If you wear tight-fitting respiratory equipment (RPE) at work, it is a legal requirement to undergo a face fit test carried out by a competent person. This is set out in the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations 2002, as enforced by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE).
Tight-fitting RPE, such as disposable masks, half masks, and some full face masks, work by forming a seal around the face, thereby minimising the risk of exposure to harmful airborne substances.
Facial hair – stubble and beards – will cause gaps around the edges of the mask, allowing contaminated air to bypass the filter and be inhaled directly. This comprises your protection and puts your health at risk.
For this reason, the HSE in the UK clearly states that individuals who are required to wear tight-fitting RPE must be clean shaven in the area where the mask fits against the face.
Face fit testing – whether qualitative or quantitative – is designed to confirm that the selected mask provides adequate protection for the individual. If a proper seal cannot be achieved due to facial hair, the test will fail.
For individuals who wear beards, alternative forms of RPE that do not rely on a tight face seal – such as powered hoods or helmets – are available and can provide effective protection.
We have worked with Safewell for many years and are retained clients, so we have developed an excellent working relationship with the team. However, this really came into its own when Covid 19 appeared.
As a Plumbing and Heating business, we were able to carry on working during the lockdown but only for responding to emergencies. We were obviously very concerned about the health and safety of our employees and before we even had chance to get in touch with Safewell, they had emailed us offering their assistance. It is hard to put down on paper how that made us feel - we like everyone else felt totally at sea, which way to turn, what to do? But Safewell were there guiding, supporting and being totally brilliant. Their attention to detail is very impressive and reassuring and we feel able to ask lots of questions without feeling silly.
During the pandemic Safewell helped us to write risk assessments, safety procedures and protocols. They kept in touch regularly, issuing new guidance as soon as it appeared and checking in with us. They held group Q&A sessions over Zoom which were helpful, and knowing other businesses were facing the same challenges and having the opportunity to discuss issues was invaluable. Their help during the preparation for a full return to work was brilliant, they enabled us to be fully prepared and feel in control, and when we had our first case of Covid within the team, because we had planned our response it felt ok.
I think our team felt very reassured by our robust approach and that our office was Covid secure. We are extremely grateful to all the team at Safewell
