Laboratory Fume Hood Performance Testing Explained

Laboratory Fume Hood Performance Testing Explained

PASSING THE TEST ISN’T THE SAME AS BEING SAFE 

Fume hoods are the most misunderstood and misused safety device in the lab — and their testing follows right behind. In this book, Chip Albright takes you inside the debates, discoveries, and ‘aha’ moments from a forty-year career. With real stories from SEFA, ASHRAE, and labs around the world, he shows why performance testing isn’t about passing standards — it’s about proving containment. Because in the end, the question is simple: are you safe, or are you not?

Meet the Author

Chip Albright has spent more than four decades championing lab safety through the lens of one of the most overlooked but vital components of any lab: ventilation. As a nationally recognized expert in laboratory ventilation and fume hood performance, Chip has worked with institutions across the globe to improve safety standards, educate lab personnel, and advocate for practical, user-focused solutions.

His motto “Making Labs Safer One Fume Hood at a Time”—is more than a tagline; it’s a mission born from a lifetime of witnessing how small oversights in lab design, equipment, and training can lead to catastrophic consequences.

With unmatched experience in field validation and risk mitigation, Chip brings the technical insight and real-world urgency that this book demands.

Through detailed case studies and decades of lessons learned, Chip exposes the systemic failures that continue to cost lives, reputations, and millions of dollars in avoidable damages. His work with co-author Kaylene Ray brings together the essential intersection of safety and liability—reminding readers that while accidents may seem rare, the cost of being unprepared is high and largely preventable.