Masks intended for Working Environments

BNQ 1922-900
Masks intended for Working Environments — Attestation Document

The attestation document BNQ 1922-900 Masks intended for Working Environments, published in December 2020, serves as a reference to the attestation program that enables mask manufacturers and distributors to have the conformity of their products recognized, and enables employers, workers, and consumers to quickly identify quality products.

In working environments, the Commission des normes, de l’équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CNESST) prescribes in its Guide de normes sanitaires en milieu de travail – COVID-19, the wearing of suitable eye protection and a surgical mask or a mask attested by the BNQ when physical distancing cannot be respected. The development of this attestation document thus responds to the CNESST’s desire to offer an alternative to surgical masks. The attested masks are designed for use in working environments other than clinical settings and environments where people have symptoms that are consistent with COVID-19.

As a filtering barrier, the mask attested by the BNQ can protect the immediate environment from the user if the user is carrying a virus such as SARS-Cov-2 and is contagious, but is not presenting symptoms (pre-symptomatic or asymptomatic). Owing to its performance characteristics in filtration efficiency and differential pressure, this mask also aims to reduce exposure of the user to droplets from a person who is not presenting symptoms (pre-symptomatic or asymptomatic), but is carrying a virus, such as the SARS-Cov-2 virus, and is contagious.

The attestation document BNQ 1922-900 establishes, for businesses, the quality and performance requirements of masks intended for use in working environments, whether reusable or single use, with or without a removable filter. It also specifies the testing methods for laboratories to verify compliance with quality and performance requirements.