Fume cupboard testing for school and college labs, with repairs by the same engineers

Fume cupboard testing is the thorough examination and test of a cupboard’s airflow, extract and safety features, and COSHH requires it at least once every 14 months, which most schools and colleges treat as annual. Rossair tests, services and repairs fume cupboards in school and college science labs, records the results, and fixes what fails so the cupboards stay in use for the practical work the lab exists to do.

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What we deliver

Fume cupboard testing, servicing and repair for science labs

A fume cupboard protects staff and students from hazardous chemicals only while it performs as it did when commissioned. Fans wear, ducts leak, filters clog and sashes get altered. The thorough examination and test checks the cupboard physically, measures its airflow and judges whether it still controls exposure. CLEAPSS points out that without fume cupboards the National Curriculum and most exam specifications cannot be fully delivered, so a cupboard taken out of use for a failed test is a teaching problem as well as a safety one. We test, then repair, then retest, so a failed result does not leave the lab waiting for a second contractor.

Thorough examination and test of ducted and recirculatory fume cupboards
Face velocity, airflow indicator, sash and noise checks, plus filter tests on recirculatory units
Extract fans, ductwork and make-up air looked at as part of the system
Written results with a prioritised list of remedial actions
Repairs and filter changes by our own engineers, then a retest
Testing booked outside lesson time, with the next due date recorded

Plant room with large-bore ductwork, pipework and pumps

In detail

What a fume cupboard test covers

Requirements come from COSHH regulation 9, HSE’s LEV guidance, CLEAPSS’s fume cupboard guidance (GL123) and Building Bulletin 101. CLEAPSS Guide G9 is members-only, so check it for the full test criteria your lab should use.

How often

COSHH regulation 9 requires local exhaust ventilation, which includes fume cupboards, to be thoroughly examined and tested at least once every 14 months, and the record kept for at least five years. CLEAPSS advises testing every year, strictly every 14 months, and DfE’s Good Estate Management for Schools guidance repeats the 14-month limit. The duty sits with the employer.

What the test covers

CLEAPSS describes the test as a visual inspection, face velocity measurement and noise measurement, with filter tests added for recirculatory cupboards. We also check that the built-in airflow indicator reads correctly, that the sash moves freely and stops where it should, and the condition of the fan and ductwork serving the cupboard. Results are recorded for each cupboard.

Face velocity and sash height

CLEAPSS gives a minimum face velocity of 0.3 m/s at a sash height of 400 mm, ideally about 0.4 to 0.45 m/s, without large variation across the opening. Velocities above 0.6 m/s can destabilise or put out a Bunsen burner flame. Face velocity should not rise by more than about 50% when the sash drops from 400 mm to 200 mm. Sash stops should hold at 400 mm and 50 mm.

Ducted and recirculatory cupboards

Ducted cupboards vent to the roof and are designed to BS EN 14175. Recirculatory cupboards pass air through a filter and back into the room, so they need a filter test as well as an airflow test, and their filters and pre-filters need replacing. BB101 prefers ducted cupboards, fixed in preparation rooms, and does not recommend recirculatory cupboards for carcinogenic or mutagenic chemicals.

Room air and make-up air

A cupboard cannot pull air that the room is not supplying. BB101 says make-up air should compensate for extraction when ducted cupboards run, and that balanced mechanical supply should rise to 90% of the cupboard’s exhaust rate when it switches on. CLEAPSS notes that airflow can also be affected by where the cupboard sits relative to ventilation or air conditioning ducts. A low reading is often a room air problem, not a cupboard fault.

BB101 school ventilation

Repairs and filter changes

When a cupboard fails, the report says why and what to do first. Repairs, filter changes and extract fan or ductwork faults are dealt with by our engineers, followed by a retest so you have a passing record. Because we also maintain the mechanical plant, the fault can be traced past the cupboard to the extract system if that is where it sits.

In-house or by a contractor

COSHH makes the employer responsible, and CLEAPSS runs training so that a school can designate trained lab staff to test. HSE’s only requirement is that whoever carries out the test is competent: knowledge, skills and experience, not a single course. Many schools test in-house between contractor visits and bring us in for the thorough examination, filter tests, repairs and records.

New and refurbished labs

BB101 requires a risk assessment to HSG258 for every fume cupboard installation. CLEAPSS suggests at least two cupboards in any lab used for A-level chemistry, three if classes exceed 15, and a ducted cupboard at least 1 m wide in each preparation room. We designed and installed the mechanical services for the 10 laboratories at Sacred Heart High School.

Sacred Heart High School science block

Beyond the science lab

A fume cupboard is one kind of local exhaust ventilation. Design and technology workshops, art rooms, kitchens and dust extraction fall under the same COSHH regulation 9 and the same 14-month limit. Our LEV testing covers all of them, so one visit can cover a whole school or college.

