A certificate in someone's inbox
Your fit testers visit client sites and test staff on the respirators they wear. Each test produces a certificate, sometimes from the testing equipment, sometimes a paper form. The certificates are emailed to the site, filed in a shared drive, or handed to the wearer. When a site manager later asks which of their team are tested on the new mask model that procurement has just switched to, the answer involves opening dozens of PDFs.
Retests are arranged when a site asks for them, which is often after an audit or a supply change has already exposed a gap.
Why fit test records get out of step
- The test result lives on a certificate, not in a searchable record.
- Mask models and sizes are recorded inconsistently, so matching wearers to new supplies is hard.
- Retest intervals, and triggers for an earlier retest, are applied by the site, if at all.
- Testers use different equipment and paperwork.
- Employers change mask suppliers without telling you.
The underlying problem is that each test is treated as a one-off job, when the employer's need is an up-to-date picture of their whole workforce.
What it costs you and the client
Wearers can be affected directly. Someone tested last year on a size that has since been discontinued may be handed a different mask without anyone realising their test no longer applies, which is exactly the situation a fit testing service exists to prevent.
Tester days are organised reactively. Records requested by the client take admin time to assemble. When a mask supply changes, nobody can quickly say who needs testing. And for an occupational health provider, a scattered record undermines the value of the service you sold.
| Question from the client | Answer today | Answer with a wearer record |
|---|---|---|
| Who is tested on this mask? | Open and read certificates | Filter by model and size |
| Who is due a retest? | Unknown until someone checks | Due list per site |
| We are switching masks, who needs testing? | A guess | Everyone tested only on the old model |
| Can we have copies for the audit? | Search email and drives | Download per site |
The fit testing record we build
- One wearer record across all your clients, linked to employer and site.
- Testers record each test on a tablet: mask manufacturer, model, size, method, result and tester, with any certificate from the testing equipment attached.
- Mask models are picked from a maintained list, so the same model is always recorded the same way.
- Retest dates are set by the interval your service and the employer agree, and triggers such as a change of mask model can be recorded to prompt an earlier retest.
- Due lists per site feed your booking of tester visits.
- When an employer tells you about a mask change, you can instantly list who needs testing on the new model.
- Employers can see or download their current records, in the format you choose.
Test methods and what counts as a pass are a matter for your testers' training and the standards they follow. The system records results, it does not judge them.
What changes on the next site visit
Planning tester time gets easier as well. With due dates per site in one place, visits can be grouped by area and scheduled ahead, instead of being fitted in whenever a site manager remembers to ask.
Testers arrive with a list of who needs testing and on what. Certificates are generated and filed without extra admin. Clients see a current picture of their workforce, and the conversation about a supply change takes minutes rather than a week of searching.
Is this happening in your service?
- Fit test results live in PDF certificates.
- Mask models are written differently by different testers.
- Retests are booked only when a client asks.
- A mask supply change sets off a scramble.
- Pulling records for a client's audit takes hours.