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Delivering training services for the Built Environment and Utility sectors since 2004, we operate from our purpose-built training facilities and regional offices located in Southeast London, the East Midlands and West Yorkshire, with the use of over 100 training centres nationwide.

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Face Fit Testing

Introduction

Face fit testing is a quick and straightforward process all employers should adopt for their employees who need to wear a tight-fitting mask to carry out their duties. Legislation and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) advise face fit testing, keeping employers compliant and suitably protected against insurance claims and prosecution should any be brought against them. Crucially, however, it is for the safety and comfort of employees working in usually uncomfortable and high-risk areas where masks are necessary - resulting in a more productive and happy workforce. 

This Citrus certification takes delegates through a mask face fit test. It is for anyone needing fitting and testing to safely wear a mask at work.

Course Outline

This certificate is a simple pass or fail test based on the wearer’s assessment of face seal leakage using their sense of taste of a test agent (bitter or sweet). In addition, they’ll participate in mask selection, inspection, correct fitting and care and maintenance activities and advice during the session. 

The course reflects national standards and industry best practices and is fully accredited in line with regulations. In addition, choose to learn with Citrus, and delegates will benefit from our custom-built training facilities and customer-first approach.

Our occupationally and technically experienced trainers take delegates through the test completing the session with a pass or fail assessment. They must pass the test to qualify for the Citrus Face Fit Certificate.

Course Programme

This training is essential for anyone needing to wear a mask to carry out their work.

The Qualitative Face Fit Session consists of:

  • Responsibilities of the wearer
  • Mask selection
  • Mask inspection
  • Correct mask fitting
  • Formal wearer fit test
  • Reasons for mask disposal and replacement
  • Guidance on retest requirements
On Completion

On successful completion of the test, the trainer will return all paperwork to Citrus Head Office, where it will be filed, and a Face Fit Certificate will be issued. The certificate shows that the delegate has successfully passed a formal face fit test to the standard identified in INDG 479.

Who Should Attend?

The Qualitative Face Fit Test is suitable for anyone who needs to wear a mask in their line of work, no matter their role or industry sector. 

Course Duration

The training is a 30-minute session with a pass or fail on completion.

Why Citrus?

We dedicate our efforts to unrivalled quality and the customer experience at Citrus Training. As a result, we are the leading UK-based provider of health, safety and technical training and assessment services to the Built Environment and Utility sectors. 

Citrus Training serves 85 of the top 100 building services companies in the market. With nearly 20-years of sector-specific experience, we’ve gained invaluable training experiences and knowledge to pass on to our delegates.

Our Health and Safety At Work training is accredited, regulated, and has exceptionally high standards. Assessing short and long-term workplace risks,  we teach and promote current industry and legislative requirements to ensure delegates take them forward into their daily working lives.

Our occupationally experienced Health and Safety educators have successfully trained over 60,000 delegates across the Health and Safety At Work training category. Delivering courses at our nationwide, industry-leading and accredited training centres and offering the very best of training standards and quality assurance. We only use trained and competent face fit testers who work following the latest legislation and regulations. 

Things You Need to Know

Face fit testing is for any worker who wears a tight-fitting mask to prevent illness as part of their role.

Delegates must be cleanly shaven. Anyone that is not shaved to the skin will not be tested – There are no exceptions to this rule.

Delegates must not eat, smoke, or drink anything other than still unflavoured water for a minimum of 30 minutes before their test. Doing so can inhibit their detection of the test substance. 

For training held at your location, please ensure that the classroom you make available has a 240v power supply and is a suitable size for the number of delegates attending. In addition, please ensure that the practical area has been risk-assessed, is free from harm, and is ideal for training. 

Popular FAQ's

It is vital that the mask seals directly to the wearer’s skin to prove effective. INDG 479, Guidance for Face Fit Testing, states this as a requirement and full compliance with the guidance is considered a suitable defence for compliance.

All tight-fitting masks require a test, whether full face or half face. This test only covers the use of disposable and reusable filter half masks. These will be marked generally as FFP2 or FFP3.

No. A face fit certificate only applies to that wearer's size, make and model of the mask used on the test. They can use new masks of identical size, make, and model but any other mask will require a fresh face fit test.

No. As these items are not ‘tight fitting’, they will not require a face fit certificate. However, the employer will still have a duty to train the employee and ensure the equipment is suitable to the wearer and task.

In such a scenario, the candidate cannot be face fit tested due to not being cleanly shaven. However, they are still required to be protected, so the employer would need to look at hood or air feed mask options.

INDG 479 states that employees should retest at intervals identified following a risk assessment. The more exposure a wearer gets, the more often they should be retested, with most companies working on an annual retest as a minimum. Other occasions requiring retesting are: ● Changes to make or model of mask ● Following major dental work or following significant facial surgery to the wearer ● Following significant weight gain/loss by the wearer ● Following any incident where a wearer has picked up a health issue due to work requiring a tight-fitting mask being the cause.

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Over 100+ training centres nationwide, with 150+ technical trainers, delivering upwards of 250+ courses to over 40,000+ delegates each year. Thats why we're the UK's trusted training provider.

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