You're trying to preach to someone who is both an emergency responder and a competent fit tester, I have also fought more than a few fires. I figured I should make you aware of that before you waste any more of your time arguing something so simple. However, in the interest of trying to lead the blind, I will answer:
Pusser said:
1) What are we doing with people who fail fit tests while clean-shaven? Do we kick them out? Do we make them get implants? The answer to both these questions is of course, no. That being the case, how can we put a restriction on something that might affect someone's performance when we place no such restriction on others whose performance is definitely affected?
If it is a requirement of your job to wear respiratory protective equipment then you should be face fit tested on such. If you fail to achieve the face fit test due to facial shape, scarring, absence of dentures during the test, etc. then you should be supplied with a respirator that fits or removed from the job that requires you to wear the respirator. This doesn't seem like rocket appliances to me, Ricky.
In ten years of carrying out face fit tests I have had TWO people fail, and my numbers for total subjects run through must be over 5,000 by now. One was an Oriental female (who we then procured an extra small mask for) the other was a dude who just had new dentures fitted and thought he wouldn't wear them for the test because he didn't wear them while working - he changed that and was fine.
My point is that this is a rare thing to have happen. I have only even heard about it from colleagues maybe twice more - so what does that tell you? The kit is designed to be as generic as possible. There is also never a guarantee which is why they print those big disclaimers on the kit. That said, being clean shaven gives you the best chance.
So what's your point?
2) There is an argument to be made that a soft full beard, which will fold and compress under the seal fo the mask, will actually allow a better seal than a few hours worth of stubble, which will act like a tent pole and hold the rubber off the face.
There is no argument. Clean shaven means clean shaven. A few hours of stubble hardly compares to a full beard. You're grasping at straws.
3) The fit-testing gurus claim that you cannot achieve a seal with a beard, but how would they know, considering that they specifically prohibit you from doing their fit test with a beard? To put it simply, if I fail a fit test with a beard, then I will happily shave it off, but no one has yet let me to that. The current situation is a lot like saying someone has to successfully complete the BFT before being allowed to attemp the Expres Test.
If I were to attempt to fit test you with a beard then I would be breaking the law. I suppose they have done such testing under laboratory conditions before they made the decision to impact on your personal sense of fashion.
Clean shaven does not change. It's clean. If I test you with the beard then who is to say that the next week you don't have more of a scruff going which would then negate the results of the previous test, no? This is a reason why fit tests are mandated at two years and recommended every year or every time there is a change to the face (weight gain, scarring, falsies, etc)
Now people may get upset with what I'm saying, but it is my opinion and I'm allowed to have one of those. No one can live inside someone else's mask, be it a gas mask, chemox set, Scott pack or full chemical suit (and I've used all of these), so getting angry because you don't agree with another person's assessment of the situation is pointless. In my view, we should test people as they are and if they pass, fine. If not, then we can look at what needs to be changed.
Your opinion based on an emotional response - that YOU do not want to shave *stomp, stomp, stomp* This worked for YOU before *stomp, stomp, stomp* Yeah, I get it. It's an antiquated view and one that does not give me any warm and fuzzes about your ability to pick a battle. As someone said in the socks in the mess thread: is this the hill you'd choose to die on?
What upsets me is when anyone who could be put into a leadership position displays such an ignorant attitude towards best practices and current standards for safety. It also pisses me off, as one of those guys who might have to drag a bearded carcass out of danger when a face seal fails, because I will have to put myself at risk if said bearded clown goes down.
