Is a PAPR considered a full face respirator?

It depends which kind of PAPR you mean — “full face respirator” usually implies a tight-fitting facepiece that seals against your skin, and not every PAPR works that way.

Systems like Miller’s Face Shield PAPR are built around a loose-fitting polycarbonate face shield rather than a sealed facepiece: air is filtered and delivered through a breathing tube into the shield, but the shield itself doesn’t form an airtight seal on your face the way a tight-fitting respirator does.

By contrast, our record for CleanSpace’s WORK/CST PRO shows the opposite design: it’s a tight-fitting half-mask PAPR, certified under EN 12942 (TM3) rather than EN 12941 (TH-class loose-fitting hoods/helmets). Tight-fitting masks require individual face-fit testing; loose-fitting hoods, helmets and face shields do not, because their protection factor doesn’t depend on a facial seal.

So a “PAPR” isn’t one single fit category — some are loose-fitting (face shields, welding helmets), some are tight-fitting (half/full masks). Always check your specific unit’s approval label and standard (EN 12941 vs EN 12942, or the equivalent NIOSH classification) rather than assuming.