Laboratory Hood Operation, Selection, and Use for Safe Installations

Gain a better understanding of how laboratory hoods work, available hood options, and how hood selection impacts hood operation. Explore the major considerations involved in evaluating, selecting, installing, testing and using hoods. Learn how to adapt Good Engineering Practices to improve the safety of your laboratory hood installations and operations.

Designed for anyone who works in a laboratory or those new to the laboratory environment, this course will cover the relevant codes that affect the use and selection of laboratory hoods. A brief discussion of ventilated enclosures and local exhaust is included to highlight their differences.

You will gain an understanding of the:

• Applicable codes
• Ventilation considerations
• Hood selection, safe operation, and testing
• Alternatives to hoods

This course will be valuable to those involved in academic, private, and government research and training laboratories. It will be especially important to those who are:

• Routinely use hoods in a laboratory environment
• Involved in the selection and installation of laboratory hoods
• New and need to learn the codes applicable to safety with laboratory hood installations
• Managing the safety aspects of laboratory hood operation
• Experienced with hood operation and safety but need that refresher to keep them vigilant

Code Requirement

• OSHA
• NFPA-45 Fire Protection for Laboratories using Chemicals
• AIHI Z9.5 Laboratory Ventilation

Ventilation Systems

• General ventilation requirements
  • Exhaust rates
  • Pressurization
• Ventilation types
  • Fixed volume
  • Variable volume

Hoods

• Hood components
• Airfoils
• Bypass grills
• Sash types and their advantages and disadvantages
• Auxiliary air systems and their issues

Hood Alarms

• Code requirements
• Common problems and their solutions

Hood Testing and Certification

• ASHRAE 110 Methods of Testing Performance of Laboratory Fume Hoods
• Review of the testing methods
• Issues with each method

Using Hoods Safely

• Limiting hood openings
• Overcrowding
• Storage
• Depth of hood
• Fire and explosion potential
• Blast resistance
• Placement

Hood Alternatives and Their Issues

• Ventilated enclosures
• Local exhaust
• Ductless hoods
• Laminar flow hoods, dry boxes, and biosafety cabinets

References

Richard Palluzi

Richard P. Palluzi, PE, CSP, of Richard P. Palluzi LLC is a consultant to the pilot plant and laboratory research community on safety, design, and research project management. He retired as a Distinguished Engineering Associate after almost 40 years at ExxonMobil Research and Engineering, where he was involved in the design, construction, and support of pilot plants and laboratories for ExxonMobil’s research site in Clinton, New Jersey, as well as affiliates worldwide. Rich is the author of two books, and numerous articles and presentations as well as a past chair of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers Pilot Plant Committee, ExxonMobil’s Pilot Plant and Laboratory Safety Standards Committee, and ExxonMobil’s Safe Operations Team for their Clinton facility. Rich is on the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) NFPA-45 Fire Protection for Laboratories Using Chemicals and NFPA-55 Industrial and Medical Gasses committees. He has BE and ME degrees in chemical engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology.