Equipment. This ensures that masks are properly adjusted and your employees know how to properly wear them to make sure they are effective.
Once you have completed the initial fit testing, you will need to repeat fit testing annually to make sure the RPE is still doing its job. Additional fit testing may be needed if your employee makes any change to their face that could affect the fit of their RPE. Examples of this include (but are not limited to): changes in facial hair; piercings; and losing or gaining weight. Your role as an employer is to monitor your employees closely and identify if any changes occur that might require another fit test to be carried out.
When you identify that you need to fit test your employees RPE, you need to know it can be done quickly, effectively, and with minimal disruption to your working day. WorkAble is based in Gisborne and our mobile testing van makes it easier for us to be flexible to the needs of your business.
WorkAble provides qualitative fit testing services. Qualitative fit testing requires that the user is fitted with their RPE. Once the RPE is fitted, an aerosol is used in a controlled quantity and the user is asked if they can detect the taste of the aerosol. The user is asked to complete a series of exercises that include talking, moving the head in different ways and breathing exercises. If at any point during the testing process the user detects the flavour of the aerosol, the fit test is terminated. The assessor uses the qualitative test to identify if a different size or model is needed, or to confirm that the RPE has been correctly fitted.
We make it easier to fit test your employees. Once you book and complete your initial fit testing, we’ll help you to organise your fit testing schedule so you stay up to date with your requirements as an employer. All of our testing is carried out by registered nurses who are professionally trained, giving you peace of mind that your employees will be well looked after.