Effective even with facial hair
April 1st 2008

Tests carried out by BSI Product Services for Cam Lock, a supplier of breathing apparatus and related life support systems, have proved the extremely high protection afforded by the Cam Lock FAST-mask with Cowl which remains 100% effective when used by persons with facial hair.

As part of the mask's development, Cam Lock had to ensure compliance with a range of standards, including EN529:2005, which assigns protection factors for the effectiveness of the product in preventing the ingress of foreign substances.

For help in interpreting the standards, Cam Lock needed the services of an independent authority. It selected BSI Product Services, knowing that in addition to having the expertise relating to standards and PPE, the organisation had the test facilities needed to verify the product performance.

For positive pressure breathing apparatus, EN529 requires a maximum assigned protection factor of 2000. In tests, the Cam Lock FAST-mask with Cowl achieved a factor of 1.6 million.