DCHAS-L Archives, Apr 7, 2026 - Re: [DCHAS-L] [External] [DCHAS-L] Horizontal vs. vertical sashes

Hi all,

We have the combination sashes that both slide and rise. I will say that the sliding has been the bane of my existence here. I have specifically fought with the two first points that Martin brought up - students just opening the hood and standing in front of the open space, and additionally entering the plane of the sash to look at things. We've also run into the broken glass edges Samuella mentioned, and had to replace a couple panes when they were closed with enough vigor to crack the glass. I'm glad designs have been updated.

I will say that they're really helpful for setup, and the combination of side and bottom openings is great for running flash columns when used correctly. They are also helpful if two people are working in a hood and are of vastly different height.

We do attempt to train the students how to use the variety of openings in every lab we have, but they still gravitate towards open space, and angle themselves to be in the "splash zone" between the panels. The only other thing we run into is that the width on our panels is such that if you need two hands for any operation, anyone under about 5'8" has a hard time getting their arms around the panel, and would have to engage in using both arms through one open space. I'm 5'6", and if I try that in our larger hoods, I'm just about full-body hugged up on that panel to get a reasonable range of motion. If that's for setup, it's not generally a problem, but if you're making adjustments to something active, it runs the risks of being both a splash hazard as your body is positioned at the gap, and an inhalation hazard, if there's a release and you unthinkingly draw your arms, and therefore air/fumes at your breathing level out.

If this is for a researcher's lab, perhaps they won't run into the proper use issues that are my daily bread and butter.

Cheers,

Melanie

On Tue, Apr 7, 2026 at 11:43 AM Shannon Nephew <millersc**At_Symbol_Here**plattsburgh.edu> wrote:

Just a footnote to my message above (way up top, maybe the first one). I called the vertical rising sash "horizontal" but it seems that I was mistaken in that terminology. Everyone here seems to call that vertical and the panels that slide sideways, vertical sashes. I was going by which way they slide open. Our fume hoods have both, but I train faculty, staff and students to use the horizontal sashes (which slide sideways and protect the torso area when one panel is in front of you, just to clarify).
Sammy, ours are probably from 2012, but the vertical sashes have an overlapping type set up and we haven't had the glass breaking issue. They also have the metal trim on the edges so if they hit together that doesn't happen. Sounds like it happened often enough, that manufacturers made a much needed redesign!

SHANNON C. NEPHEW,
MS, CSM, CCHO
Chemical Hygiene Officer, Hudson Hall Science Complex Building Manager
Laboratory Safety Professional
Hudson Hall 317
101 Broad Street
Plattsburgh, NY 12901
(o) 518-593-9612
plattsburgh.edu

On Fri, Apr 3, 2026 at 3:04 PM Shannon Nephew <millersc**At_Symbol_Here**plattsburgh.edu> wrote:
Hi Jack,

We have the vertical sashes (can also be used horizontally to put larger equipment such as rotary evaporators into the hood) at our university and in the past, my old research lab had horizontal sashes only.
I recommend our students and faculty to use the vertical sashes because you can put one piece of the sash in front of your body, so only your arms go around and into the hood. The torso does not have any exposure as opposed to the horizontal sashes. It adds an extra level of protection. Ours have 4 panels and you can move them around.

I am happy to send photos or clarify if that would be helpful,

Shannon

SHANNON C. NEPHEW,
MS, CSM, CCHO
Chemical Hygiene Officer, Hudson Hall Science Complex Building Manager
Laboratory Safety Professional
Hudson Hall 317
101 Broad Street
Plattsburgh, NY 12901
(o) 518-593-9612
plattsburgh.edu

On Fri, Apr 3, 2026 at 10:43 AM Jack Reidy <0000233ca1fd2102-dmarc-request**At_Symbol_Here**lists.princeton.edu> wrote:

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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