Laboratory Fume Hoods

The chemical fume hoods in our laboratories are designed to protect you from toxic and noxious vapors. They are the most important item of safety equipment in your laboratory. In order to gain the full protection these hoods afford, the following operating procedures should always be observed:

1. Call the Business Office at 5-3335 if you have any reason to suspect that your fume hood is not operating properly.

2. Never change the position of the flutes that control the exhaust in your hood. These exhaust systems are very delicately balanced, and adjusting the exhaust on one hood affects every other hood on the same system.

3. Be aware that very high face velocities will not provide a safer hood. Velocities much above 100 ft. per minute generate turbulence at the face of the hood, causing puffs of air from within the hood to contaminate the room.

4. Do not block the ventilation slots at the back of the hood. This adversely affects the operation of the hood.

5. Set up your apparatus as close to the center of the hood working surface as is practical.

6. Avoid putting your head inside the hood and stand a few inches back from the hood sashes when the experiment or reaction is in progress.

7. The vertical sliding sashes in most of our fume hoods are intended to be used as safety shields. Maximum protection is provided when the sashes are fully closed.

8. Keep hood sashes closed whenever you do not need immediate access.

9. Do not impede movement of sashes. You should be able to completely close the front of your fume hood. If sashes are missing or damaged, call the Business Office at 5-3335.

10. It is wasteful to use fume hoods as storage cabinets for noxious chemicals. Try to use ventilated storage cabinets instead.

11. Walk-in fume hoods are intended for large set-ups and you should only be inside the hood while assembling or making adjustments to your equipment. They offer no protection if you stand inside the hood.

Departmental Safety Regulations