Environment, Health & Safety

Yes, ECD certification is required annually, regardless of frequency of use. Only decommissioned ECDs, which are removed from active service, are excluded from annual certification. 

Dust Collectors do not require annual certification. However, routine preventative maintenance such as filter changes may be required by the device manufacturer.  

EH&S maintains a contract with Technical Safety Services (TSS) to perform device certification, except biosafety cabinets. TSS will coordinate with building coordinators and department CAO’s to gain access to devices requiring certification. ECD owners should not see any change in workflow. TSS will follow the same building schedule EH&S had used, such that the timing will be consistent with previous years.  

Please email fumehoods@ehs.ucla.edu prior to the installation of a new ECD, if there is no certification record (e.g. green sticker) present on the device, or if your ECD was not recertified by the end of the month recertification was due. 

The TSS contract will be renewed annually. 

Depends if both device certification dates happen to align. If not, you could schedule the biosafety cabinet certification to align with the fume hood certification for subsequent years, but would have to pay again if the Biosafety Cabinet was already certified earlier in the year. 

For safety, standardization, and consistency: departments, lab groups, and student workers are not permitted to perform the certification testing of their own chemical fume hoods or other ECDs. While it may seem cost-effective, the risks associated with improper testing far outweigh any potential savings. Professional certification services provide the expertise and standardized test protocols necessary to ensure the safety and proper function of ECDs, which have varying performance requirements specific to each ECD type. Centralizing this process with EH&S allows for oversight regarding proper implementation.  

The current rates charged by TSS can be found HERE. Relevant prices are displayed below 

Due to EH&S budget deficits and years without any budget increases to account for campus growth or increased regulatory burden, EH&S needs to reprioritize our limited resources to support our core functions. 

EH&S will engage with the Academic Divisions/Deans’ Offices to appropriately cost-share for the prorated cost on an annual basis. In turn, it is at the discretion of the Deans’ Offices to decide whether to bill individual departments under their purview. 

EH&S has already notified Schools’ senior leadership about the changes.  

Yes, EH&S has already provided this to school senior leadership. Contact fumehoods@ehs.ucla.edu for information specific to your building.  

Yes, EH&S provided TSS a complete inventory of chemical fume hoods with building name and room number. TSS also has a limited inventory of snorkel exhaust hoods and will continue to add additional ECDs to this inventory when identified on-site.  

The vendor will email to notify department coordinators and CAOs prior to beginning certification in the building. If access is restricted, department coordinators and CAOs should assist in providing access. TSS will not be provided keys to labs.  

The vendor will make the determination whether present materials will negatively impact the device’s ability to be tested. This should be discussed with the vendor prior to scheduling testing. 

If the device fails or cannot be tested due to excessive equipment or materials stored in the hood, it is the device owner’s responsibility to remove and store the materials in the appropriate location. TSS will notify EH&S for an overcrowded hood, and an EH&S Chemical Safety Specialist will visit the lab to evaluate and discuss solutions with the lab. Contact laboratorysafety@ehs.ucla.edu for guidance on proper fume hood storage practices.  

The vendor will determine the appropriate testing procedure for each ECD. EH&S will maintain an oversight role in establishing acceptance criteria used by the vendor.  
 
For example, for a standard chemical fume hood, the vendor will perform face velocity and smoke visualization tests. To pass certification, the fume hood must demonstrate an average face velocity of 100 FPM at minimum, with no point below 70 FPM, and must also demonstrate that all test smoke is captured and exhausted, with no smoke reflux out of the hood, when dispersed over the entire sash entry plane. This testing procedure is performed for both Variable Air Volume (VAV) and Constant Air Volume (CAV) fume hoods.  

Approximately 5-10 minutes per ECD, including fume hoods. 

No, the vendor will submit the FM service request for a failed ECD certification test.  

No, the vendor will only submit FM service requests for airflow exhaust deficiencies, which are FM’s responsibility to correct and do not incur an additional cost for the department. 

The vendor will not submit FSRs, which are submitted by the department and may incur an additional cost for the department.  

TSS cannot conduct any fume hood repairs. Contact FM to initiate fume hood repairs. 

This depends on the point of failure. FM can make adjustments to damper valves without touching the hood itself. Some repairs will require materials to be removed from the hood and the hood decontaminated. If repairs require the removal of materials from the hood, please ensure the Laboratory Equipment Decontamination Form is filled out and attached to the equipment before FM technicians arrive to perform repair services. 

Note: It is unsafe to continue working with hazardous materials in a hood that has not passed certification. 

If the vendor submits an FM service request during annual certification, contact EH&S at fumehoods@ehs.ucla.edu to receive the service request ticket number used to track the status. 

If a fume hood fails at any other time, the status of your ticket can be tracked by the person who submitted the request in the UCLA 311 app, or on the Facilities Management website. You can also call or email the Facilities Management Customer Service team. Details on ticket tracking and Customer Service information can be found below. 

If a request has not been addressed in 10 or more business days, you may contact UCLA EH&S at fumehoods@ehs.ucla.edu. Please provide the ticket number in the email. The ticket will start with an “R” followed by seven numbers, e.g. R1234567. 

Yes, each device must be recertified to be in compliance prior to resuming use. Contact EH&S at fumehoods@ehs.ucla.edu to schedule recertification. Starting July 1, 2025, EH&S will begin to include the cost of recertification when cost-sharing with colleges. 

When attempting to schedule a return visit after device maintenance, if the vendor has not responded within 5 business days, please contact EH&S at fumehoods@ehs.ucla.edu for support. 

Device certification will be checked by EH&S during regularly scheduled site visit. If a device is not certified, EH&S will begin the compliance escalation process, which includes communicating with lab and departmental leadership if necessary. 

Note: It is unsafe to continue working with hazardous materials in a hood that has not passed certification 

Contact EH&S at fumehoods@ehs.ucla.edu with any questions about your ECD certification, or if TSS was unable to access your lab to renew your ECD certification.  

Contact FM if your ECD or airflow alarm are not functioning properly. Submit a Service Request online or on the UCLA 311 Mobile App to address airflow deficiency or an alarm which visually or audibly indicates an issue. Submit an FSR for broken or missing ECD components (e.g., broken sash, broken lightbulb, missing airflow alarm). 

For step-by-step instructions on using the UCLA 311 Mobile App, please view the following guide: Submit a Facilities Service Request using the UCLA 311 Mobile App.