TSI equips colleges and universities with respirator fit testing instruments

Shoreview, MN—TSI Incorporated recently kicked off a program to equip U.S. colleges and universities with PortaCount® Respirator Fit Testers. The TSI Future Industrial Hygiene and Safety Leaders Program launched in March 2018 in partnership with the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) and the American Industrial Hygiene Foundation (AIHF).

TSI invited schools with ABET -accredited academic programs in industrial hygiene or occupational health and safety to participate in the limited donation program.

"The future of worker safety is in the hands of young people in programs like these," said Greg Olson, TSI Senior Global Product Specialist. "Every year, new graduates enter the workforce and take on these important roles. It's very satisfying to know that by providing respirator fit testing tools like the PortaCount Fit Tester, we are helping to ensure that they're ready to protect the next generation of employees."

Dr. Joshua W. Schaeffer, Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences at Colorado State University, wrote, "This is an incredibly generous offer and we are very excited by the prospect of receiving a PortaCount to use within our program. I believe that we would benefit tremendously from such a donation . . . we have several classes dedicated to training students on the principles of industrial hygiene and instrumentation/equipment, where the PortaCount would be a welcomed addition."

About twenty programs around the country will receive PortaCount equipment.

What is respirator fit testing?

Respirator fit testing is an important part of occupational health practice and all workers that use respirators depend on the integrity and fit of their respirators. It is critical in industries where exposure to physical, chemical, and biological inhalation hazards can have significant health impacts.

TSI's PortaCount Fit Tester is a quantitative respirator fit tester. This method is accepted by OSHA, NIOSH, and other regulatory agencies. The PortaCount Tester is a widely used training tool as part of a written respiratory protection program.

For questions about TSI's Industrial Hygiene Future Safety Leaders Program, or about PortaCount Fit Tester and respirator fit testing, contact Greg Olson, golson@tsi.com.