Mask Fit Test Qualitative Fit Test (QLFT)
Each QLFT method uses seven exercises performed for 1 minute each:
- Normal breathing.
- Deep breathing.
- Turning head side to side.
- Moving head up and down.
- Talking
- Bending over (or jogging in place if the fit test unit doesn’t permit bending at the waist).
- Normal breathing again.
There are a few things workers need to do before their test. To ensure accurate results for a qualitative fit test, anyone getting a fit test cannot eat, drink, chew gum, or smoke in the half-hour before a test. Drinking water is fine.
What is a qualitative fit test?
A qualitative fit test uses a solution to test if a respirator fits. For the first step of the test, the person being tested will put a special hood over their head, likely similar in appearance to the one in the image below.
Importantly, for this first step the person being tested does not wear their respirator.
Next:
The tester will spray a sweet or bitter-tasting solution into the hood to determine your ability to detect the solution. This is the sensitivity solution.
If at first the person being tested does not taste the solution, the tester will continue to gradually spray more solution until it can be tasted. During this step the tester will record your sensitivity to the solution.
How long does a fit test take?
There are a lot of factors that can make the process go faster or slower such as if each worker needs to have multiple masks tested.
In general, it takes about 10 minutes per person to conduct a quantitative fit test and 15 to 20 minutes for a qualitative fit test.
What is the solution used in qualitative fit testing?
The solution is a strongly-flavored liquid that is perfectly harmless. The most commonly used solution is Bitrex—the most bitter substance on earth.
Other times, the solution is saccharin—an artificial sweetener.
