A test per wearer, per mask
Every individual is tested on each make and model of tight-fitting RPE they'll actually use — disposable FFP3 and reusable half-masks. A fit on one mask doesn't transfer to another, so we test what's worn.
Service
A respirator only protects when it seals.
On-site qualitative face fit testing that proves your tight-fitting RPE — disposable FFP3 masks and reusable half-masks alike — actually fits the wearer it's worn by. Delivered to HSG53 and INDG479, recorded properly, and explained in plain English by a Chartered safety professional.
Why it matters
An unfit mask is just theatre.
Wherever your people breathe in dust, mist, fume or vapour you can't fully engineer out, the law expects respiratory protective equipment that's adequate and suitable. Tight-fitting RPE relies on a seal against the skin — and faces are not one-size-fits-all. Under COSHH 2002 (and CLAW, CAR and the lead regulations), face fit testing is how you prove that seal exists for the specific person and the specific mask.
The seal is the protection
A mask with the right assigned protection factor still leaks if it doesn't seal. A poor fit lets contaminated air bypass the filter entirely — the wearer feels protected while breathing the very thing the RPE was bought to stop.
It's a legal duty
HSE guidance HSG53 makes fit testing an expected part of selecting tight-fitting RPE. It underpins your COSHH 2002 duties and the general duty of care under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 — and it's exactly what inspectors and auditors ask to see.
Competence counts
Testing must be carried out by a competent person to a recognised method. With Dominic Gibbons CMIOSH running your tests, every result is defensible — properly conducted, properly recorded and ready to stand up to scrutiny.
What's included
Everything you need to evidence the fit.
A complete, on-site service per wearer and per make and model of mask — not a tick-box exercise. Here's exactly what you get.
The qualitative method, done properly
A HSE-recognised taste-based test (bitter or sweet sensitivity) using a calibrated hood and the full seven exercises — normal breathing, deep breathing, head movement, talking and more.
Pass / fail records
A clear certificate and record for each test — wearer, mask make, model and size, date, method and result — so your COSHH file and supplier audits have exactly the evidence they need.
RPE selection advice
Honest guidance on choosing adequate and suitable RPE for the hazard and the wearer — assigned protection factors, comfort and a range of sizes so more of your team can pass first time.
Clean-shaven policy support
Tight-fitting masks won't seal over stubble or facial hair. We help you put a clear, fair clean-shaven policy in place — and flag where a loose-fitting powered alternative is the sensible answer.
Retest scheduling
Fit isn't forever. We set a sensible retest cadence and flag triggers — significant weight change, dental work, scarring or a switch of mask — so your protection and your records stay current.
CMIOSHChartered & competent
On your site, on your schedule
Testing that fits around the working day.
We come to you. Whether it's a construction site cutting concrete, a joinery shop with wood dust, a foundry with metal fume or a lab handling solvents, we set up on-site and work through your team with minimal disruption — testing each wearer on the masks they genuinely use.
Qualitative fit testing is the right, proportionate method for disposable FFP3 respirators and reusable half-masks — the kit most UK businesses actually rely on. It's quick per person, requires no mains power, and gives an immediate, unambiguous pass or fail. Where a full-face mask or higher protection factor is in play, we'll tell you straight if a quantitative test is the better route, so you're never paying for more than the job needs.
Throughout, you're dealing with Dominic Gibbons CMIOSH directly — a Chartered member of IOSH, not a subcontracted tester. That means the fit testing sits inside genuine H&S advice: how RPE fits your wider COSHH risk assessments, where you should be controlling exposure at source first, and what your ISO 45001 system needs to record.
How it works
Three steps to a defensible fit.
No fuss, no jargon — just a clear path from booking to certificates in your hands and a sensible plan for keeping them valid.
01Step 01
Understand
We confirm who needs testing, which makes and models of RPE you use, and the substances they're protecting against — so the testing maps to your real COSHH risks.
02Step 02
Plan
We agree an on-site date, brief your team on the clean-shaven requirement, and bring the right masks and sizes so people can be tested without standing idle.
03Step 03
Embed
You receive clear pass/fail certificates, advice where anyone failed, and a retest schedule — so face fit testing becomes a managed part of your safety system, not a one-off.
The mask on the shelf isn't the protection. The seal on the face is. Fit testing is the only way to know your people are actually protected — and to prove it when someone asks.Dominic Gibbons CMIOSH · Safepippin Compliance
Goes hand in hand with
Part of the bigger picture.
Face fit testing rarely stands alone. It works best alongside the wider support that keeps your respiratory and occupational health risks under control — all available from Safepippin.
Book your face fit testing
Prove the fit. Protect your people.
Tell us how many wearers and which masks you use, and we'll arrange an on-site visit with certificates, honest RPE advice and a retest plan — all from a Chartered safety professional.