Beginning in January 2021, facilities and agencies in all Washington State counties are eligible for no-cost fit testing.
What is Fit Testing?
A “fit test” is a procedure that tests the seal between the N95 respirator's facepiece and your face. It is done by someone who is trained in fit testing and takes a minimum of 15 to 20 minutes. A fit test is required to ensure that an N95 respirator fits correctly. A user seal check upon donning the respirator is not a substitute for fit testing.
Which facilities/agencies are eligible?
Eligible facility and agency types are:
- Assisted Living Facilities
- Skilled Nursing Facilities/Nursing Homes
- Adult Family Homes
- Supported Living Agencies
- Home Care Agencies
- Home Health Agencies
- Hospice Agencies
How can we participate?
There are two ways to participate in the DOH Fit Testing Project:
- Accessing mobile fit testing (recommended for most facilities and agencies, especially those under 10 staff members)
- Borrowing a kit (or buying one yourself), designating staff to participate in training and conducting your own fit testing (recommended only for larger facilities/agencies able to dedicate significant staff time to this activity)
Mobile Fit Testing Providers
Each county has been assigned a fit testing provider who is participating in the DOH N95 Fit Testing Project. To access this program, facilities should contact the fit testing provider assigned to their county directly. You do not need to contact DOH to qualify, please directly contact the fit testing provider for your area.
Your fit testing provider will provide you with information on how to complete the medical clearance questionnaires for your staff prior to your fit testing appointment. This is a very important step, please follow their directions and respond to them directly if you have questions.
To find the provider assigned to your county, please review the chart or map below. If your county isn’t listed below, please contact DOH (carolyn.ham@doh.wa.gov) to find out who your fit testing provider will be.
Conducting Your Own Fit Testing
We only recommend this option for larger facilities/agencies who are able to dedicate significant staff time to this activity. Learning to do fit testing can be challenging, and not conducting it correctly can result in staff not being protected, and in regulatory penalties. However, for some facilities and agencies this is a good option as they have a large number of staff and high turnover.
If you are conducting your own fit testing, you will need access to DOH’s online medical clearance questionnaire account. DOH also has a limited number of qualitative fit testing kits available to loan. To inquire about borrowing a kit, or to request access to DOH’s medical clearance account, email HAI-COVID@doh.wa.gov with the following information:
- Facility Name
- Facility Address
- Number of staff to be fit tested
- Contact person
Training
Training is available from DOH and LNI on how to conduct a fit test. Please review the following resources prior to contacting DOH about borrowing a kit.
Respiratory Protection Program
Employers are required to develop and maintain a Respiratory Protection Program under WAC 296-842-12005. A Respiratory Protection Plan is a plan that describes how employees will use and store their N95 Respirators. L&I has provided a Respirator Program Template for COVID-19 Prevention in Long-Term Care Facilities, which can be adapted for other settings as well. Administrators must review care activities and modify respirator usage scenarios (Page 2 in the template). A Respiratory Protection Plan (RPP) should be completed before fit testing for respirators, including N95s, at your facility. If you already have fit testing scheduled, or have already completed fit testing with employees, you should develop your RPP as soon as possible.
For assistance with developing a Respiratory Protection Program for your facility contact L&I Consultation Services.
Contact us
We welcome your questions. Please feel free to contact us and we will respond as soon as possible.