NIOSH to Host Respirator Training and Fit-Testing Webinar on Feb. 16

NIOSH’s National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory (NPPTL) will hold an hour-long webinar on elastomeric half-mask respirators (EHMRs) in healthcare settings on Tuesday, Feb. 16, at 2 p.m. ET. The webinar, “Assessment of Elastomeric Respirators in Healthcare Delivery Settings: Just-in-Time Elastomeric Training and Fit Testing (JET FIT),” will present findings from a NIOSH-initiated study intended to examine the requirements for hospitals to rapidly fit-test and train staff in EHMR use.

Presenters from NIOSH and Wayne State University will cover topics such as how healthcare workers in the study were rapidly fit-tested and trained, the feasibility of the training and fit-testing, and the means of assessing the participants’ competency. The speakers will also compare the results collected by Wayne State University at the Detroit Medical Center with results from other study sites.

According to NPPTL, EHMRs are reusable respirators that may be worn in healthcare settings and may supplement the supply of disposable respirators for healthcare workers.

“Understanding how hospitals can quickly switch over to EHMRs during a crisis, such as a pandemic, is critical to understanding how to implement and use these respirators,” NPPTL says.

Interested individuals can register for the webinar with NIOSH.

Related: For more news about NPPTL’s research in respiratory protection, read “NIOSH Compiles Resources on Respiratory Protection” on AIHA.org and “NIOSH Approves First Elastomeric Half Mask Without Exhalation Valve” in the January 2021 Synergist.