I can see why you want to take this path, it would be awesome to have a tight fitting half face PAPR that you can wear with facial hair. it would be a great marketing point of difference. Strange that no other major RPE manufacturer make the same claim especially any that have a product with certification under EN12942 as a TM. — RPE Fit tester
There always has to be someone that is first to market with an innovative product. I would expect that most of the other RPE manufactures have been caught resting on their laurels regarding R&D of truly innovative RPE. CleanSpace's "story" webpage calls this out.
Personally I would only fit test tight fitting face pieces when the wearer is clean shaven and if it is a PAPR or supplied air that it is under negative conditions. — RPE Fit tester
And that is your opinion, but can you point to anywhere in the AS/NZS Standards or WorkSafe guidance that specifically states that a PAPR that uses a close fitting face-piece must designed and tested with the assumption that the respirator is a negative-pressure type respirator and must rely on the facial seal to prevent inward leakage. Clause 6.4.3 in AS/NZS 1715 (1994 version is all i have on hand) does include that:
Respirators incorporating close fitting facepieces rely on facial fit to prevent inward leakage of contaminants. Such respirators employing a full facepiece or half facepiece must not be used by males who are not clean shaven about the cheeks, neck and jaw. Half facepiece respirators of this type must not be used by those with moustaches where there is any chance of hair coming between the facepiece and the skin.
But also goes on to say in the same clause:
Respirators which maintain a positive pressure in the facepiece at all times provide a higher degree of protection than can be achieved with negative pressure types. Positive pressure respirators may diminish the effect of poor facial fit but will not obviate the effect of leakage caused by facial hair (see Clause 7.5). Where conservation of the air supply is important, e.g. self-contained breathing apparatus, it should be recognized that any leakage, e.g. from the facial seal, increases air consumption and decreases service time.
Given "facepiece" is only used in reference to close fitting half or full face masks (hood or head covering do not get referred to as "facepieces") The second part of the clause would somewhat clarify that the first part is referring to negative-pressure type half/full masks.
The testing regimes in App D (which are informative only) also do no specify that testing should be done so that the facepiece is worn in a "negative-pressure way", and it would be assumed that when testing the RPE is effective it would be used in the same way that it would be used "in the field" (i.e. powered on for a CleanSpace PAPR).
You also have to consider that CleanSpace released their first model in 2010 (a year after the company was founded). This is one year after AS/NZS 1715 was last revised and only 2 years before AS/NZS 1716 was revised - although nothing in the latest standard would prevent CleanSpace's RPE getting certified under AS/NZS 1716 as a PAPR without the need to rely on a facial seal. The claims made in the standards need to be considered with the knowledge and information available at the time they were written, since then CleanSpace's own studies/research has shown that their PAPR provide an adequate level of protection even when worn by those with facial hair - remember that this is research that was completed more than 10 years after the AS/NZS standards were last revised.
Irrespective of all this and what I have said before, and taking into account that legislation / Standards always lag behind innovation - the ultimate question that needs to be answered is "does the selected RPE manage the risk of working in a contaminated atmosphere so far as reasonably practicable?"
Which is why fit testing (qualitative or quantitative) is recommended to establish if the provided RPE provided the required level of protection. It is also why it should be tested as close as practical to how it will be used in the actual work environment, e.g. moving, heavy breathing from heavy workloads, talking, etc.
If the CleanSpace PAPR can be shown to answer that question then you have discharged your duty, i.e. by following CleanSpace's recommended selection and assessment process, and by having a Respiratory risk management process that ensures RPE where used is selected/used/maintained correctly.