Notice2024-16351
Partnership Opportunity To Determine the Fit of Air Purifying Filtering Facepiece Respirators Worn Over Beard Bands for Workers With Facial Hair
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
July 25, 2024
Issuing agencies
Health and Human Services DepartmentCenters for Disease Control and Prevention
Abstract
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), announces the opportunity for respirator manufacturers, NIOSH approval holders, and beard band manufacturers to participate, through a collaborative agreement, in a project titled "Fit Testing of Respirators on Those Wearing Beard Bands" to determine how well respirators provide protection to workers with facial hair when using a beard band.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 143 (Thursday, July 25, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 143 (Thursday, July 25, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60426-60427]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-16351]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Partnership Opportunity To Determine the Fit of Air Purifying
Filtering Facepiece Respirators Worn Over Beard Bands for Workers With
Facial Hair
AGENCY: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH),
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of Health
and Human Services (HHS).
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
(NIOSH), of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),
announces the opportunity for respirator manufacturers, NIOSH approval
holders, and beard band manufacturers to participate, through a
collaborative agreement, in a project titled ``Fit Testing of
Respirators on Those Wearing Beard Bands'' to determine how well
respirators provide protection to workers with facial hair when using a
beard band.
DATES: Interested parties must submit a letter of intent,
electronically or written, by September 23, 2024.
ADDRESSES: Submit your letter of intent to Jonisha Pollard, NIOSH
National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory, 626 Cochrans Mill
Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15236 or by email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#165c585f255675727538717960"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="91dbdfd8a2d1f2f5f2bff6fee7">[email protected]</span></a>.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jonisha Pollard, NIOSH National
Personal Protective Technology Laboratory, 626 Cochrans Mill Road,
Pittsburgh, PA 15236, 412-386-5220 (not a toll-free number),
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#571d191e641734333479303821"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="5d1713146e1d3e393e733a322b">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Additional Information: The National Institute for Occupational
Safety and Health (NIOSH) is seeking to identify respirator
manufacturers, NIOSH approval holders, and beard band manufacturers who
are interested in collaborating with NIOSH to conduct fit testing of
NIOSH Approved[supreg] filtering facepiece respirators and particulate-
only elastomeric half mask respirators for users having facial hair and
using an elastic band (beard band) to secure their facial hair and
provide a clean, smooth sealing surface for their respirator as part of
their personal protective equipment (PPE).
This research endeavor grew from the need to advance equal access
to employment and support worker populations with facial hair who need
respiratory protection. Individual fit testing of tight-fitting
respirators is a component of Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA) respiratory protection programs in workplaces to
better ensure that the respirator selected and worn can achieve the
expected fit factor (provide the expected level of protection). The
OSHA Respiratory Protection Standard (29 CFR 1910.134(g)(1)(i)(A))
prohibits employees from wearing respirators with tight-fitting
facepieces if there is any hair growth between the skin and facepiece
sealing surface. Fit testing is not possible without a tight seal of
the respirator to the face. Per the OSHA Respiratory Protection
Standard, an OSHA-compliant fit test determines the level of tightness
for this class of respirators to achieve a fit factor of 100 which is
10 times the assigned protection factor (APF) for this class of
respirator (i.e., APF of half facepiece respirator is 10).
Organizations, interest groups, and entities representing workers with
facial hair who cannot shave because of religious, cultural, medical,
or other reasons approached NIOSH to conduct research on fit
effectiveness of the respiratory protective device when a beard band is
used to improve the seal of the respirator with the wearer's face.
This project aims to determine the fit of respirators when worn
over beard bands for workers with facial hair using a government-
private partnership development model. This study may help increase
respiratory protective devices available to this population of wearers
and advance national interests by expanding respirator use to workers
with beards. This includes workers in vital fields such as healthcare
and public safety.
Collaborative efforts may be made via a Cooperative Research and
Development Agreement (CRADA) under the authority of the Federal
Technology Transfer Act, 15 U.S.C. 3710a, or another appropriate
agreement. No Federal funds will be provided to partners whose
equipment is utilized under this project.
NIOSH may select one or more partnering candidates using the
following criteria:
1. For partners interested in products, materials, or textiles to
be used as a beard band, the product/material/textile should have the
ability to:
a. Be secured at the top of the head (e.g., tied or hook-and-loop
fasteners;
b. Lay taut and flat across the skin without wrinkles;
c. Be cut (lengthwise and widthwise) and tailored to fit various
facial geometries; and
[[Page 60427]]
d. Be cleaned and decontaminated using common cleaning agents such
as soap and water or cleaning wipes.
2. For partners interested in respirators, the respirator should
have:
a. Current NIOSH approval for a filtering facepiece respirator,
elastomeric half mask respirator offering particulate protection, or
full facepiece respirators offering particulate protections;
b. Two strap head suspension with one strap that goes on the head
of the wearer and the other on the neck. Novel head suspensions will
not be accepted; and
c. Ability to fit multiple facial sizes.
3. For partners interested in participating in the study,
participants must be able to travel to the Pittsburgh or Morgantown
area to participate in the study at their own cost.
This announcement does not obligate HHS, CDC, or NIOSH to enter
into a contractual or collaborative agreement with any respondents.
Background: The 2019 COVID-19 outbreak highlighted the ongoing need
for effective respiratory protective devices for workers especially in
healthcare. Fit testing of tight fitting respirators is a component of
OSHA respiratory protection programs in workplaces. Respirators should
be fit tested using any of the OSHA approved fit test methods before
being used in workplaces. The OSHA Respiratory Protection standard, 29
CFR 1910.134(g)(1)(i)(A), states that tight-fitting respirators shall
not be worn when facial hair comes between the sealing surface of the
facepiece and the face or that interferes with valve function. In this
project, an under-respirator cover (beard band) on people with facial
hair will be evaluated. In the first phase of this study, respirator
fit will be evaluated using the NIOSH Approved[supreg] filtering
facepiece respirators selected to participate in the study when worn on
persons with facial hair. Then respirator fit will be determined for
the same individuals wearing a beard band under the respirator.
Follow-on phases of this study may include other types of tight-
fitting respirators including particulate-only elastomeric half mask
respirators (EHMRs) or full facepiece respirators.
This study may also evaluate the Simulated Workplace Protection
Factor (SWPF) afforded by these respirators on users with facial hair.
The SWPF refers to the ratio of the concentration of the contaminant in
the ambient air to that inside a respirator under conditions that
simulate the work environment or various work activities.
This project seeks to support the use of filtering facepiece
respirators, EHMRs with particulate protections, or full facepiece
elastomeric respirators for workers with facial hair. Results of this
project may be used by NIOSH approval holders to seek NIOSH approval
for the use of beard bands as part of an approved respirator
configuration. The study will provide data useful to support OSHA and
NIOSH policy regarding the appropriateness of using beard bands with
filtering facepiece respirators and particulate EHMRs or full facepiece
respirators. This study may lead to increased means for employers to
conform with the OSHA respiratory protection requirements and possibly
increase compliance with respiratory protection guidelines and
standards among bearded workers in various industries.
John J. Howard,
Director, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Health and
Human Services.
[FR Doc. 2024-16351 Filed 7-24-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P
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