01204 572 900

Fume Cupboard Standards

Clean Air fume cupboards are designed to keep operators safe and are subject to regulations and guidance. Below are some of the fume cupboard standards which our ranges are designed to meet.

Fume cupboard standards – BS EN 14175 Fume Cupboards

BS EN 14175 is the British and European Standard for ducted fume cupboards. It supersedes BS 7258.

The standard is split into 8 parts:

  • BS EN 14175-1 Vocabulary
  • BS EN 14175-2 Safety and Performance Requirements
  • BS EN 14175-3 Type Test Methods
  • BS EN 14175-4 On-Site Test Methods
  • DD CEN/TS 14175-5 Recommendations for Installation & Maintenance
  • BS EN 14175-6 Variable Air Volume Fume Cupboards
  • BS EN 14175-7 Fume Cupboards for High Heat and Acidic Load
  • BS EN 14175-8 Fume Cupboards for Work with Radioactive Materials

Most fume cupboard specifiers and users place the greatest emphasis on the fume containment testing methods incorporated in the standard.

Part 3 Type Test Methods includes 3 tests that measure a fume cupboard’s ability to contain fumes: Inner Plane, Outer Plane and Robustness of Containment. All 3 containment tests currently use tracer gas containing Sulphur Hexafluoride (SF6) due to its ability to be measured at parts per billion levels.

Other Factors

Other factors including Face Velocity and Air Exchange Efficiency are also tested.

The face velocity measurements assess the average face velocity at a set of locations across the sash opening and record how much the average velocity fluctuates. The Air Exchange Efficiency Test is a measure of how well the fume cupboard can purge itself. This ensures all aspects of the fume cupboard’s performance are documented.

The Inner Plane Test

The Inner Plane test releases the tracer gas at one point inside the cupboard and measures any gas that ‘escapes’ to the plane of the sash. This test is carried out at a number of positions across the plane of the sash. On-site Inner plane testing is recommended by Clean Air to validate that the fume cupboard is not affected by air movement within the lab.

The Outer Plane Test 

The Outer Plane test releases tracer gas at 9 points within the fume cupboard chamber, measuring the average from a grid of test points outside the plane of the sash. During this test the sash is lowered and then raised to simulate the fume cupboard in use. The purpose is to measure containment and ensure a user’s safety when the sash is opened and closed.

The Robustness of Containment Test

The Robustness of Containment test uses the same release and sampling points as the Outer Plane test and introduces a moving panel. The panel approximately simulates someone walking briskly past the fume cupboard. A well-designed fume cupboard normally gives a zero reading for inner and outer plane. However, an advantage of the robustness test is that there is always some escape of tracer gas. This allows benchmarking of one fume cupboard design against another.

Individual Containment Values and Protection Factors are proposed by the UK, Germany, France and the Netherlands. The Containment Values and Protection Factors proposed by the UK are significantly higher than those proposed by our European counterparts.

Clean Air has its own in-house type-testing facility, designed to test to the fume cupboard standards described in BS EN 14175.

CLEAPSS G9 – Fume Cupboards in Schools

Guidance for those using, buying, or designing fume cupboards for schools and colleges. It replaces Building Bulletin 88.

Clean Air fume cupboards are designed to comply with CLEAPPS G9. We are in the CLEAPSS PS048 Fume Cupboard Testing and Contractors and the GL227 Fume Cupboards: Suppliers and Repairers guidance. Visit the CLEAPSS website for more.

The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) 2002

These regulations impose a duty on employers to manage the exposure of their employees to hazardous substances.

In a laboratory environment fume cupboards are a significant means of controlling exposure. Their extract fans are a type of local exhaust ventilation (LEV) used under the COSHH Regulations.

COSHH Regulation 9 requires that measures taken to provide effective control through LEV dust/fume extraction equipment must be maintained in effective working order and also in good repair. Every LEV system must be examined and tested at least once every 14 months, and certain processes require more regular testing.

Click here to find out about our fume cupboard testing, servicing and maintenance capabilities.