CSA Z316.5-15

Preface

This is the third edition of CSA Z316.5, Fume hoods and associated exhaust systems. It supersedes the previous editions, published in 2004 and 1994.

This Standard is intended to assist designers, maintenance personnel, and end-users in ensuring that a fume hood will provide the necessary containment. This Standard is a key resource for professionals because it sets out minimum requirements and best practices for organizations and individuals involved in all aspects of fume hood design, maintenance, and use.

This Standard covers various factors, including

a) fume hood design and construction;

b) selection criteria;

c) fume hood placement;

d) commissioning;

e) field testing; and

f) user education and training.

This edition of the Standard has been redesigned to improve flexibility in the testing regime to allow for variations in the intended use of the fume hood. Understanding that facilities differ in size and complexity across the country, this Standard is designed to provide a common management framework that organizations can use as they develop their policies and procedures, hire and train staff, and manage their day-to-day operations. The goal is for everyone involved in designing labs or using and maintaining fume hoods to understand their responsibilities and to manage them in a consistent and organized way.

Scope

1.1

This Standard applies to all types of laboratory fume hoods, except for ductless fume hoods.

Note: Ductless fume hoods should not be considered acceptable substitutes for ducted fume hoods. Some jurisdictions prohibit use of ductless fume hoods with certain chemicals. For these reasons, ductless fume hoods have not been included in this Standard.

1.2

This Standard specifies

a) safety requirements for fume hoods, their users, and service personnel;

b) test methods for assessing fume hood performance;

c) requirements for the selection, use, and maintenance of fume hoods;

d) requirements for the education of fume hood users and maintenance personnel; and

e) requirements regarding information to be exchanged between suppliers and users of fume hoods to ensure that installation, function, and maintenance are compatible with the intended use.

Notes:

1) Users of this Standard should note that fume hood requirements are also established by authorities having jurisdiction.

2) Other fume hood requirements can be found in, e.g., the National Building Code of Canada, the National Fire Code of Canada, the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, and the Nuclear Safety and Control Act.

1.3

This Standard does not address detailed design considerations, such as hood design, fan selection, and duct/stack velocities.

This Standard does not apply to biological safety cabinets.

Notes:

1) Requirements applicable to the installation and field testing of biological safety cabinets are found in NSF/ANSI 49.

2) This Standard is not intended to be used by manufacturers for the certification of their fume hoods.

1.5

In this Standard, “shall” is used to express a requirement, i.e., a provision that the user is obliged to satisfy in order to comply with the standard; “should” is used to express a recommendation or that which is advised but not required; and “may” is used to express an option or that which is permissible within the limits of the standard.

Notes accompanying clauses do not include requirements or alternative requirements; the purpose of a note accompanying a clause is to separate from the text explanatory or informative material.

Notes to tables and figures are considered part of the table or figure and may be written as requirements.

Annexes are designated normative (mandatory) or informative (nonmandatory) to define their application.

1.6

The values given in SI units are the units of record for the purposes of this Standard. The values given in parentheses are for information and comparison only.