Two recognised methods, and they are not interchangeable. Which one you need is decided by the type of mask your people wear — not by budget, and not by preference.
Half masks and disposables can use either method. Full face masks must use quantitative. If your workers wear FFP2 or FFP3 disposables, or reusable half masks with cartridges, a qualitative test is valid and is the quicker and cheaper of the two. If they wear full face masks, only a quantitative test will do.
| Qualitative | Quantitative | |
|---|---|---|
| How it works | Wearer's sense of taste. A test solution is sprayed into a hood; tasting it means the mask leaks. | An instrument counts particles inside and outside the mask and calculates the ratio. |
| Result | Pass or fail. | A numerical fit factor. |
| Test agent | Bitrex (bitter) or saccharin (sweet). | Ambient airborne particles, or a generated aerosol. |
| Equipment | Hood, nebulisers, test solutions. | Particle counting device, e.g. a PortaCount. |
| Valid for | Disposable filtering facepieces (FFP1, FFP2, FFP3), reusable half masks, powered and airline RPE using a half mask. | All tight-fitting facepieces, including everything qualitative covers plus full face masks. |
| Not valid for | Full face masks. | — |
| Pass level | No taste detected during any of the seven exercises. | Fit factor of 100 for disposables and half masks; 2,000 for full face masks by ambient particle counting. |
| Exercises | Seven, one minute each. | Seven, at least one minute each with a 60 second in-facepiece sample. |
| Time per person | About 20 minutes including screening and paperwork. | Typically 25–30 minutes. |
| Relative cost | Lower — £45 per person with us. | Higher, because of the equipment and calibration involved. |
| Depends on the wearer | Yes — they must be able to taste the solution, which is screened for first. | No — the instrument measures regardless of the wearer's senses. |
Look at what is actually on your people's faces, not at what was bought last year.
Not for the masks qualitative covers. It is a different tool, not a superior one. Where both methods are valid, HSE accepts either — a properly conducted qualitative test on an FFP3 is not a lesser result than a quantitative one, and it will not be marked down in an audit.
Where quantitative genuinely earns its keep is on full face masks, where it is the only option; where you want a number to compare mask models against each other; and where a wearer cannot reliably taste either test solution, which the screening step will pick up before any time is wasted.
Whichever method is used, the same things determine whether the test is worth anything:
What we do. We provide qualitative fit testing across London and Surrey at £45 per person. If you tell us your team is in full face masks, we will say on the phone that we are not the right fit and point you towards a quantitative provider. Cheaper for everyone than finding out on site.
Neither is better in general. They apply to different equipment. For disposable filtering facepieces and half masks both methods are valid and HSE accepts either. For full face masks only quantitative testing is valid.
By ambient particle counting, the required fit factor is 100 for disposable filtering facepieces and reusable half masks, and 2,000 for full face masks.
No. Full face masks can only be fit tested using a quantitative method. A qualitative test on a full face mask is not valid and will not satisfy an audit.
No. Fit testing applies to tight-fitting facepieces that form a seal against the skin. Loose-fitting hoods, helmets and visors do not seal to the face, so there is nothing to fit test.
No. Where qualitative testing is a valid method for the mask in question, a properly conducted and properly documented qualitative test is fully acceptable.
£45.00 per person. Same-day certificates. Group booking discounts for five or more on one visit. Emergency call-outs answered 24 hours.