Basic Documentation

Laboratory Ventilation Codes and Standards
Siemens Industry, Inc. 152
Topic Requirement(s) Commentary
Commissioning
(Continued)
6.2.3 Preliminary and final commissioning documents shall be issued to the
appropriate party(s) by the commissioning authority. These documents shall
include:
• Design Flow Specifications;
• Laboratory and System Drawings for Final System Design;
• Copy of the Test and Balance Report;
• Commissioning Test Data;
• List of Ventilation System Deficiencies uncovered and the details of how (and
if) they were satisfactorily resolved.
ASHRAE, 2011 Handbook, HVAC Applications, Laboratories, Pg. 16.20
Commissioning
In addition to HVAC systems, electrical systems and chemical handling and
storage areas must be commissioned. Training of technicians, scientists, and
maintenance personnel is a critical aspect of the commissioning process. Users
must understand the systems and their operation.
It should be determined early in the design process whether any laboratory
systems must comply with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations
because these systems have additional design, commissioning and validation
requirements. Commissioning is defined in Chapter 43, and the process is outlined
in ASHRAE Guidelines 0 and 1.1. Laboratory commissioning can be more
demanding than that described in ASHRAE Guidelines and includes systems that
are not associated with other occupancies. Requirements for commissioning
should be clearly understood by all participants, including the contractors and the
owner’s personnel. Roles and responsibilities should be defined, and
responsibilities for documenting results should be established.
Laboratory commissioning starts with the intended use of the laboratory and should
include development of a commissioning plan, as outlined in ASHRAE Guidelines.
The start-up and pre-functional testing of individual components should come first:
after individual components are successfully tested, the entire system should be
functionally tested. This requires verification and documentation that the design
meets applicable codes and standards and that it has been constructed in
accordance with the design intent and owner’s project requirements.
Before general commissioning begins, obtain the following data:
• Complete set of the laboratory utility drawings
• Definition of the use of the laboratory and an understanding of the work
being performed
• Equipment requirements
• All test results
• Basis of Design (BOD) that includes the intent of system operation
• Owner’s Project requirements
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