CTS FOCUS 07 - Safety Cabinets in the Restoration Laboratory

In a restoration laboratory, safety involves not only the correct use of products but also how they are arranged, sorted, and stored. Organizing spaces is essential: alongside large cabinets designed for storing larger quantities and less frequently used materials, it is useful to have smaller, practical cabinets for daily-use products. This ensures everything is easily accessible without compromising order and safety, limits unnecessary movement of hazardous substances, improves work efficiency, and guarantees clear separation between different types of materials.

Two “families” of cabinets

CHEMISAFE cabinets are designed to meet the highest European regulatory standards, ensuring maximum quality and operational safety.

 In the context of restoration, safety cabinets are mainly distinguished into two types: cabinets for flammables and cabinets for acids/base.

1. Flammable Cabinets

CHEMISAFE FIRE cabinets for flammable liquids are designed to provide the highest safety levels in the laboratory, fully compliant with EN 14470-1 (2023 update). All flammable cabinets fall into the highest class, TYPE 90, providing up to 90 minutes of fire resistance. This classification ensures sufficient time for personnel evacuation and allows firefighters to intervene before flammable liquids contribute to the fire’s development. Typical features include self-closing doors, intumescent seals, safety locks, and spill containment trays. They are the correct solution for solvents and flammable liquids, especially when stored quantities require high passive protection. 

2. Acid/Base Cabinets

CHEMISAFE CHEMICALS safety cabinets for acids and bases are collective protective devices (CPDs) designed for the safe storage of chemical reagents and corrosive substances in laboratories. Their main function is to serve as a "protected warehouse," minimizing the release of toxic or corrosive vapors into the work environment, even when containers are not perfectly sealed. Chemical cabinets must meet strict European standards to ensure their resistance and safety: UNI EN 61010-1 / CEI 66-5 (safety requirements for laboratory electrical equipment, including ventilation and control systems), UNI EN 16121, EN 14727. They are built to resist acids, with internal containment systems, ventilated and filtered.

Filtration and Extraction

For flammable cabinets (EN 14470-1), storage requires maintaining the cabinet under constant negative pressure to prevent vapor accumulation that could ignite. Filtration occurs through activated carbon specific for organic solvents (e.g., RSOL filter), designed to capture nonpolar molecules. Acid and base cabinets require much more intensive ventilation, with 30–50 air changes per hour. The ventilation system must maintain the cabinet interior at a lower pressure than the external atmosphere to prevent accidental release of harmful fumes when doors are opened.

Once filtered, it is crucial to decide whether to extract the air outside the building or recirculate it into the environment. 

Total extraction directs the filtered vapors outside via an IC 100 filter unit with ducting. Recirculation systems use molecular filter units like CFN, a "Plug & Play" solution that requires no external holes or ducts, simplifying cabinet setup.

Maintenance Matters

Scheduled maintenance is key to ensuring CPD effectiveness over time. Cabinets require periodic checks and a full inspection at least once a year by qualified personnel. For activated carbon filters, efficiency must be periodically verified, with replacement as needed, but at least annually. Saturation must be avoided: a saturated filter loses adsorption capacity and can release previously trapped molecules. All maintenance, efficiency tests, or filter replacements must be recorded in the Control and Maintenance Log. After extraordinary maintenance or qualification, a validation protocol certifies the performance achieved by the system.