hi,
I'm trying to find some info on autoclave safety.
We have a 'all american' electric pressure steam steriliser model 25x-2.
Do they need pressure testing every year (was done 2 years ago via Harvey @ principles and practice in Vic) or will an examining the condition of parts suffice by a lab tech? Its a lot of money for something that is barely used.
I'm now at an independent school and would like to know where I can get hold of information like above and other H&S guides, would science assist be the best place?
Health and safety in the lab is one thing that DET did well... if you ignore how to find it all on PAL
We have an autoclave and have a guy come in annually to perform a proper service and inspection with all his gadgets. He's the expert at it and has shown me some neat tricks to troubleshoot it (including how to clean it if we have an accidental boilover and agar covers the water sensor so we don't have to call him out if that happens).
I would consider it essential maintenance both in terms of keeping it in good condition but also as a calibration. Part of the pressure testing of ours ensures that the autoclave is actually reaching the temp/pressure the settings are saying it is - ours actually exceeds what it says by a couple of degrees/kPA.
Our school has a separate budget for things like maintenance that covers servicing of equipment like the autoclave (and purchasing of things like fridges/microwaves if they go on the blink). Maybe see if your school has something similar
Can't say I've ever heard of getting them tested before . Now you mention it , I'm getting all worried about it .
In the good O'l days , we used a "normal" pressure cooker that had a pressure gauge and a safety valve on it .So long as it reached pressure , you knew you were good .
Now all these electronic ones with sensors and the likes could be a problem .Risk of explosion is more of a concern to me that incomplete sterilization . But even the modern ones still have a mechanical overpressure safety valve .
The sort of things we incubate and dispose of is pretty low risk . As long as my plastic Petrie dishes come out all melted , I'm pretty sure its doing it's job .Then there are the tapes you put in there that indicate operating temp was reached .
So after typing all this , I'm feeling like I won't panic about it .
We also have the 'all american' autoclave, but I am also unsure if it needs testing. We have a compliance officer at school that said it needs calibration. I phoned/emailed everyone that has to do with autoclaves I could. Most never replied and the one that did say it didn't need to be done.
No mention of calibration at all in the instruction manual. The closest is it says to use a "melt
indicator inside a small glass vial" and that indicator tape is insufficient.
Anna Z wrote: 03 Mar 2026, 15:00
An autoclave is a pressure vessel, you must have it checked and tested each 12 months.
That must be a Victorian thing Anna ?
Another ridiculous pile of compliance . For every Highschool pressure cooker there is possibly several hundred in the homes of the students that would never be annually pressure tested .
When I ever get a compliance request to do so , I will . Until then , no .
Autoclaves would come under pressure vessels requiring inspection as defined in Australian Standard 3788. Whether a domestic pressure cooker used in a laboratory setting would fall under this Standard too I'm not 100% sure.
Would be great if standards that needed to be adhered to were freely available so we could assess for ourselves rather than behind a paywall. Thanks Howard
I think for schools that have gone to the expense of getting an autoclave rather than a pressure cooker servicing/inspection may be part of the warranty conditions too
