Respirator Fit Testing
29 CFR 1910.13429 CFR 1910.134(e)49 CFR Part 391
Fit testing under the OSHA respiratory protection standard, for both half-mask and full-facepiece respirators. Every employee in a respirator needs an annual fit test on the exact make, model, and size they wear. We test on site, on your schedule, with documented medical clearance in hand first.
What it costs
Respirator Fit Testing
Quantitative (QNFT) testing is $65 per test. QNFT runs on a controlled negative pressure unit rented per event rather than owned hardware, which is what accounts for the difference.
Prices are indicative per-test rates for a scheduled event at a mobilized site. Final rates are set with your scope — headcount, test mix, travel, and event frequency all move the number. Your scoped quote is free.
What it is
What the service actually covers.
- Qualitative fit testing (QLFT) using Bitrex or saccharin, for half-masks and N95 filtering facepieces where the required fit factor is 100 or less.
- Quantitative fit testing (QNFT) using a controlled negative pressure instrument, for all full-facepiece respirators and high-protection environments requiring a fit factor of 500 or greater.
- A five-minute comfort assessment before testing — nose bridge position, strap tension, room to talk, cheek fit — plus positive and negative pressure user seal checks.
- The full exercise cycle at 60 seconds each: normal breathing, deep breathing, head side to side, head up and down, talking out loud, grimace, bending or jogging in place, and normal breathing again.
- A clinic-stamped fit test card issued on the spot, showing an expiration date exactly 12 months from the test date.
How we run it
The standards we hold, including where they exceed the rule.
- Medical clearance is an absolute prerequisite. No employee is fit tested without documented PLHCP medical clearance under 29 CFR 1910.134(e). There is no clinical or commercial circumstance in which we waive this.
- Facial hair enforcement is not negotiable. We enforce a strict clean-shaven policy at the sealing surface and refuse to test any individual with facial hair crossing it. That refusal cannot be overridden by an employer.
- Protocol is assigned by mask class, not by convenience. QNFT for full-facepiece and high-protection work; QLFT only where the required fit factor is 100 or less.
- For CMV drivers — for example, hauling hazardous chemicals requiring a gas mask — we verify a current DOT Medical Card alongside the OSHA respirator clearance before testing.
- We check the medical clearance against any DOT Medical Examiner's Certificate for conflicting restrictions, such as oxygen use or severe respiratory limits.
- Every test is logged with worker, employer, date, testing agent or instrument serial number, mask brand, model, size, and result.
At your site
What standing this up on a new site takes.
Sorted out during site survey, before anything is scheduled.
- The exact respirator make, model, and size each employee wears, listed on the intake form before the event.
- Signed PLHCP medical clearance letters for every employee scheduled — via the OSHA Appendix C questionnaire. We can run the clearance workflow, but it must be complete before test day.
- Notice to employees that clean-shaven means clean-shaven on test day. Turnaways are the single largest source of wasted event time.
- Sustained QNFT demand changes the economics: we rent per event today, and move to owned hardware once demand runs past roughly four rental weeks a year.
Results live in the Occupational Health Record, separate from the personnel file. Supervisors receive fitness-for-duty and restriction information only — never underlying results or diagnoses. Employee medical records are retained for the duration of employment plus 30 years, per 29 CFR 1910.1020.
More services
Most sites bundle these into one event.
Setup and travel are already absorbed once we are on site, so stacking service lines into a single visit is materially cheaper per employee than scheduling them separately.
A licensed paramedic on screen the moment your crew needs one, guiding care hands-on through your certified team.
Non-DOT urine and oral fluid collection, run to DOT-equivalent protocol.
Baseline and annual audiograms for hearing conservation programs, run in a mobile setting.
Occupational spirometry to ATS/ERS standards, with NIOSH-trained operators.
DOT vision certification support and employer-defined non-DOT acuity screening.
CLIA-waived point-of-care testing, with send-out to reference laboratories where needed.
Get covered
Ready to get respirator fit testing running at your site?
Send us your headcount, your location, and which service lines you need. We will come back with a real rate card for your scope and what it takes to stand it up. No obligation.