During your Face Seal Fit Test of your half-face respirator, when you cover the exhalation valve and blow outward, you are performing the:

• A. Negative pressure test
• B. Positive pressure test
• C. Leakage test
• D. Integrity test

Answer: (B)

When you test the fit this way, you’re checking how well the facepiece seals to the face by applying positive pressure inside the mask. By covering the exhalation valve and blowing outward, you pressurize the inside of the respirator. If the seal is good, the facepiece stays inflated against the face and no air leaks around the seal. If air does leak around the edges, it shows the seal isn’t adequate. This specific action is the positive pressure test. A negative pressure test would involve inhaling to create a vacuum inside the facepiece, which is a different check.