Australia's Science Forum

The Australian standard give the minimum purge time. From memory it is around 5 minutes. In my old labs the exhaust would come on when the door opened and when it closed would stay on for 5 minutes. It also had a cycle for if the door wasn't opened in a period of time (like overnight and weekends) and would purge periodically. My new school it is attached to the light being turned on and off. Again it purges after the light is turned off but I tend to turn the light on well before I want to enter and, depending on what I have out on my prac trolley (at the moment it is includes organic waste) I will leave it on during my work time as I am going in and out all day.

This is 2 years old - but we did an internal audit 18 months ago and off the back of another schools audit - our exhaust was changed from mechanical - and it is always spinning ... I also keep the chem store door open during the day which allows ventilation in ...
https://assist.asta.edu.au/print/2666

HA! My exhaust fan has been broken for months!!
I have repeatedly put it on Sentral, brought it to the attention of the WHS committee, and then escalated it to the principal.....................
Waiting, waiting.................

Ours is setup like linotas , fan comes on when light operates followed by a purge time when the lights off .
I do same as linotas and turn the light on for a while before entering .But strangely you have to open the door as the switch is inside the door

Our labs are circa 2000 .I would have thought that it would have had the exhaust permanently wired to run 24/7 if this was the rule ...unless this 24/7 Rule is a fairly recent thing .
If it is the Rule then why has the department not gone around and converted all Chem stores ?

In some instances some are best practice and others are mandatory aka requires retro fit ...

Ours is on a timer which comes on about 7am - til 6pm. However, what do people do about flammable cupboards etc? It is located inside the chemical store but when I open the door to the flammable cupboard I am just about knocked over backwards from the fumes!

With the fan going 24/7 we have the door of the flammable cupboard just a jar, that way it does keep the smell down.

Kathryn wrote:Ours is on a timer which comes on about 7am - til 6pm. However, what do people do about flammable cupboards etc? It is located inside the chemical store but when I open the door to the flammable cupboard I am just about knocked over backwards from the fumes!

I take a deep breathe and since i re-organised cupboard i can almost reach in blind folded and know where things are ... BUT you have a valid point ...

Labbie wrote:With the fan going 24/7 we have the door of the flammable cupboard just a jar, that way it does keep the smell down.

Surely having the door not securely closed defeats the whole purpose of a flammable cupboard

Yes, I was thinking the same thing. The doors to the flammable cupboard need to be kept closed completely. If you had an inspection by the fire department I don't think they would be very pleased to find the door ajar to let the fumes out. If your fan is going 24/7 it should alleviate some of the fumes. At least there would not be an intolerable build up of vapours.
I have a fan going 24/7 in one chemical store. Unfortunately the storage container that holds the flammables cupboard and the corrosives cupboard does not have the cupboards exhausted to the outside so in this climate it's a hot little sojourn into the nether regions of the container with brain scrambling vapours escaping as soon as the door to the flammables cupboard is opened. The corrosives cupboard is no better because somehow fumes from the acid bottles escape and condense on the outside of the bottles. Putting the bottles into the carriers means that your hands come into contact with the surface of the bottle and then your fingers sting until you get to the nearest tap to wash your hands and arms and anything else that feels grotty. Not fun.

Our flammable cupboard is sOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO old it does not close any way. Think the door is buckled after all the years it been there.

So it's a fire hazard is it? About time for a new cupboard?

As for Remlap's broken fan that is a definite health hazard and should be regarded as such. Perhaps a visit to the doctor with regards to your health and some X-rays of your lungs for possible chemical scarring might change their mind and get them to pull their finger out and do something about the problem. Don't laugh. I did the same thing because of a certain laid back attitude to working in an asbestos environment and the X-rays showed scarring on the lungs. Apparently not asbestos related (touch wood) but as I don't smoke it was associated with working with chemicals over the last thirty years or so. I have also developed a sensitivity to the chemicals in my environment both at work and home. Do a lot of sneezing down the laundry aisle in the supermarket. So look after your health.

So very well said Lyn,

Very true Lyn!!
Perhaps I should!
As soon as I open the door to the chem store I get hit with the smell
Then, as with you all, the flammable cupboard is another blast (of fumes that is)

I would refuse to go into the chem store until the fan is fixed. Register it as a hazard. You'll be surprised what action will occur when the teachers can't get their prac requirements.
I am having problems here getting our electrical equipment tested and tagged (maintenance guy says he's too busy). I'm about to email the principal with my reasons for believing that science equipment should be tagged, then I will be refusing to hand the items over. Teachers can get them if they want, but I will refuse to be in the chain.
On the odours in the flammables cupboard, check that the lids are on securely. If the lids are damaged, they need to be replaced. If there is still a problem, try going in opening the door of the flammables cupboard, leave it open, exit the chem store and return 10 minutes later when the exhaust fan can do it's thing.