From:
Debbie Decker <debbie.m.decker**At_Symbol_Here**GMAIL.COM>
Subject:
Re: [DCHAS-L] Horizontal vs. vertical sashes
Date:
Apr 3, 2026 16:17 UTC
Reply-To:
ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU>
Message-ID:
<CABNxZ9cXq9vUpbgMydpuc_dhmTr-7pJtZk=jfnWaiFw4WbvdUw**At_Symbol_Here**mail.gmail.com>
In-Reply-To:
<BYAPR02MB56867E5078CF184EE002E7498C51A**At_Symbol_Here**BYAPR02MB5686.namprd02.prod.outlook.com>
Hi Jack
So many feelings ...
Researchers using a hood with horizontal sliding sashes will shove the sashes out of their way (or pry them off entirely) and access their work without any barrier between the human and the work. Suggesting a worker reach around the sash to access their work is impractical can be unsafe. Additionally, gaps in the sash opening can compromise capture efficiency of the hood.
Vertical rising sashes maintain a barrier between the worker and the work and maintain efficient capture by naturally maintaining a limited sash opening. Stops and alarms are easier to install and maintain with a vertical rising sash.
The UCDavis design guide requires vertical rising sashes on fume hoods.
Happy to chat, if you wish.
Hi all,
A new PI joining our Chemistry Department is sharing a very strong preference for vertically-split fume hood sashes (i.e., ones that open side to side), saying that they’re safer. Is anyone aware of any studies
on this, or have any other insights? Thanks!
Sincerely,
Jack Reidy (he/him)
Research Safety Specialist & Chemical Hygiene Officer
Environmental Health & Safety
Stanford University
484 Oak Road, Stanford, CA, 94305
Tel: (650) 497-7614
I acknowledge that the land on which I live and work is the ancestral and unceded land of the
Muwekma Ohlone Tribe. As an uninvited guest on these lands, I am a beneficiary of the ongoing displacement of the Ohlone people. I pay my respects to the Native peoples, past
and present.
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