Employees who have beards and facial hair who require face fit testing - anyone had any experience on this topic? Where do we stand with regards to face fit testing these employees?

Leaving aside any controversial "no beard" employment policy, those employees would need to be protected by air-fed hood or helmet type RPE.

Employees with beards (unless tiny ones that don't go under the seal) don't require fit-testing because they can't wear the RPE for which fit-testing is a requirement. The options are (a) don't let them do tasks that require the RPE or (b) ask them to shave or (c) provide a hood-type RPE. Be aware that hoods tend to be much more comfortable, so expect everyone to want one if you go for (c).

The original question is quite reasonable. However, some of the comments are perpetuating some "elf & safety myths" on the subject. I believe I can comment on this subject with some authority. Over a nine year period I possessed a Portacount Face-Fit testing machine and performed more than 800 face-fits. I also wear a light beard. Historical Background. in the year 2000 the HSE ran a number of seminars on RPE and face fitting. At these the speakers stated categorically that with facial hair an acceptable face fit could not be achieved. This was disputed by myself and some others, particularly from the Fire Service. Their latest guidance now indicates that with facial hair, an acceptable face fit is unlikely to be achieved. Regarding facial hair, a beard is not the biggest problem. So called "designer stubble", three or four days growth is the most likely to cause a problem. These hairs will stand erect and are not long enough to "bend over" therefore providing the possibility of holding the face-piece of the RPE away from the skin. With a short/medium length beard the hair is more likely to bend and be held flat against the face. A full bushy beard, quite obviously would not be acceptable. Post number four indicates that changing beard length will alter the face fit result. This is only partially true. While I had the machine I was able to carry out a number of simple basic experiments. Among them was testing the same person with the same RPE three times in one day (on a number of occasions). These results were hugely variable. While face-fit testing is certainly a science, the results can be more akin to a "black art". With reference to air fed hoods/helmets, if my memory serves me right, you cannot carry out face-fits on the, also the protection offered is relatively low. Finally, I am not advocating the wearing of beards when use of RPE is required. On the occasions that I needed to use RPE, I shaved and carried out a fresh face fit after. This subject is not as straight forward as some people think. Rodger Ker