Laboratory Ventilation & Exhaust Systems: O&M Guidelines

Ventilation is important safety factor in any laboratory. Besides safety, ventilation has a strong financial angle too, as it demands major capital and operating costs. Studies suggest that more than 60% of a laboratory’s energy consumption can be attributed to the HVAC system.

Proper planning is critical to get the laboratory design right and appropriately sized for the nature of experiments and occupancy of the lab. Besides planning, once a lab is commissioned, appropriate operational and maintenance of lab helps in:

  • Ensuring proper operation and performance of the lab, thereby protect people working in the laboratories,
  • Prevent premature degradation of the systems demanding high cost to upgrade/renovate, 
  • Keeping the operational costs balanced and protecting the return on investment.

In this blog, let’s look at the key resources & guidelines for assessing the maintenance measures needed for fume hoods and ventilation & exhaust systems.

The following publications help with the guidance for standard periodic testing & maintenance protocol:

FUME HOODS VENTILATION & EXHAUST SYSTEMS
  • ASHRAE Standard 110-1995, Method of Testing Performance of Laboratory Fume Hoods (ASHRAE 1995)
  • National Standards for Total System Balance (AABC 2002)
  • Procedural Standards for Fume Hood Performance Testing (NEBB 2009)
  • MD 15128, Laboratory Fume Hoods: Guidelines for Owners, Design Professionals and Maintenance Personnel (PWGSC 2013)
  • ANSI/ASSE Z9.14, Testing and Performance-Verification Methodologies for Ventilation Systems for Biosafety Level 3 (BSL-3) and Animal Biosafety Level 3 (ABSL-3) Facilities (ASSE 2014)
  • NFPA 45: Standard on Fire Protection for Laboratories Using Chemicals (NFPA 2015)
  • ANSI/AIHA/ASSE Z9.5
  • Laboratory Ventilation (AIHA 2012)
  • ANSI/ASSE Z9.14
  • Testing and Performance-Verification Methodologies for Ventilation Systems for Biosafety Level 3 (BSL-3) and Animal Biosafety Level 3 (ABSL-3) Facilities (ASSE 2014)

 Reference: ASHRAE

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