Free checklist
Laboratory fume hood annual maintenance checklist
The annual fume hood service is the deep pass: the measurements, cleanings and tests a quarterly round doesn't reach. This checklist keeps the full service on record with the photos that make it defensible later. Work is commonly verified against ANSI/AIHA Z9.5 laboratory ventilation guidance, manufacturer's published instructions. Confirm the edition your authority having jurisdiction has adopted.
The checklist
Every item, and the photo evidence it needs
The photo count on each row is what RTI would require before the item can be submitted. Work the list here and watch the gate hold, or load it into RTI and let it enforce the real thing.
Before the visit
Hood users told before it goes out of use
Lab supervisor and hood users told of the test date and downtime ahead of time, with their work moved to another hood so nothing is running during testing.
No photoHood emptied and decontaminated by the lab before testing
Lab staff remove chemicals and equipment and decontaminate the work surface, with their sign-off recorded, before the testing firm or tech reaches in.
Exhaust system status observed before testing
Fan status and any exhaust valve position read at the building controls or local indicator so testing runs at normal conditions; fan service stays on the fan's own record.
Hood condition
Sash run through full travel with cables and guides inspected
With the hood empty, sash raised fully and lowered, cables, pulleys and guides free of fraying or binding, any sash stop re-engaging at the marked height.
Baffle adjusters and liner behind the baffle inspected
Beyond the quarterly look at the slots: with the hood emptied, baffle adjusters moved through their range and left free, liner behind the baffle checked for corrosion or residue.
Certification observed
Certifier's face-velocity traverse observed and recorded
Watch the certifier measure across the face, record the values the certifier reports and the pass/fail outcome the certifier assigns.
Containment or smoke test observed
Certifier's containment or visualization test observed, direction of capture at the face noted, result the certifier reports recorded.
Low-flow alarm response tested by the testing firm
Testing firm creates a low-flow condition by its method, the monitor's audible and visual alarm observed and then cleared back to normal, result recorded.
Monitor and certification record
Monitor reading confirmed against the certifier's reading
Hood monitor display compared to what the certifier measured, any low-flow alarm setpoint the certifier adjusts noted in the record.
Certification sticker and report filed
Dated certification sticker on the hood photographed, certifier's report attached to the maintenance record with the next-due date.
Results compared with last year's report
Face velocity and containment results set against last year's report and the design baseline, a downward drift reported to the owner even when the hood passes.
No photo
Housekeeping
Hood returned to marked working configuration
Sash back at the marked height, baffles and airfoil reset, work surface cleared, hood released to lab staff.
Sash height marker checked and users briefed on any change
Marker on the hood frame matches the height the testing firm tested, re-marked where it changed, and the lab supervisor told the label's date and any new sash height or alarm setpoint.
What usually sends this back
The failures are almost always the evidence, not the work
- Certifier's measured values left on the sticker only, never copied into the facility record, so drift between years can't be seen.
- Sash and baffles moved for testing and not returned to the marked working configuration, so day-to-day use no longer matches what was certified.
Verified against
Common questions
6 answers
- What does this laboratory fume hood annual checklist cover?
- 13 items across 5 sections, covering before the visit, hood condition, certification observed, monitor and certification record, and more. Each item spells out what the person walking the job is actually looking for, not just a box to tick.
- Who should run this inspection?
- The facilities lead documenting the visit while the qualified certifier performs the face-velocity and containment testing.
- When in the schedule should this walk happen?
- Once a year, scheduled with the certifier so the testing and the resulting certification sticker are witnessed and recorded before the hood is returned to service.
- Why do these items ask for a photo?
- 11 of the 13 items call for photo evidence, 12 photos in all. A checklist answer without the photo is a claim; the photo is what makes the record worth something in a dispute and lets a reviewer approve work without re-walking the job.
- What most often fails a laboratory fume hood annual inspection?
- Certifier's measured values left on the sticker only, never copied into the facility record, so drift between years can't be seen. Sash and baffles moved for testing and not returned to the marked working configuration, so day-to-day use no longer matches what was certified.
- Can I use this checklist in RTI?
- Yes. Start a free RTI workspace, build this list as a checklist, and the Photo Gate holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and its photos are attached. Approved inspections roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident audit trail.
Run it with the Photo Gate
A checklist nobody can submit half-finished
Load this list into RTI, stick a QR tag on the area it covers, and the submit button stays locked until every mandatory item is answered and the 12 required photos exist. Approved walks roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident record behind every line.
See all 508 checklists · 6741 items and 5984 photo requirements in total.