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University research lab
Universities
Large estates tested department by department, with asset registers kept current across hundreds of units.
Testing & certification
Fume Cupboard Testing to BS EN 14175
Face velocity, containment and air movement testing of ducted and ductless units, carried out on site and certified for COSHH Regulation 9.
What a thorough examination and test involves
A fume cupboard only protects the person standing at it if the air is moving the way it should. Testing establishes that it is, and produces the written evidence that COSHH requires you to keep.
Our engineers work through a fixed sequence on every unit, whatever the make. Each stage is recorded against the unit’s asset number so year-on-year performance can be compared and a deteriorating cupboard is caught before it fails.
Where a unit does not meet the required performance, the report states plainly what is wrong, what it will take to correct it, and whether the cupboard should stay in service in the meantime.
Who we test for
Testing shaped around how the laboratory is actually used
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Commercial analytical lab
Laboratories
Contract and analytical labs where a lapsed certificate puts accreditation, not just safety, at risk.
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Pharmaceutical production
Pharmaceuticals
Testing scheduled around validated processes and cleanroom access, with documentation to match.
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School science laboratory
Schools & Colleges
CLEAPSS-aware testing timed around term dates, with records a governing body can produce on request.
Scope of works
Services we offer include
We hold a large range of spare parts and consumables for our own equipment and can source parts for other makes and models.
- Laboratory fume cupboard testing and maintenance
- Ducted fume cupboard testing and maintenance
- Recommissioning after modification, by arrangement
- Face and duct velocity testing
- Visual fume cupboard inspection and reports
- Decontamination of fume extract systems
- Recalibration of airflow monitors and controls
- Extract fan belt replacement and re-tensioning
- Filter replacement and filter disposal
- 6 and 12 monthly preventative maintenance
- Fume cupboard repairs and alterations
- Cleaning and decontamination
- Fume cupboard removal and disposal
- PAT testing and maintenance
Legal compliance
Mandatory every 14 months. Sensible every 12.
COSHH Regulation 9 sets the maximum interval between thorough examinations at 14 months, and requires the record to be kept for five years. Most of our clients test annually, because a fixed date is easier to defend and easier to budget.
We test to the same procedure whether the unit is one of ten in a school prep room or one of four hundred across a university estate.
BS EN 14175-4
On-site test methods for fume cupboards already installed and in service.
COSHH Regulation 9
Thorough examination and test at intervals of no more than 14 months, records kept five years.
HSG258
HSE guidance applied where the cupboard forms part of a wider LEV system.
CLEAPSS
Guidance followed for school and college science facilities.
Testing FAQs
Questions we are asked before a first visit
These are the questions we are asked most often before a first visit. There is a longer list on our FAQ page.
A measured examination of how well the cupboard contains and extracts what is generated inside it. Air velocity at the aperture, air movement patterns, containment performance, and the condition of the extract or filtration behind it.
At least every 14 months under COSHH Regulation 9. We recommend a 12-month cycle so the certificate never runs close to expiry, and heavier-use units may warrant a six-month interim check.
A single straightforward unit is usually well under an hour. We plan multi-unit sites so a whole lab is cleared in one visit, and we can work outside teaching or clinical hours where access is tight.
You are told on the day, not weeks later in a report. We label the unit, advise whether it can safely remain in use, and quote the remedial work. Many faults are cleared on the same visit from stock.
Yes. Ductless units need the same airflow and containment work plus an assessment of filter saturation and breakthrough, since the exhaust returns into the room rather than outside the building.
Any make or model, including UK, European and US manufacturers, and we can supply the matching spares, filters and airflow monitors afterwards.
Book a test
Request a testing & compliance quote
Tell us how many units you have and what type they are. We will come back with a price and an available date.