Intertek announced it has won a multi-year contract with the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) for testing post-market N95 respirators. The three-year contract expands on NIOSH’s existing agreement with Intertek to conduct precertification evaluations on new respirators. The Company will now assess: respirators on the market that have exceeded their original shelf life; respirators entering the United States from a foreign country and claiming to meet non-NIOSH standards; and previously used respirators that have been decontaminated and are entering the market again. N95 respirators reduce a wearer’s exposure to particles, filtering out at least 95% of very small particles, including bacteria and viruses. They must be evaluated and approved by NIOSH according to requirements set in NIOSH 42 CFR Part 84. Under this regulation, manufacturers must submit data which illustrates compliance, including precertification tests such as inhalation/exhalation resistance, particulate filtration efficiency, and valve leakage. Intertek will conduct the precertification testing on post-market respirators, providing manufacturers with the necessary data for their NIOSH submission and approval.