What does this laboratory fume hood quarterly checklist cover?

13 items across 5 sections, covering before the round, sash and monitor, interior airflow, exhaust, 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 or lab maintenance tech on the quarterly round, with lab staff present in the working space.

When in the schedule should this walk happen?

Every quarter, timed with the lab's exhaust and makeup air checks since a hood only pulls if the fan and the room air balance both hold.

Why do these items ask for a photo?

10 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 quarterly inspection?

Sash routinely propped above the marked working height for a tall setup, so the hood is used well outside where it was set to contain. Face-velocity monitor showing an alarm or a blank that staff have worked around for weeks instead of reporting it. Boxes and bottles crowded against the rear baffle, blocking the airflow slots the hood depends on.

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.

Free checklist

Laboratory fume hood quarterly maintenance checklist

A quarterly fume hood round is short on purpose: it catches the wear items that fail between annual services. This checklist is sized for a tech with a phone. Every item says what to look at and the photo that proves the round happened. 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.

Start free with this checklist Download as PDF

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 round

Hood user told and active work closed up for the check
User told before the round starts, open containers capped and the sash lowered, so the tech can look at the baffles and surface without reaching over live work.
No photo
Testing firm's label current and within its due date
Label the testing firm applied read and photographed, the test date and next-due date inside the site's interval, the tested sash height matching the marked line.

Sash and monitor

Sash operates and marked working height clear
Sash raises, lowers and stays put, glass and cables intact, the marked working-height line present and used, no props.
Face-velocity monitor reading present and not in alarm
Monitor powered and displaying a reading, no alarm or fault shown; record the value the monitor displays rather than judging it against a number.

Interior airflow

Airfoil and rear baffles clear
Airfoil at the sill unobstructed, rear baffle slots open top and bottom, no spills, tape or debris covering them.
No storage blocking airflow in the hood
Work surface not crowded to the baffle, equipment raised on blocks where it must sit in the hood, nothing stored against the slots.
Liner, work surface and any cup sink inspected
Liner and work surface free of cracks, etching or corrosion, joints sealed, any cup sink drain clear and its rim not holding spilled residue.
Hood light and service fixtures working
Interior light on with its lens intact and sealed, any gas, water or vacuum fixtures shutting off tight with no drip or hiss at the valve.

Exhaust

Exhaust fan running and drawing at the face
Exhaust fan confirmed running, draw felt or indicated at the sash opening, no reverse flow or odor spilling into the room.
Supply air and traffic not crossing the sash face
No supply diffuser, door swing or portable fan blowing across the hood face, tissue at the sash edges steady; a diffuser aimed at the opening reported for rebalance.
Lab door edge shows air drawing into the lab
Tissue at the lab door gap or the room pressure display shows air moving into the lab from the corridor, reversed flow reported as a makeup air problem.

Close-out

Hood taken out of use when it fails a check
A hood in alarm, with no draw or with reversed flow tagged out of use and the lab supervisor told, rather than left in service until the next round.
No photo
Round findings reported to the lab and filed
Monitor value, label due date and any deficiency entered on the hood's record and passed to the lab supervisor, with open items listed for follow-up.
No photo

What usually sends this back

The failures are almost always the evidence, not the work

Sash routinely propped above the marked working height for a tall setup, so the hood is used well outside where it was set to contain.
Face-velocity monitor showing an alarm or a blank that staff have worked around for weeks instead of reporting it.
Boxes and bottles crowded against the rear baffle, blocking the airflow slots the hood depends on.

Verified against

ANSI/AIHA Z9.5 (laboratory ventilation)

Common questions

6 answers

What does this laboratory fume hood quarterly checklist cover?: 13 items across 5 sections, covering before the round, sash and monitor, interior airflow, exhaust, 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 or lab maintenance tech on the quarterly round, with lab staff present in the working space.
When in the schedule should this walk happen?: Every quarter, timed with the lab's exhaust and makeup air checks since a hood only pulls if the fan and the room air balance both hold.
Why do these items ask for a photo?: 10 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 quarterly inspection?: Sash routinely propped above the marked working height for a tall setup, so the hood is used well outside where it was set to contain. Face-velocity monitor showing an alarm or a blank that staff have worked around for weeks instead of reporting it. Boxes and bottles crowded against the rear baffle, blocking the airflow slots the hood depends on.
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.

Related checklists

Laboratory fume hood AnnualLaboratory fume hood annual maintenance checklistAnnual face-velocity and containment certification observed and recorded alongside the certifier13 items12 photos

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.