[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 143 (Thursday, July 25, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60426-60427]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-16351]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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 [email protected].

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), 
[email protected].

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