A sign of quality in the lab
Independent testing goes far beyond the legal requirements

Laboratory safety cabinets have to satisfy stringent requirements for safety, health and environmental protection. Users who additionally need a high degree of comfort and economy should look for the High-Quality Seal awarded by German TÜV Süd. This marking is reserved for products that go beyond the legal requirements, providing superior quality, user-friendliness and lifespan.
Horst Kristen and Christian Völk
Safety for people and the environment, permanent availability, low maintenance costs, high performance and comfort: these are the main requirements on safety cabinets for flammable liquids. Safety cabinet manufacturers who make the very best products can now show at a glance that they meet these requirements through the new High-Quality Seal issued by independent inspection laboratory TÜV Süd.

The basis for being awarded the seal is that products meet the legal requirements, such as the German Equipment and Product Safety Act (GPSG), DIN EN 14470-1 Fire resistance-capable storage cabinets, Part 1: Safety cabinets for combustible liquids, and DIN EN 14727 Laboratory furniture—cabinets and shelves for laboratories—requirements and test methods. In all cases the product must carry the GS test symbol.However, meeting the legal standards is not enough. The High-Quality Seal is only awarded if the product also satisfies a standard specifically developed by the experts of the TÜV Süd Product Service. In addition, the TÜV Süd testers demand that the company concerned has implemented a quality management system, typically ISO 9001.

Safety cabinets manufactured by Düperthal Sicherheitstechnik, based in Klein-
ostheim in the Bavarian district of Lower Franconia, have been awarded the High-Quality Seal for the first time. The TÜV Süd experts paid particular attention to the cabinets’ advanced design and user-friendliness.

Advanced design means, for example, that harmful vapors are extracted not only above the bottom tray but every cabinet level. Since an empty safety cabinet weighs between 170 and 475 kg, there are also special requirements for the design of the cabinet legs. These have to be robust enough to withstand being handled by forklift trucks during transport and installation. The legs must be adjustable to allow for floor irregularities, and the base is offset towards the back so that users do not kick it accidentally. The automatic door closing system should operate in such a manner that it does not knock over any vessels inside.

User-friendliness

User-friendliness is assessed through questions such as:

If the user holds a container of flammable liquid in one hand, can he or she comfortably open the cabinet door with the other hand?

Are the ventilation flaps designed so that their position is clear at all times?

Are all the controls ergonomic? For example, are the door handles at a comfortable level?

Is the automatic door closing system user-friendly?

Can the cabinet be earthed according to the requirements of BGR 132?

Another important requirement is that the operating instructions for the safety cabinet are complete and easy to understand. They must allow users to operate the cabinet safely from the start, and reflect the fact that a safety cabinet for flammable liquids is a piece of technical equipment.

Long life, high quality

The laboratory furniture standard DIN EN 14727 makes some fundamental statements about the durability of safety cabinets. Swing or folding doors, drawers and other pull-out elements, for instance, have to withstand 50,000 cycles. The High-Quality Seal goes one better by demanding 60,000 cycles, and the TÜV Süd Product Service ensures that this is so by carrying out its own durability tests.

Products that carry the High-Quality Seal may only be made by a company that uses a quality management system, TÜV Süd says. The classic example is ISO 9001, which, with its foundation in continuous improvement, ensures that both products and organizational processes continue to develop for the better.

Every six months, the TÜV Süd experts visit the manufacturing plant to satisfy themselves that the company and its products continue to meet the requirements of the High-Quality Seal. They check that incoming goods and raw materials are inspected appropriately and carry the correct documentation. They make sure that the right procedures are used to handle defective supplies. They check that employees are properly qualified, use modern tools and techniques, and can act systematically and independently in case of problems. They ask to see instrument calibration certificates, and they have a good look at outgoing goods inspection processes.

The TÜV Süd experts even research the market in detail. The High-Quality Seal is only awarded to products whose quality is in the upper third of their market segment. No regulatory incidents must have occurred within the past two years, let alone any product recalls. If anything can guarantee that a product will serve its owner well, the High-Quality Seal is surely it.n