Our Approach to Fume Hood Safety – Shift Your Perspective Now

Our Approach to Fume Hood Safety – Shift Your Perspective Now

Chip Albright |

We may be focusing our efforts on the wrong indicator. It's time to challenge the status quo regarding how we evaluate fume hood safety. The traditional reliance on Average Face Velocity as a measure might be leading us down the wrong path. Why? Because Average Face Velocity offers a misleading sense of security, obscuring the true effectiveness of our fume hoods against chemical exposure. It’s crucial to understand that there's no straightforward link between average face velocity and the containment of hazardous chemicals.
Consider this: A fume hood's primary role is to shield users from dangerous chemical exposure. Yet, an under performing fume hood signifies a critical failure in containment.
 
Reflect on the imagery of two perspectives of the same location - one flat,



the other dimensional.


The latter, like a detailed face velocity profile, enriches our understanding and awareness of the environment. Simply put, while average face velocity gives a basic rate of air movement through the hood, a comprehensive face velocity profile unveils the zones of turbulence that are pivotal in containment breaches.

This brings us to a pivotal moment. It's imperative that we question the efficacy of average face velocity as the benchmark for fume hood safety. To delve deeper into this pressing issue, I've composed an article that meticulously examines the nuances and suggests a forward path. This is more than a call to action; it's an invitation to join a critical shift in ensuring our safety protocols match the complexity of the challenges we face.
 
Click Here to access the full article and be part of the change.
 
Let’s not just chase indicators that might lead us nowhere. It’s time for a paradigm shift in our safety evaluations. Your engagement and feedback are invaluable as we navigate this essential transition.