Esco Labculture® Class II Type A2 Biological Safety Cabinets have been certified to the NSF49, and independently type-tested to the EN12469 standard. This product is also UL-listed as compliant to the requirements in both US and Canada. Esco is also the only foreign manufacturer outside of Japan to have a product certified to the stringent Japanese Standard JIS K 3800 for biological safety cabinets.
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For conformity evaluation, a type test is carried out on one of Esco's EFH units fresh off the production line. And thanks to Esco's design, the EFH passed the performance requirements of EN14175.
Independent quality control at each step in the production cycle
Esco's focus on quality and timeliness is relentless. Continuous improvement is a mantra. Cross functional teams from Esco Production, R&D, Quality Assurance, Senior Management, are regularly assembled to review and implement areas for improvement.
Esco uses materials from only the leading world suppliers. Our Supplier Development Department works closely with our supply-chain partners to optimize integration and quality. We believe that our products are only as good as the parts we use.
Esco operates under ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certified Quality and Environmental Management Systems. Our production facility is also audited regularly by independent agencies such as UL, NSF, and others. Today, Esco quality is well recognized in more than 100 countries around the world.
Esco is committed to compliance with international standards for product performance, safety and energy efficiency. Certifications and recommended practices apply to products, manufacturing processes and administrative documentation including biological safety cabinets, fume hoods, air quality, electrical safety and more. These are critical to our business model and to our relationships with customers, distributors and certifying agencies.
This accreditation certifies that Esco facilities, equipment and personnel needed to move towards "self-certification" will accelerate new products to market, strengthen internal capabilities and enable Esco to build better and safer products for our global customers.
Esco is the only biological safety cabinet manufacturer in the world to gain UL accreditation. This investment reinforces our commitment to excellence and product engineering assures our customers that we have the best equipped research & development team in the world developing the safest laboratory equipment possible.
Because testing and certification are integral to our product lines, Esco has invested in in-house testing facilities staffed by full-time microbiologists and NSF field certifiers. These facilities are configured to accommodate independent testing agents and third-party certifiers who visit Singapore regularly to perform compliance audits and to assist our research team in pre-certification of new products before they are submitted for formal certification.
Esco performs testing in accordance with more than 10 of the world's most recognized standards for local, regional and international criteria. Testing in our microbiology laboratory is conducted according to NSF49:2002, EN12469:2000, and JIS K3800:2005 to determine product performance and efficacy related to protection of personnel, product and cross contamination within the work area when using potentially hazardous samples.
For fume hoods and other products Esco uses primary and supplemental testing protocols such as ASHRAE 110 containment and activated carbon adsorption testing to evaluate, document and ultimately improve product performance in all phases of manufacturing, transit, installation and operation.
In 1978, Esco was founded in Singapore and began to pioneer cleanroom technology in Southeast Asia. Esco was established to provide clean air solutions for the high-tech industrial and life sciences industries. Since its very beginning Esco has earned a reputation for innovation in the worldwide laboratory and cleanroom industry.
From our headquarters in Singapore, Esco directs a highly efficient research, product development, manufacturing and customer service program. With global offices in eight additional locations, Esco products are sold in more than 100 countries through more than 300 independent distribution partners. Esco is a world leader in biological safety cabinets, offering the industry’s widest product range, with thousands of installations in leading laboratories around the globe. Our customers are the world’s leading life sciences providers, hospitals, biomedical and pharmaceutical institutions, and universities.
The company has a unique history of innovations, including:
Inventor of the cleanroom vertical laminar flow straddle unit for microelectronics production.
World’s only biological safety cabinet manufacturer with products certified to all the leading international standards:
Antimicrobial powder coating products and methods
Physical and performance testing for clean air products
Wind tunnel testing and product evaluation
Esco cabinets use supply and exhaust filters that provide >99.999% typical efficiency for particle sizes of 0.1 to 0.3 microns. Filters meet the IEST-RP-CC001.3 recommended practice for ULPA performance (USA), and EN 1822 for H14 performance (EU). These provide better filtration capability than conventional H13 HEPA filters that have a typical efficiency of >99.99% for 0.3 micron particles. For some products, however, conventional HEPA filters are used depending on the application and local preferences of geospecific markets.
Many Esco products are used in processes that require long hours seated or standing in laboratories and production facilities. As a result of internal and commissioned research in human interface, intuitive control design, ergonomics and workplace physiology, Esco has adapted product designs to improve comfort, visibility and productivity.
Product design attributes include sloped front access to improve interior reach, curved armrests, high-efficiency lighting and optional adjustable work surfaces. Control systems have large, easy-to-read digital displays, touchpad controls with tactile feedback, and logically arranged functions with on-board tutorials if needed.