N95 Mask Fit Testing — At a Glance
$50
Per person
20-30 Min
Per appointment
2 Years
Certificate validity
Same-Day
Certificate issued
Also: no smoking, eating, or drinking (except water) for 30 minutes before your appointment.
Who Needs N95 Mask Fit Testing in Belleville?
Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety Act requires fit testing for any worker who must wear a respirator as a condition of their job. In the Quinte region, that means healthcare workers, students on clinical placement, dental professionals, and industrial workers across multiple sectors.
Students on Clinical Placement
Loyalist College nursing, PSW, dental hygiene, and health science students are required to hold a current mask fit certificate before their clinical placements begin. A current certificate is part of the Student Preparedness Permit required by placement sites including BGH, Quinte Health, and community health agencies.
Hospital & Clinical Staff
All Quinte Health staff required to wear N95 respirators — ED nurses, ICU staff, surgical teams, respiratory therapists, and any worker involved in aerosol-generating medical procedures — must be fit tested and maintain a current certificate every 2 years.
LTC & Community Health Workers
PSWs and nurses working for Bayshore HealthCare, Ontario Health atHome, and long-term care homes across Belleville and Hastings County are required to wear N95 respirators in certain settings — and must be fit tested every 2 years to maintain compliance.
Dental Offices & Dental Hygiene Students
Dental procedures generate aerosols. Dental office clinical staff and dental hygiene students at Loyalist College require current N95 mask fit certificates. Testing must be completed before clinical placements and renewed every 2 years.
Industrial & Trades Workers
Workers at Belleville’s manufacturing facilities — Autosystems/Magna, P&G, Lactalis Canada, and McKesson — as well as painters, welders, and construction workers exposed to respiratory hazards are required under OHSA to be fit tested for their respirators before first use and every 2 years thereafter.
General Public & Personal Preparedness
No workplace requirement needed. Individuals who want to confirm their N95 fits properly for personal use, travel, or work environments where respiratory protection is recommended are welcome to book an individual appointment at 11 Bay Bridge Rd.
What Happens at Your Appointment
A standard qualitative fit test (QFLT) takes 20-30 minutes. You’ll leave with a same-day certificate valid for 2 years, specific to the exact make and model of N95 tested.
Step 1 — Sensitivity Test
Before donning your mask, the tester confirms you can detect the test solution — either Bitrex (bitter) or Saccharin (sweet). This ensures the test is valid before it begins.
This is why you must not eat, drink (except water), or smoke for 30 minutes before your appointment — it affects your ability to taste the test solution.
Step 2 — Mask On & Exercises
You don your N95 mask and a hood is placed over your head. You complete 7-8 exercises — normal breathing, deep breathing, head side-to-side, head up-and-down, talking, and bending forward. If you cannot taste the solution throughout, the mask fits: you pass.
If the mask fails, different sizes or models are tried until a passing fit is found — or the tester advises on alternatives.
Step 3 — Certificate Issued
On passing, your certificate is issued the same day — valid for 2 years under CAN/CSA-Z94.4-18. Your certificate is specific to the exact make and model of N95 tested. A different size or model requires a separate test.
Confirm with your school or employer which specific N95 model they require before booking — the certificate is model-specific.
Masks We Test
MTC tests the most widely required N95 models in Ontario healthcare and institutional settings. Check with your school or employer before booking to confirm which model they require — your certificate is specific to the exact make and model tested.
3M N95 8210
The standard fold-flat N95 respirator. Widely used in industrial and construction settings. Commonly required for trades workers, manufacturing staff, and some healthcare settings.
3M N95 1870+
The 3M Aura Health Care Particulate Respirator and Surgical Mask — the most widely distributed model in Ontario healthcare settings. Required at Quinte Health and most Ontario hospital employers. The model used in the Ontario government’s N95 fit testing program.
3M N95 1860 S
The small-size variant of the 3M 1860 series cup-style respirator. Often used in healthcare settings where the standard 1860 does not achieve adequate seal — particularly relevant for smaller face shapes common in nursing and allied health populations.
Why Mask Fit Testing Is Legally Required in Ontario
Ontario’s OHSA and CAN/CSA-Z94.4-18 require fit testing before first use of a respirator, and renewal every 2 years. Here’s what that means for workers and students in the Quinte region.
Before first use — and every 2 years
Under the Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act, any worker who must wear a respirator as a condition of their job must be fit tested before they first wear it. Retesting is required every 2 years, and sooner if there has been significant weight change, facial surgery, dental work, or a change in the mask model being used.
Students — required before placements
Loyalist College and other Ontario post-secondary health programs require students to provide evidence of current mask fit testing as part of their clinical placement preparedness requirements. This must be in place before the first day of placement and updated every 2 years throughout your program. Confirm which N95 model your placement site requires before booking.
Qualitative vs quantitative testing
MTC offers Qualitative Fit Testing (QFLT) — the most common and widely accepted method for N95 respirators in Ontario healthcare and institutional settings. It uses a taste/smell aerosol solution and produces a pass/fail result. Quantitative Fit Testing (QNFT) uses a PortaCount machine and is required for certain industrial applications. If your employer requires QNFT, contact us for a referral.
Nationally Recognized Healthcare Training — Now in Belleville, Ontario
The Medical Training Center (MTC) is a Canadian healthcare skills training company headquartered in Oshawa, Ontario. MTC is accredited by the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada and the Canadian Red Cross. All MTC services are delivered by experienced healthcare clinicians and trained specialists to the highest professional standards.
Belleville location: 11 Bay Bridge Rd, Belleville, ON K8P 3P6 — on the Bay Bridge corridor, accessible from downtown Belleville, North Front Street, and Highway 62. Serving Belleville, Quinte West, Prince Edward County, and the surrounding region.
Contact: 1-888-616-7671 | info@medtc.ca | medtc.ca
Frequently Asked Questions
N95 Mask Fit Testing in Belleville — Your Questions Answered
Book Your Mask Fit Test in Belleville
CAN/CSA-Z94.4-18 certified qualitative fit testing at 11 Bay Bridge Rd, Belleville. $50. Same-day certificate. 20-30 minutes. Remember: you must be clean-shaven to be tested.
Also need CPR or First Aid for your clinical placement?
MTC offers Red Cross CPR/AED, Standard First Aid, and Emergency First Aid at 11 Bay Bridge Rd — the same location. Book both on the same day or combine visits to complete all your placement requirements at once.