Is it OK to place a fume hood that is 78” by 29” in a small room 113” by 131”? This room has a front and back door that leads to another room. It’s like a holding room. There seems to be enough room for someone to walk through and exit. I’m concerned about safety and not sure how much space is needed near an exit.
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This was our answer:
OSHA regulations regarding fume hood operations are listed in 29 CFR 1910.1450. This rule addresses several aspects of laboratory design and operation. Regarding hoods it is primarily concerned with airflow at the face of the hood, monitoring, maintenance, and exhaust.
The fume hood should be located in a place that is not exposed to excessive traffic. It must not block the means of egress in case of fire, explosion, or the release of toxic materials from the hood. A fire or explosion in a fume hood located adjacent to a path of egress could trap someone in a lab.
The NFPA 45 voluntary consensus standard provides recommendations for the location of fume hoods.
BLR cannot quote from consensus standards because they are copyright protected from commercial use.
There are other factors to consider besides cross traffic affecting fume hood airflow and blocking means of egress. Sufficient make-up air is required in order to maintain the proper air balance in the room. A six foot hood will exhaust anywhere from 800 to 1500 cubic feet of air per minute. This means you will need to supply an equivalent amount of make-up air from the room or adjacent rooms. For such a small room, the amount of air flowing through that room will create an air tunnel effect. There are also extreme pressure effects created when the doors are closed in such a small room. Overall, does not seem to be a good idea.