Overview
Ventilated cabinet certification is expired; or certification sticker is missing or illegible.
Because of the importance of the chemical fume hood to controlling laboratory exposures, it must be routinely “certified.” NFPA regulations require that “When installed or modified and at least annually thereafter, chemical fume hoods, chemical fume hood exhaust systems, and laboratory special exhaust systems shall be inspected and tested.”
Part of the testing method for fume hoods involves checking adequacy of the face velocity since the speed at which air enters the cabinet is critical to containment efficiency. Typical face velocity of a standard fume hood is 80-120 fpm (feet per minute), but Low Flow or Low Velocity hoods are becoming more common on campus and can have face velocities as low as 50-60 fpm. The face velocity will be written on the certification sticker found on the fume hood.
When evaluating this checklist item, look at every fume hood in the laboratory and verify that they have been tested/certified within the past year, as indicated by the date on the certification sticker. Even if the fume hood has been certified in the past year, be alert to signs that it is not functioning properly, such as alarms, odors, etc. This checklist item will be checked only if the fume hood certification is expired, missing, or illegible. A suspected failure of the fume hood is cited elsewhere depending on whether the condition is occupant-induced or a mechanical failure.
Verify that the face velocity of the fume hood on the digital display (if so equipped) is consistent (e.g., within 20% or so) of the face velocity recorded during the last validation (if not the fume hood should be serviced). This would be cited under VEN04 “Other Concerns”.
Shown are examples of the certification stickers from BalCon, the UNL certification entity. Exhibit A is a fume hood sticker and Exhibit B is a Biosafety Cabinet Sticker. If inspection occurs after “next test date,” cite for certification expired.
At present, biosafety cabinets and fume hoods are the only ventilated enclosures that are being tested/certified on an annual basis. However, EHS is in the process of working with BSM to get gas cabinets included in the annual testing cycle. So, for the time being this checklist item is exclusive to fume hoods & biosafety cabinets.
Remember- the presence of a biosafety cabinet or clean bench may be an indication of unauthorized work being conducted in the space (e.g. biosafety cabinet or laminar flow hood used in lieu of a fume hood). This is addressed and discussed further under the Lab & Engineering Controls section, item LAB07. Use of radioactive materials or biological materials in a space not approved for that work, is cited and discussed under OTH01.