Qualitative Face Fit Testing in London & Surrey

What qualitative fit testing actually is

Qualitative fit testing is a pass or fail check that relies on the wearer's sense of taste. A hood is placed over the head and a bitter or sweet test solution is sprayed into it with a nebuliser while the wearer performs a set sequence of movements. If the mask is sealing properly, they taste nothing. If the seal leaks, the solution gets inside the facepiece and they taste it immediately.

There is no number at the end — no fit factor, no meter reading. It is a straight pass or fail, and that is exactly what HSE asks for on the masks it applies to. The two solutions in normal use are Bitrex (denatonium benzoate, intensely bitter) and saccharin (sweet). Which one gets used depends on what the wearer can actually detect, which is why the test starts with screening.

Which masks it can be used on

This matters more than anything else on this page, because using the wrong method means the test is not valid and your records will not stand up.

Qualitative testing is valid for

• Disposable filtering facepieces — FFP1, FFP2 and FFP3
• Reusable half masks with filter cartridges
• Powered respirators fitted with a half mask
• Constant flow airline, fresh air hose and demand valve breathing apparatus using a half mask

It is not valid for

• Full face masks. These can only be fit tested using a quantitative method.

What happens on the day, step by step

1. Paperwork and mask check. We record the make, model and size of the actual mask that person wears on site. A test on a different mask to the one they use is worthless.
2. Taste sensitivity screening. The hood goes on without a mask, and the solution is introduced a measured number of times until the wearer reports the taste. This establishes that they can detect it at all, and at what strength. If there is no response after 30 applications we switch to the other solution or refer for a different method.
3. Donning. The wearer fits their own mask, unassisted, exactly as they would on site — then performs a wearer seal check. How someone puts their own mask on is half the battle, and this is where most of the coaching happens.
4. The test. Hood back on, mask now worn, and the test solution is delivered at the strength found during screening while they work through seven exercises.
5. Result and certificate. Pass or fail is known immediately. The certificate is issued and emailed the same day.

The seven exercises

Each one lasts a minute, so the test itself runs seven minutes. They exist to replicate what the face actually does during a working day — a mask that seals while standing still and leaks when you look down is no use to anyone.

1. Normal breathing
2. Deep breathing
3. Turning the head side to side, roughly 15–20 times
4. Moving the head up and down, roughly 15–20 times
5. Talking out loud — counting, or reading a passage aloud
6. Bending over as if to touch the toes, 10–15 times
7. Normal breathing again

What your workers need to do beforehand

• Be clean shaven in the region of the face seal. Any stubble crossing the sealing surface breaks the seal — this is the single most common cause of a fail.
• Nothing to eat or drink other than still, unflavoured water for at least an hour before the test. The published minimum is 30 minutes; we ask for an hour because it makes the screening cleaner.
• No smoking, vaping or chewing gum in the same window.
• Bring the actual mask in the make, model and size worn on site.
• Tell the tester about any existing heart or lung problems, or previous breaks affecting the facial area.

Where this sits in the regulations

Fit testing is not optional. Under COSHH, where tight-fitting respiratory protective equipment is used to control exposure, the employer must ensure it fits the wearer — and the recognised way of demonstrating that is a fit test. HSE sets out the methods and the reporting requirements in INDG479, and the Fit2Fit scheme run by the BSIF publishes the companion guidance testers work to.

You should re-test when the wearer changes mask type, model or size, and after anything that alters the shape of the face — significant weight change, dental work, facial surgery or injury. Many principal contractors also ask for a re-test every two years as good practice, and most audits will want to see a date inside that window.

What you get

• A fit test report per person naming the wearer, the mask make, model and size, the method used, the result and the date
• Emailed the same day as a PDF, ready to drop straight into your health and safety file
• Coaching on donning technique, which is what stops the next failure
• A straight answer on the day if someone cannot achieve a fit in the mask you have bought