Page 5 of 7: N95 mandatory mask fit testing at St. Michael’s

Workplace Health, Safety and Wellness (WHSW) is coordinating its biennial N95 Respirator Fit Testing at St. Michael’s. This is in accordance with the applicable legislation, standards, guidelines and Unity Health Toronto Policy titled “Respiratory Protection Policy”. Fit Testing is mandatory for staff members who may be required to wear an N95 respirator when entering a room, performing diagnostic or laboratory testing, transporting or caring for a patient under airborne or airborne/contact precautions. An N95 respirator may also be worn for droplet or droplet/contact precautions or when it is determined by the health care provider during their point of care risk assessment. In the event a staff member does not complete testing during this initiative, they must be excluded from performing work requiring this level of respiratory protection under the types of isolation listed above. 

Who does require fit testing?

• Those who were fit tested prior to Jan. 1, 2023.
• This includes staff who were fit tested during the 1870+ conversion exercise. 

Who does not need fit testing?

• Those who were successfully completed the fit testing process from Jan. 1, 2023 to present. Those who have provided WHSW with proper documentation supporting a medical exemption.
• Those who have provided WHSW with proper documentation supporting a religious exemption.

In the event a staff member does not complete fit testing during this initiative, they must be excluded from performing work activities requiring the level of respiratory protection.

WHSW will accept fit testing documentation from another organization as long as testing was completed between January 1, 2023 to present and they have passed on one of the following 3M disposable respirator models:

If staff have met these criteria, please advise them to provide supporting documentation directly to WHSW in person, or by email at [email protected]. Fit testing commenced on Aug. 28, 2023 and will end on Dec. 15, 2023. Fit testing is taking place in WHSW located on 2 Bond, room 2-423. Variable testing times including weekend dates will be available during the 16-week period, and are outlined below. 

Fit Testing Hours of Operation:

No appointments are needed. Fit testing take between 15 and 20 minutes, and staff may be away from their department for 15 to 30 minutes. Final walk-in appointments must arrive at least 20 minutes prior to closing. Upon completion of their fit test, staff will be given a card as their record. Managers will be able to track staff compliance through the Learning Centre. The data is updated every two weeks.

To access your team’s compliance report for N95 Mask Fit testing, complete the following steps:

1. Login to the Learning Centre.
2. Under the My Team tab in the purple navigation bar, select Compliance Summary.
3. Find the course called Disposable N95, and click the name of the course (to the left of the orange/green bar).
4. You will see a list of all of the staff that report to you that are required to be fit tested, as well as their compliance status. You can download this report as an Excel sheet by clicking Export to Excel.
5. If you would like to see an individual’s mask size, go back to your My Team tab and select Mask Fit Sizes.

You can also go directly to access your report. If you require assistance or have any questions or concerns about the fit testing program, please contact Ravi Hookoom, Manager Safety & Wellness. Thank you for your ongoing commitment to health and safety in the workplace.