Fume Hood Certification

Fume hoods at UCSC are inspected annually to comply with California Code of Regulations, Title 8, Section 5154.1. During this annual inspection the Dept. of Environmental Health & Safety measures fume hood face velocity (air intake), insures a visual indicator is in place (indicator tape), that all chemicals are at least six inches inside the face of the hood, that the hood is not overly cluttered with chemicals or equipment, and that all large items are elevated to allow air to flow beneath and around them. This minimizes air flow blockage.

The actual measurement for face velocity of a fume hood is done with a digital electronic anemometer. This device measures the draw of the fume hood in feet per minute (fpm). For a hood to pass this annual inspection its face draw must be between 95-130 fpm, ideally the goal airflow is 100 fpm. If the fume hood does not meet this requirement a notification is posted on the fume hood, and Physical Plant is notified that balancing or repair is in order. If a hood passes the inspection a sticker is posted on the fume hood with the measurements and date of inspection.

If your hood does not have a certification sticker or the last date of inspection on the sticker has exceeded one year, please contact EH&S.

UCSC fume hood usage safe practice guidelines

California General Industry Order on Ventilation Requirements for Laboratory-Type Hood Operations