Darren Duncan, who runs Surrey Safety, a company that fit tests face masks, fears that with the prospect of dental practices reopening to patients, there may be a risk of them purchasing poorly fitting face masks leaving them vulnerable to the virus.
He has been carrying out mask fitting for FFP3 respirators in various dental practices in the south of England and is concerned many dentists may have unwittingly purchased the wrong type or cheap copies of FFP3 and N99 masks.
He says: ‘These might be coming to them from a supply chain dealing with a product they have no or little idea about. Of course, all face masks must be face fit tested under HSG53 INDG479 and COSHH regulations so that they wear seals and fit the wearers face.
‘I have been to a number of different dental practices over the last three weeks and the NHS practices have been getting the masks from the NHS stock, but this is limited. The private ones have been on the internet, whilst others are getting them from their normal dental equipment supply chain. From the types I have seen, the NHS ones are out of date and have been re-stickered. The HSE have looked and tested the out-of-date ones and signed them off as okay to use and I can concur that I didn’t have any problems with them either – except, the neck and head straps are a little brittle.
‘Sadly, the need is great and supplies are low so many people have been over pricing products. Unbranded or brands we have never seen or heard of before will, of course, be a concern. Companies such as 3M, JSP, Sundstrom, Moldex, and Alpha Solway have a tried and tested history with these respirators. Some of these so-called “branded” masks are coming in from China, India and other countries, but they are not made by those companies and we can spot a fake a mile off.’
He adds: ‘Dentists need to be aware that their suppliers might not be used to dealing with this type of equipment, so do get it checked. Keep an eye out for how well the mask has been made – it should have information stamped on it, such as EN numbers and filter type. Some of the counterfeit masks are stamped but will be off centre or wonky, and the same should be said for the strip of metal used to form around the seal of the nose. These again should be central and look sturdy. Lastly, check that the valve actually works. When you breathe in, the valve should shut this then draws the outside air through the filter/material part of the mask and when breathing out this will open.’
Surrey Safety has two people face fit testing and the duo has been working days, nights and weekends, carrying out all of our fit tests to the latest coronavirus guidelines set out by the HSE.
Darren explains: ‘The test itself is a series of exercises with the mask on and it’s about seven minutes in length. Before this, we carry out a sensitivity test to see how quickly the subject can taste the solutions, along with instruction and training on how to put the mask on and remove along with all the dos and don’ts when wearing a respirator.’
Step by step guide to a test fit
- Ask if anyone is allergic to Bitrex or saccharine (these products we pump in a fine mist within a testing hood around the subject. Bitrex is a very bitter solution they put into bottles of bleach so it tastes rotten and children won’t drink it, and the product many people use to stop biting nails or sucking thumbs as a child. Saccharine is the sugar substitute we pop in our tea and coffee.
- Make sure anyone being tested has refrained from smoking, vaping, chewing gum eating and drinking 30 minutes prior to the test. Drinking water is fine and we always recommend anyone wearing a mask hydrates before using one.
- Ask if anyone has asthma or lung function issues or suffer with claustrophobia (a mask will reduce the amount of oxygen to the wearer and you have to have a hood on your head to ensure we have a large concentration of solution around the head face and mask.
- Ask anyone with long hair to tie it back so no hair will break the seal of the mask and all guys must be clean shaven. I refuse to fit test any man who isn’t totally clean wet shaven. Virus particles are so small, so imagine what happens when a human hair breaks the seal of the mask – it would greatly impair in terms of protection to the wearer. We also ask staff to tie back long hair and buddy up to check each other over – this includes the wispy hair just in front of the ears. Our job in the health and safety field is to look after you guys and give you the best training and advice we can. With this in mind, we absolutely insist on clean shaven faces. We often get asked if we are happy to face fit guys with little strips on the chin or small moustaches, as they will be within the seal of the mask but we still refuse as it may well pass the test today but tomorrow it just might break the seal of that mask
- Carry out a sensitivity test with the hood over the subject but with no mask on.
- Train the wearer on correct donning and doffing and things they need to be aware of. Offer a large drink of water for the person being assessed and paperwork (this also allows a time period between sensitivity and main test).
- Wearer wears the mask and glasses/instruments and we check to see it all looks good and the glasses/instruments don’t interfere with the mask.
- We spray a stronger tasting solution into the hood and top up every 30 seconds whilst the wearer carries out seven different exercises whilst wearing the mask.
- If they fail on the test (start to breathe in the very bitter or very sweet solutions), then we will wait for 30 minutes and adjust the respirator and try again. If this fails twice, then a different make/size/shape or model of mask is required.
- Wait around whilst dental staff perform selfies! We have never had so many selfies taken with masks on before. What is it with you guys? You can’t even see if your smiling!
For details, visit https://www.surreysafety.co.uk