COVER STORY BREATH EASY
Shawcity presents the latest addition to the health and safety market – the Quantifit Respirator Fit Tester, a por table mask-fit system that is transforming the way organisations fit test employees.
WHAT IS QUANTIFIT? Traditional aerosol products count particles to measure gas, vapour and particulate. If there are not enough particles in the air to test, the user has to light candles or incense or generate salt fog to create the particles needed to complete the test.
Referenced in HSE OC 282/28, the Quantifit Respirator Fit Tester doesn’t count particles but uses controlled negative pressure (CNP), with air as the challenge agent. It quickly and safely demonstrates that if air can get into the respirator then gases, vapours and particles could too.
Its simple testing method means it operates after a one-minute warm up in virtually any environment as long as air is present and there is a power supply. It is already widely used by the health and safety industry and emergency services worldwide and is suitable for use wherever respirator fit testing is applicable.
SO HOW DOES QUANTIFIT
WORK? During a fit test the respirator inlets are capped and the inhalation valves are propped open or removed. With the test subject holding their breath for ten
seconds, the Quantifit establishes and maintains a slight vacuum, or controlled negative pressure, inside the mask.
Since the respirator inlets are sealed, all sources of leakage into the mask are either through the face-to-facepiece seal or due to integrity issues. The volume of air drawn out of the mask by the Quantifit during this short period of time is equal to the leak rate into the mask through the seal.
With Quantifit there is no waiting time while elements which may interfere with a fit test disperse. Using the traditional aerosol count method, a user has to wait 45 minutes after food or a cigarette before they can take a fit test. Quantift isn’t affected by particle contamination so any user can be tested at any time.
Fit is measured by simulating real
life movements and redonning and the simple operation means many users self-test once trained. Quantifit is a standalone unit weighing less than 3.5kg and stores up to 500 fit tests without power for two years.
Quantifit’s software allows users to print wallet-sized fit test cards on any standard, Windows-based printer, with a dedicated card printer and laminator available as an option, whereas the aerosol- based products only operate with a special printer, adding up to 30% to the purchase price.
Virtually maintenance-free, Quantifit has no messy wicks which need changing every day and a simple one-minute daily calibration ensures it is working within a strict tolerance. It also has no internal optics, which can become contaminated, and this can mean the unit must be sent back to the manufacturer for cleaning. With no consumables, Quantifit also offers the best value for money in terms of ongoing cost of ownership.
To find out more about Quantifit or to arrange a demonstration visit the Shawcity web site or contact our sales team:
solutions@shawcity.co.uk www.shawcity.co.uk
Comparison of Quantifit (CNP technology) versus Market Leader (Aerosol technology) No
No internal
Tests in any environment
contamination or daily
maintenance OHD Quantifit
Market- leading
aerosol fit tester
16
www.tomorrowshs.com
consumables required
(alcohol, candles, wickes, probes)
Users can self-test
No wait time for smoking/ eating
Print fit test cards to any Windows printer
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