Be certain that your Respiratory Protective Equipment (RPE) is working.
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.