Ensuring a safe laboratory environment: Bigneat showcasing cabinets and enclosures at ArabLab 2008

Safety enclosure specialist Bigneat will be showcasing examples of their cabinets and enclosures for protection from laboratory hazards at ArabLab, Dubai International Exhibition Centre, between 10th and 13th February 2008 on Booth 333.

Many chemicals used in laboratory processes can cause health problems or are toxic in high concentrations. In some cases laboratory workers have developed sensitivity to certain compounds making it difficult to complete all the tasks required of them, thus the need to remove fumes and particulates is a high priority in the modern laboratory.

Laboratory equipment cannot always be placed within existing fume cupboards, either because of lack of capacity or because of their physical size. A hood or enclosure is therefore needed elsewhere to enclose laboratory instruments and automation.

Bigneat has a range of standard Chemcap™ free standing cabinets for fume removal; a cost effective cabinet range which uses recirculatory carbon filtration for fume removal. This avoids the need for expensive extraction ductwork and reduces installation cost.

The new LA Range™ cabinets are manufactured and finished to specific needs and are designed for the increasingly large laboratory automation systems. In addition to protecting operators from fume hazards, they also protect from the danger of pathogens, particulates, UV and moving robotics systems.

XIT Powder Weighing Cabinets use HEPA filtration to remove 99.997% of particles of greater than 0.3 microns. This provides the operator with a safe environment in which to weigh or handle powders.

For high-precision weighing applications, a level and vibration free surface is needed for the weighing station to be positioned upon. If the balance does not have its own doors, then the air-flow into the cabinet must also be free of turbulence. Aerofoil technology in Bigneat’s Excel Plus cabinets ensures a ‘rock-steady’ balance even when measuring at the levels of 10^-6 grams.

Working with a similar principle to fume cabinets, or alternatively supplied with a spigot for connection to the laboratory ductwork, is a range of Storage Cupboards. These are ideal for removing the vapours from bottle drips etc, are mobile and can be positioned next to where they are to be used. With a ventilated Storage Cupboard these there is no need to leave your chemicals on the laboratory bench.

Recently Controlled Atmosphere Storage Cabinets have been added to the range. With the cupboard contents blanketed in inert gas, which in most cases is N₂.