LEV testing

Records and the wider checklist

Fume cupboard testing is one line on a school’s statutory compliance checklist, alongside gas, fire alarms, water hygiene, electrical testing and F-Gas. We can add the due dates to the same planned schedule as the rest of your building services checks.

Compliance for schools

School and college labs we look after

Science labs at Sacred Heart High School

£820k

Mechanical and BMS, Sacred Heart

20+

Years at Chichester College Group

Campuses under one PPM contract

At Sacred Heart High School in Hammersmith we developed the mechanical design for a science block with 10 laboratories and a four-court sports hall, including supply and extract ventilation, and installed it with the BMS. We have also maintained the Chichester College Group estate for over 20 years, across 11 campuses including Chichester College, Brinsbury, Haywards Heath, Worthing and Met College Brighton, under one PPM contract.

Compliance

What fume cupboard testing is measured against

COSHH 2002Regulation 9: local exhaust ventilation thoroughly examined and tested at least every 14 months, with records kept for at least five years.
HSG258HSE’s guide to local exhaust ventilation. BB101 requires a risk assessment to HSG258 for every school fume cupboard installation.
CLEAPSS G9CLEAPSS guidance on fume cupboards in schools. BB101 says cupboards should be installed and operated to G9 and British Standards.
BS EN 14175The design standard for ducted laboratory fume cupboards, which the CLEAPSS buying guide points schools to.
BB101DfE’s school ventilation guidance, including fume cupboard types, make-up air and exhaust rates for laboratories and preparation rooms.
GEMSDfE’s Good Estate Management for Schools: LEV and fume cupboards examined and tested at least every 14 months.

Related education pages

More for school and college estates

LEV testingWorkshop, kitchen and dust extraction tested alongside fume cupboards.Compliance for schoolsOne building services checklist mapped to DfE’s estate management guidance.BB101 school ventilationVentilation rates, CO2 and overheating for teaching rooms and laboratories.Education estates hubHVAC maintenance, PPM and MEP work for schools, academies, colleges and universities.Industrial ventilationDust and fume extraction designed, installed and maintained for factories and warehouses.Planned maintenancePPM to SFG20 with statutory checks and records built in.

Frequently asked

Questions about fume cupboard testing

How often do fume cupboards need testing?

At least once every 14 months. COSHH regulation 9 requires local exhaust ventilation, which includes fume cupboards, to be thoroughly examined and tested at that interval, and the record kept for at least five years. CLEAPSS advises testing every year, strictly every 14 months, which keeps the date from drifting.

What does a fume cupboard test involve?

A visual inspection, face velocity measurement and noise measurement, with filter tests as well for recirculatory cupboards. We also check the airflow indicator, sash movement and stops, and the fan and ductwork serving the cupboard. You receive a written result for each cupboard, with a prioritised list of remedial actions for anything that fails.

What face velocity should a school fume cupboard have?

CLEAPSS gives a minimum of 0.3 m/s at a sash height of 400 mm, ideally about 0.4 to 0.45 m/s. Velocities above 0.6 m/s can destabilise or extinguish a Bunsen burner flame, and the velocity should not rise by more than about 50% when the sash is lowered from 400 mm to 200 mm. Check CLEAPSS Guide G9 for the full test criteria.

Who can test a school fume cupboard?

The employer is responsible under COSHH, and the person who carries out the test must be competent, meaning they have the knowledge, skills and experience to do it. HSE does not require a specific qualification. CLEAPSS offers training so schools can designate trained staff to test, and many schools use a contractor for the thorough examination, filter tests and repairs.

Do recirculatory fume cupboards need testing too?

Yes, on the same 14-month cycle, with an added filter test because the filter is what removes the contaminant before the air returns to the room. Filters and pre-filters also need replacing from time to time. BB101 does not recommend recirculatory cupboards for carcinogenic or mutagenic chemicals, and the room needs its own ventilation while they run.

What happens if a fume cupboard fails its test?

The report lists what failed and in what order to fix it. A cupboard that no longer controls exposure should not be relied on for hazardous work until it has been repaired and retested. We carry out the repair, change filters where needed and retest, so you end with a passing record. Where the cause is the room’s make-up air or the extract system, we trace it there.

Is fume cupboard testing the same as LEV testing?

A fume cupboard is one type of local exhaust ventilation, so it is tested under the same COSHH regulation 9 and the same 14-month limit. LEV testing is the wider service: it also covers design and technology workshops, kitchens and dust extraction. Rossair tests all of them, and one visit can cover a school or college site.

If we’re not the right fit, we’ll tell you who is

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