Ventilation, Assessment of

Title:	Ventilation, Assessment of
Publication date:	8/18/2020
Effective date:	8/18/2020

BRIEF

Policy Summary

The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) Ventilation Program protects workers and the environment by:

Reducing airborne concentrations of contaminants.
Ensuring hoods, HEPA filters, and exhaust ventilation systems meet requirements.
Establishing minimum performance requirements for hoods, HEPA filters, and exhaust ventilation systems.
Performing periodic surveillance of hoods, HEPA filters, and exhaust ventilation systems.

Who Should Read This Policy

Berkeley Lab employees, visitors, affiliates, and subcontractors who work with hazardous substances

To Read the Full Policy, Go To:

The POLICY tab on this wiki page

To Read the EHS Program Details, Go To:

ES&H Manual Chapter 4

Contact Information

EHS Subject Matter Expert for Ventilation

Title:	Ventilation, Assessment of
Publication date:	8/18/2020
Effective date:	8/18/2020

POLICY

A. Purpose

The Ventilation Program at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) protects workers and the environment by:

Reducing airborne concentrations of contaminants.
Ensuring hoods, HEPA filters, and exhaust ventilation systems meet requirements.
Establishing minimum performance requirements for hoods, HEPA filters, and exhaust ventilation systems.
Performing periodic surveillance of hoods, HEPA filters, and exhaust ventilation systems.

The Ventilation Program includes laboratory fume hoods, inert and negative-pressure glove boxes, biological safety cabinets, HEPA-filtered vacuum cleaners, in-place HEPA filters used for contaminant control, and other local exhaust ventilation systems, such as extractor arms, exhausted enclosures, ventilated tanks, back-draft benches, and canopy hoods.

B. Persons Affected

Berkeley Lab employees, visitors, affiliates, and subcontractors who work with hazardous substances

C. Exceptions

None

D. Policy Statement

The Environment, Health and Safety (EHS) Division must be notified of the purchase of hoods, glove boxes, filtering equipment, emissions-collection equipment, and other relevant ventilation items. EHS may review the use of such ventilation systems with the requestor. EHS must be consulted to determine applicable design, construction, and performance standards for new ventilation systems used for contamination control. Responsibility to ensure the systems meet applicable requirements resides with the Project Manager for Facilities Division projects and with the activity line manager for all other projects.

New and relocated ventilation systems may not be used for contamination control until installation and performance has been evaluated and "tagged" by EHS and verified to meet application standards.
Line management must ensure that ventilation systems that do not meet performance standards (i.e., are deficient) are repaired, and are used within safety limits (if allowed) until repaired.
Performance of ventilation systems, including HEPA-filtered units, must be periodically evaluated.

E. Roles and Responsibilities

See ES&H Manual Chapter 4 for roles and responsibilities related to the execution of this policy's implementation.

Role	Responsibility
Facilities Division	Ensures that newly installed or refurbished ventilation systems are designed, installed, commissioned, and function-tested in accordance with applicable codes and guidance provided by the EHS Division. Maintains a proactive preventive-maintenance program to ensure that ventilation systems are in proper operating condition in accordance with applicable codes and guidance that it has provided.
Industrial Hygiene Subject Matter Expert (SME)	Ensures that performance standards are identified for ventilation systems and that periodic surveillance is performed. Ensures the development, approval, revision, and administration of this policy and its implementing documents.
Line Managers	Ensure that persons within their areas of responsibility comply with this policy and its implementing documents.
Supervisors and Work Leads	Ensure that persons within their areas of responsibility comply with this policy and its implementing documents and have completed any required training prior to beginning work.
Ventilation System Users	Follow all guidance provided in training and this policy and its implementing documents.

F. Definitions/Acronyms

See ES&H Manual Chapter 4 for technical terms related to the details of this policy and its implementation.

G. Recordkeeping Requirements

The results of all calibration, certification, and other checks are recorded in the Berkeley Lab Ventilation Database and maintained by the EHS Division.
Ventilation systems are marked with stickers that indicate when the last surveillance check was performed.

H. Implementing Documents

Document Number	Other Reference	Title	Type
07.07.030.001	ES&H Manual, Chapter 4	Ventilation, Hoods, and HEPA Filters	Program
07.07.005.001	PUB-5341	Chemical Hygiene and Safety Plan, "Hazard Controls" section	Program
07.07.004.001	PUB-3435E	Biosafety Manual, Section 5.6.4, "Ventilation and Hoods"	Program
11.01.019.003	Procurement and Property Management Web site	Restricted Items List	Form
		In-Place HEPA Filter Leak Testing Procedure	Procedure

I. Contact Information