Beards and Respirators: Navigating No Shave November Safely

Introduction

No Shave November is a great opportunity to grow out your beard for a good cause. But if you rely on a tight-fitting respirator for work, that extra facial hair could pose a safety concern. Respirators protect workers from harmful particles, but their effectiveness depends on forming a tight seal against your skin. So, what does that mean for your growing beard during No Shave November? Let’s dive into the world of beard bands, the Singh Thattha technique, and what NIOSH is doing to keep you safe—beard and all!   

Facial Hair and Respirators – What You Need to Know

For a tight-fitting respirator to protect you, it needs to fit snugly, creating a seal against your skin. Even a little facial hair can interfere with this seal, allowing harmful particles to get through. Beards, sideburns, or certain mustaches that sit where the respirator seals can make the respirator less effective. Even a day or two of stubble can reduce protection. When hair grows into or protrudes into the respirator’s sealing area, it prevents a good seal, which can leave you exposed. 

OSHA’s respiratory protection standard highlights the importance of fit testing to ensure proper fit and effective protection. Because facial hair can prevent a tight seal, individuals with beards fail fit testing. Therefore, tight-fitting respirators are unsuitable for individuals with beards.

NIOSH’s goal is to ensure respirators work as intended, which is why we recommend against facial hair that interferes with the seal. To learn more, check out our NIOSH Science Blog: To Beard or not to Beard? That’s a good Question!  and read the NIOSH Conformity Assessment Interpretation Notice. 

Before we get into the creative solutions that NIOSH is exploring for tight fitting respirators, we want to mention Powered Air-Purifying Respirators (PAPRs). If you can’t shave for religious, cultural, medical, or other reasons, consider talking to your supervisor or respirator protection program manager about using a loose-fitting PAPR, which doesn’t require a tight seal and allows you to keep your beard while staying protected.  You can find PAPRs, and all other respirators approved by NIOSH on the Certified Equipment List (CEL). For some employers, PAPRs can be cost prohibitive and may also require changes to Respiratory Protection Programs to ensure they are used, cleaned, and maintained properly. Solutions to support the use of tight-fitting respirators by people with facial hair would ensure equitable respiratory protection while also reducing the burden on employers.

Creative Solutions NIOSH is Exploring: Beard Bands and the Singh Thattha Technique

Towards the goal of protecting all workers and reducing burden on employers, NIOSH is exploring innovative solutions like beard bands and the Singh Thattha technique, developed by a transplant surgeon in Manchester, England. Strips of fabric, known as “beard bands,” compress facial hair to create a smoother surface for a tight-fitting respirator. The Singh Thattha technique is a method for covering facial hair with a fabric band (cloth or elastic) and tying this band on top of the head before fit testing a respirator.

While this technique shows promise, NIOSH has not yet conducted enough research to confirm that using a beard band with the Singh Thattha technique provides a sufficient seal to the wearer’s face. Because the Singh Thattha technique has received mixed levels of success when tested in some laboratories, OSHA and NIOSH do not currently endorse using beard bands with tight-fitting respirators. More research with conclusive findings is needed before these techniques can be considered a safe alternative for bearded workers.  

So, why is NIOSH cautious about beard bands? It’s all about the seal. Beard bands may seem like a quick fix, but using one could lead to poor fit, sweat buildup, or a loose seal, all of which increase the risk of harmful exposure. Additionally, without proper testing, NIOSH can’t confirm that respirators worn with beard bands provide reliable protection. The risks of leakage and poor fit mean that the respirator’s assigned protection factor (APF) and the expected level of safety can’t be guaranteed. For more information about assigned protection factors, refer to the OSHA document here.

Ongoing Activities: Finding Solutions for Bearded Workers

Whether your reasons for opting to not be clean-shaven are cultural, religious, medical, or personal, at NIOSH, we’re committed to finding solutions to barriers that impact worker safety and ensuring PPE protections for all.  For more information on these efforts, see this Federal Register Notice on the Needs and Challenges in Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Use for Underserved User Populations, which looks at where additional research is needed. 

Specifically concerning facial hair, our goal is to ensure that those wanting to use tight-fitting respirators may do so without compromising their safety. That’s why we’re collaborating with the Sikh Coalition and manufacturers to test new beard band materials and approaches like the Singh Thattha technique. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Sikh Coalition was signed to formalize this partnership and NIOSH received several responses to our published Federal Register notice seeking additional partners for this study. Facial hair also is a concern for other workers such as those who often are in the field during emergency response scenarios for days at a time and may not have the opportunity to shave. 

This activity is an important step toward finding a solution that allows you to keep your beard without compromising safety. This is part of a broader effort to expand access to personal protective equipment for underserved populations. By working with fit testing experts, respirator manufacturers, respirator users with facial hair, and textile manufacturers we’re exploring this creative way to allow bearded individuals to wear tight-fitting respirators.   

Conclusion

So, can you wear a beard and a tight-fitting respirator? For now, NIOSH says no. While beard bands may show promise, NIOSH has not yet approved any respirators that include a beard band as part of its configuration. Until we know more, the safest option for those who rely on tight-fitting respirators is to stay clean-shaven. If you can’t be clean-shaven, a loose-fitting PAPR is an option. 

Whether you prefer a clean-shaven face or a full beard, our goal is to ensure that you can stay safe on the job. As NIOSH continues this effort, we’ll keep you updated on new developments.  Keep an eye on our blog and Federal Register notices as we explore beard-friendly solutions.

If you’re participating in No Shave November, remember—your beard may be stylish, but safety always comes first!

Aris Copeland, BA, is a Health Communications Intern in the NIOSH National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory 

Jonisha Pollard, MS, CPE, is the Branch Chief of the Research Branch in the NIOSH National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory Research Branch.