This thread is a work in progress, see open questions Need guidance?

Somehow, while half-asleep looking for info on respirator fit testing, I managed to also sloppily assemble a list of fit novel, interesting test protocols across various eras. Probably not of great use to anyone, including PortaCount users like myself (ironically)...

But, since Lemmy/The Threadiverse is in desperate need of niche, pedantic, semi-historical content, I might as well go to the effort to assemble it all here. I mean, who else is going to publish the stuff I've seen in the Federal Register?

This thread was originally also going to only include protocols that were designated across all fit test methods by regulatory authorities, but I might as well include them all here, for conveniences' sake. (Except CNP, cause this is /m/CPCSupport, and that's a whole can of worms...)

::: Open Questions

• Certain custom protocols that were made up for scientific papers are missing. I can't be bothered to add them at the moment, though.

• There may also be another country that has developed its own weird protocol, but that seems unlikely (given how long this list is...)

• We're not sure why fit test protocols changed over time. I mean, we can guess a motive, but not the data or experimental results that lead to these changes.

• We're also not sure why international regulators generally copy OSHA and remove 'grimace'. (What's wrong with grimace?!)

• It's up in the air which of these official protocols is the best. I'm placing my bets on the 1990s OSHA protocol, but maybe 'grimace' is really tough, who knows.

:::

Historical and Current Protocols, Mandated by law in the US

::: Current OSHA. 8 Exercises, Qualitative and Quantitative

1 minute per exercise, except for grimace (15 seconds)

1. Normal Breathing
2. Deep Breathing
3. Head Side to Side
4. Head Up and Down
5. Talking (use rainbow passage, or count)
6. Grimace
7. Bending
8. Normal Breathing

(Insert 'grimace' jokes here)

:::

::: Early 90s OSHA. 8 Exercises, Qualitative and Quantitative

This was part of the impetus for this whole thread. I found a document where exercises 6 and 7 aren't quite as you remember them today...

1 minute per exercise.

1. Normal Breathing
2. Deep Breathing
3. Head Side to Side
4. Head Up and Down
5. Reading (use rainbow passage, or count)
6. Bending
7. Jogging
8. Normal Breathing

:::

::: NIOSH/OSHA Protocol, 6 Exercises, Qualitative and Quantitative

I call this the "NIOSH" protocol because it's a protocol described in Appendix B, in the NIOSH Guide to Industrial Respiratory Protection. But according to TSI, OSHA apparently used this protocol for certain occupations well into the late 1990s, even after the 8-exercise protocols were made. Oh, bureaucracy.

1 minute per exercise.

1. Normal Breathing
2. Deep Breathing
3. Head Side to Side
4. Head Up and Down
5. Talking (use rainbow passage, or count)
6. Normal Breathing

:::

::: US Military Protocol, 5 Exercises

1 minute per exercise

1. Normal Breathing
2. Deep Breathing
3. Head Side to Side
4. Head Up and Down
5. Rotate Chin

:::

::: US Military Protocol, 6 Exercises

1 minute per exercise. Sourced from a TSI demo program found on Archive.org.

1. Normal Breathing
2. Deep Breathing
3. Head Side to Side
4. Head Up and Down
5. Rotate Chin
6. Jog in Place

:::

::: MESA Protocol, 4 Exercises, Qualitative

This was another major impetus for this thread. Before NIOSH, respirators were regulated by the Mining Enforcement and Safety Administration, and before that, the Bureau of Mines. Fit testing wasn't done in the early days, but by the 70s, this was the protocol we got:

2 minutes per exercise!

1. Nodding and Turning Head
2. Move Arms
3. Run in Place
4. Use Tire Pump

Is this scientifically backed? Who knows. (Foreshadowing...) :::

::: OSHA "Fast Fit Test Protocol" for Quantitative CPCs, 4 Exercises

This is a new protocol. Note: By the book, you'll also need to modify the sampling times when using this protocol. And not for the better...

By the book: 50-30-30-39 seconds

1. Bending Over
2. Jogging
3. Head Side to Side
4. Head Up and Down

Is this scientifically backed...? :::

International Protocols

::: Most of them, 7 Exercises, Qualitative and Quantitative

1 minute per exercise. The main difference between this and OSHA is that 'grimace' is removed. And sometimes they rearrange the exercises...

1. Normal Breathing
2. Deep Breathing
3. Head Side to Side
4. Head Up and Down
5. Talking (use rainbow passage, or count)
6. Bending
7. Normal Breathing

:::

::: EN 149, 5 Exercises

Made for Europe. 2 minutes per exercise. Kind of a hybrid between the MESA and OSHA protocols. Eh, not really.

1. Walking
2. Head Side to Side
3. Head Up and Down
4. Talking (Alphabet)
5. Walking

:::

::: Crash UM, 6 Exercises, Qualitative and Quantitative

1 minute per exercise. Significantly shorter than Crash UM.

1. Normal Breathing
2. Talking
3. Normal Breathing
4. Normal Breathing
5. Talking
6. Normal Breathing

:::

CPC Timings

::: Standard

8020 Actions	Timings
Mask purge	11 sec.
Ambient sample	5 sec.
Ambient purge	4 sec.
Mask sample	40 sec.
Total time per exercise	60 sec.

:::

::: 2-Minute Example

8020 Actions	Timings
Mask purge	11 sec.
Ambient sample	5 sec.
Ambient purge	4 sec.
Mask sample	100 sec.
Total time per exercise	120 sec.

:::

::: N95 (Slow)

Extra tubing necessitates longer timings.

8020A Actions	Timings
Mask purge	15 sec.
Ambient sample	15 sec.
Ambient purge	6 sec.
Mask sample	50 sec.
Total time per exercise	86 sec.

:::

::: OSHA "Fast"

On the first exercise:

8030 Actions	Timings
Mask purge	11 sec.
Ambient sample	5 sec.
Ambient purge	4 sec.
Mask sample	30 sec.
Total time per exercise	50 sec.

If you're using FitPro, you just have to click "Fit test with 2 ambient samples" and you'll be done with configuration. But just for the heck of it, let's keep going:

On the second and third exercise:

8030 Actions	Timings
Mask purge	0 sec.
Ambient sample	0 sec.
Ambient purge	0 sec.
Mask sample	30 sec.
Total time per exercise	30 sec.

Final Exercise

8030 Actions	Timings
Mask purge	0 sec.
Ambient sample	5 sec.
Ambient purge	4 sec.
Mask sample	30 sec.
Total time per exercise	39 sec.

You won't be able to do a 0 second purge/ambient time on an 8020, so the best time you can get is ~3 minutes on a 8020.

:::

::: Military Timings

Sourced from the TSI demo program.

8020 Actions	Timings
Mask purge	11 sec.
Ambient sample	5 sec.
Ambient purge	4 sec.
Mask sample	20 sec.
Total time per exercise	40 sec.

:::

::: Military Timings (N95??)

Note: The 8020M does not support the N95-Companion. However, these timings were left in the TSI demo program for some reason...

8020 Actions	Timings
Mask purge	15 sec.
Ambient sample	15 sec.
Ambient purge	6 sec.
Mask sample	50 sec.
Total time per exercise	86 sec.

:::