PPE Fit Testing

Just as it is important to select the right Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), it’s also vital that the product fits the individual wearer correctly in order to provide adequate protection, but how does one validate the fit?

‘Fit Validation’ or ‘Fit Testing’ is a method to assess the fit quality achieved by the wearer for a given item of PPE, and whether they meet any applicable regulatory compliance. It can be a binary assessment, i.e. it does or does not fit, or it can be assessed by how well it fits the wearer and therefore how much protection can be provided.

The paper examines the types of PPE that benefit from fit validation and introduces the various fit validation methods applicable for eye, hearing and respiratory protection (RPE).