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.
- Items
- 5
- Photos required
- 6
- Built for
- Subcontractors
Who runs it
The facilities lead documenting the visit while the qualified certifier performs the face-velocity and containment testing.
When in the schedule
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.
The checklist
Every item, and the photo that proves it
The photo count on each row is what RTI would require before the item can be submitted. Copy the list as is, or load it into RTI and let the gate enforce it.
Certification observed
- 2 photos
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.
- 1 photo
Containment or smoke test observed
Certifier's containment or visualization test observed, direction of capture at the face noted, result the certifier reports recorded.
Monitor and certification record
- 1 photo
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.
- 1 photo
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.
Housekeeping
- 1 photo
Hood returned to marked working configuration
Sash back at the marked height, baffles and airfoil reset, work surface cleared, hood released to lab staff.
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.
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 6 required photos exist. Approved walks roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper-evident record behind every line.
Submission state
The gate is enforced on the server, so it holds even if the phone is offline when the walk happens.
Verified against
Common questions
- What does this laboratory fume hood annual checklist cover?
- 5 items across 3 sections, covering certification observed, monitor and certification record, housekeeping. 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 does every item ask for a photo?
- 6 of the 5 items call for photo evidence. 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.
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