Rank: Super forum user 
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Can anyone advise about how your organisations deal with close fitting RPE and users with beards, facial hair, etc?
Do you insist that users are clean shaven? Do you deploy alternates such as loose fitting hoods (expensive)? How did you deal with staff that may have had a beard for years prior to fit testing?
Thanks
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Rank: Super forum user 
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We tell then we cannot do a face fit test if they have a beard. Then we pass the buck back to the manager. It’s upto them to decide if the person gets a positive pressure hood (they and that comes out of the line managers budget) or if the ask the person to shave off the beard. If they refuse, then it’s down to the manager to reassign the person to another job where they do not require RPE.
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Rank: Super forum user
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A few years ago I had a job involving removal of 1400 tonnes of asbestos containing materials... I shaved half my full set off (Left hand side) and raised over a hundred quid for charity over the weekend walking round looking stupid before shaving the rest off for my respirator face fitting...
And I recall a business director insisting on entering a fire ground where SCBA was essential (long before face fit testing became popular...). His full beard / 'tache set caused the 30 min nominal BA cylinder to empty in less than five minutes...
HOWEVER - if the straps of a rubber mask are tightened sufficiently (uncomfortably tight) it is 'possible' with a trimmed beard to pass face-fit tests with cartridge type rubber masks (not disposables). I know from experience, but I wouldn't recommend it ... the straps have to be VERY tight!
Steve
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Rank: Super forum user
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The issue with face fitting is CONSISTENCY. Even if it was possible to do a face fit test with beard how would you know that the beard was in the same state every time you wore the RPE? Much easier if you just make them shave it all off.
Of course the shape of the face might change over time (“Who ate all the pies?”) but this will be slower than a day’s beard growth.
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Rank: Super forum user
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Thanks for the responses so far chaps; we're in construction and property maintenance so we're not really in a position to start redeploying staff to tasks where they wouldn't need to wear a dust mask etc. What I'm really interested in finding out is how other organisations have approached the situation where staff have had beards etc for a long time and now they're going to be asked to be clean shaven. I know this is more HR than H&S but I'm guessing most safety managers out there would know what the outcome was where the issue is referred back to the line manager etc.
Thanks again
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Rank: New forum user
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Max, Without doubt people with beards and/or sideburns with not pass the RPE Qualititive or Quatitive 'fit-test'. This means they will be unsuitable to work in locations that have the requirement that RPE must be worn. There is no other way around this. The area where the RPE fits must be clean shaving. Suggest this to be made as policy arrangments.
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Rank: Forum user
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Max, the only other way around this is to issue Powered & Supplied Air Respirators (positive pressure). However, these are not cheap.
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I have heard of people applying a thick coat of vaseline to the seal area. Apparently it works. But who pays for the vaseline ?
Merv
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Rank: Forum user 
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Rank: Super forum user
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merv wrote:I have heard of people applying a thick coat of vaseline to the seal area. Apparently it works. But who pays for the vaseline ?
Merv I cannot see the HSE liking this suggestion
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Rank: Super forum user 
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In the early days of Chrome working
Workers used to grow really long beards - dip them in water and breath through them as dust protection! I can't find a pic on Google :(
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Rank: Forum user 
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A Kurdziel wrote:The issue with face fitting is CONSISTENCY. Even if it was possible to do a face fit test with beard how would you know that the beard was in the same state every time you wore the RPE? Much easier if you just make them shave it all off.
I can imagine some of my Muslim colleagues taking offence to that, my point being that at your particular location you may be an option to "Make" people shave off beards, but in some places that just isn't going to happen. How would people handle a situation as described by the original poster, where the employee wears a full beard for religious or cultural reasons?
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Rank: Super forum user
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malcarleton wrote:How would people handle a situation as described by the original poster, where the employee wears a full beard for religious or cultural reasons? 'Lose fitting' RPE...
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Rank: Super forum user
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^o
(and the missing o :) )
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Rank: Super forum user
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malcarleton wrote:A Kurdziel wrote:The issue with face fitting is CONSISTENCY. Even if it was possible to do a face fit test with beard how would you know that the beard was in the same state every time you wore the RPE? Much easier if you just make them shave it all off.
I can imagine some of my Muslim colleagues taking offence to that, my point being that at your particular location you may be an option to "Make" people shave off beards, but in some places that just isn't going to happen. How would people handle a situation as described by the original poster, where the employee wears a full beard for religious or cultural reasons? That's, as I said before down to the managers they can either buy positive pressure face hoods or ( if they feel that is too expensive) ask them to shave or move to another job. If the firm cannot find other work for these people then it can ask them to shave. In the UK H&S law trumps equality law. I cannot imagine a situation where it is permitted for people to be exposed to a known risk for 'cultural or religious' reasons.
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Rank: New forum user
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Let the work force know the facts and the risk's found in most cases in the construction type industries and those who work out side that its clean shaved on a Monday morning stubbly beard by the Friday.
The Army cant have beards and have to be clean shaved for Hygiene in the field but also for the wearing of respirators.
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Rank: Super forum user
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"In the UK H&S law trumps equality law."
Not always been true - anyone else remember the exemption from the head protection regs for Sikhs?-
"I cannot imagine a situation where it is permitted for people to be exposed to a known risk for 'cultural or religious' reasons"
I believe Sikhs are still allowed to not wear head protection on sites and HSE will not take action against the employer - see above... Even though these Regs are now history - and the PPE Regs are supposed to cover - I'm (ALMOST) certain HSE would turn a blind eye as a result of the previous exemption (unless desperate for FFI)
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Rank: Super forum user
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steve e ashton wrote:"In the UK H&S law trumps equality law."
Not always been true - anyone else remember the exemption from the head protection regs for Sikhs?-
"I cannot imagine a situation where it is permitted for people to be exposed to a known risk for 'cultural or religious' reasons"
I believe Sikhs are still allowed to not wear head protection on sites and HSE will not take action against the employer - see above... Even though these Regs are now history - and the PPE Regs are supposed to cover - I'm (ALMOST) certain HSE would turn a blind eye as a result of the previous exemption (unless desperate for FFI) I hope you are that confident in front of a judge!
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Rank: Forum user
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My experience is basically as per A Kurdziel's first post.
I once had an issue with one guy who had a full set who was re-deployed into an area that required a P3 half-face respirator mask. Despite his assertions to the contrary, over the course of a weekend, after discussing with him the nature of lead poisoning and what the Control of Lead at Work Regs said on the subject, he saw sense and we had a compromise where he kept his moustache. Face fit test passed. Lead blood figures low at each test. Happy days.
However, rarely is life so straightforward or people so accommodating.
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