NIOSH Announces Project to Fit Test Respirators for Workers with Facial Hair

August 27, 2024

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires that respirators be fit tested to the wearer’s face. However, the aim of fit testing is to achieve a tight seal to the face, and facial hair may interfere with this tight seal. For this reason, OSHA’s Respiratory Protection Standard (29 CFR 1910.134(g)(1)(i)(A)) currently prohibits employees from wearing respirators with tight-fitting facepieces, such as self-contained breathing apparatus, if there is any hair growth between the skin and facepiece sealing surface.

Some workers, including firefighters, do not shave facial hair, and some have religious, cultural, or medical reasons for doing so, which can make compliance with OSHA’s facial hair requirement for respirator use difficult. To address this, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has just announced a project it is undertaking to determine how well respirators provide protection to workers with facial hair when using an under-respirator cover (beard band).

The outcomes of this study may have a significant impact on respiratory protection programs and related policies for many public safety agencies, especially fire departments who use these respirators routinely. Public safety agencies may be interested in submitting comments to NIOSH in response to this notice or sharing information about this opportunity with manufacturers who may be interested in participating. Public comments and letters of intent to participate in this study are due by Monday, September 23, 2024.