True or False: Employees shall not have facial hair that comes between the sealing surface of the face piece and the face for tight fitting face pieces on a respirator.

True or False: Employees shall not have facial hair that comes between the sealing surface of the face piece and the face for tight fitting face pieces on a respirator.

• A. True
• B. False, Facial hair is allowed if it does not interfere with the seal.
• C. False, Facial hair is not a concern for tight-fitting respirators.
• D. False, Facial hair is only restricted around the jawline.

Answer: (A)

Tight-fitting respirators must form a complete seal between the facepiece and the wearer’s skin. Facial hair that sits between the sealing surface and the face creates gaps, breaking that seal and allowing contaminants to leak in. Because of this, employees must be clean-shaven in the area where the facepiece seals. So the statement is true: facial hair in the sealing area compromises protection and is not allowed for tight-fitting respirators. Other options mistakenly suggest facial hair is allowed or not a concern, which isn’t correct for devices that rely on a tight seal.

Tight-fitting respirators must form a complete seal between the facepiece and the wearer’s skin. Facial hair that sits between the sealing surface and the face creates gaps, breaking that seal and allowing contaminants to leak in. Because of this, employees must be clean-shaven in the area where the facepiece seals. So the statement is true: facial hair in the sealing area compromises protection and is not allowed for tight-fitting respirators. Other options mistakenly suggest facial hair is allowed or not a concern, which isn’t correct for devices that rely on a tight seal.