Face Fit Testing

Infection Control Strategy (Revised August, 2022)

Posted on by Sebastian Rasche

With the common occurrence of infectious diseases Pro Safety and Training (herein called PST) have developed infection control strategies to minimise risk.

We are not experts in infection control, so to form these strategies guidance has been sought from the following government organisation sources:

Further to this, advice has been considered from industry, including the following sources:

Theses strategies have been developed to keep clients and workers safe, and help us meet our requirements under the WHS Act 2011 and WHS Regulation 2011. You may see these strategies when dealing with our business, and have been summarised below.

Strategies are as follows:

  • Pro Safety and Training will work under the procedures and directions of our clients in high risk settings (hospitals, aged care facilities), this is due to the ongoing changing nature of healthcare work and ever changing risk profiles in these settings
  • PST staff members shall not work if they have any of the following symptoms:
    • fever
    • flu like symptoms
    • shortness of breath
    • headaches/aches and pain
  • PST staff shall be fully vaccinated
  • PST staff shall not work if they have tested positive to COVID-19 or are within the government mandated isolation period
  • if customers present to testing with symptoms of a Cold/Flu/COVID-19, we will refuse to test them and they will be required to reschedule their appointment
  • social distancing will apply where able to be implemented and appropriate (i.e. testing in a hospital with an ample size room, testing at a local council within a boardroom)
  • mask mandates will be followed where applicable, either through a government mandate or a client mandate
  • all workers being fit tested shall complete hand hygiene, and use hand sanitiser immediately prior/post testing
  • all disposable RPE used during fit testing shall be single use
  • we will only test on masks owned by the client, or new masks- we will not test on our elastomeric masks unless they have been disinfected in line with manufacturers specifications
  • all fit test adaptors (reusable) shall be sanitised between users with an antibacterial wipe
  • all elastomeric respirators will be wiped down and cleaned prior to fit testing with disinfectant wipes, allowing at least 30 seconds contact time, the respirator shall be wiped down and sanitised by the worker being tested
  • RPE donning and doffing will always be in line with client guidance, or guidance from the manufacturer
  • fit test vehicle/office surfaces/ laptops/ PortaCounts/ Twin Tubes shall be wiped down prior and after use with disinfectant wipes, and a suitable amount of time allowed to dry the equipment/items
  • if condensate builds up within twin tubes this shall be blown out (into a paper towel) with compressed air before the next use
  • all fit test waste will be disposed of immediately after fit testing
  • Particle generators will be cleaned after each session, with salt solution emptied and fresh water added, with the unit ran for 2 minutes, the generator shall then be wiped down and allowed to dry
  • If testing in our fit test van and a risk exists the operator shall wear a respirator (3M 1870+ or Trident), and workers being tested will be required to don the RPE prior to entering van. If possible testing will always be done onsite with sufficient room (ie site office). Workers will don RPE prior to entering van and only take RPE when exiting van.

If you require a full copy of our procedures around infection control please email Sebastian Rasche  at seb@pro-safety-and-training.local, or contact him directly on 0412 889 317.

Any feedback or improvements from medical specialists and providers is welcome.

Sebastian Rasche

Sebastian Rasche is the founder and Managing Director of Pro Safety and Training who specialise in Face Fit Testing, Training Courses and respirator products.

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