ABSTRACT
In 1996 the Health and Safety Executive Agency placed constraints on the maximum allowable concentration of such substances within the theatre setting. In order to comply, scavenging of expired anaesthetic gases became mandatory. Scavenging may be classified into active and passive systems. Passive scavenging simply employs the use of wide-bore tubing to channel expired gases to the exterior and therefore it is not as effective as active methods. Active scavenging utilises an external power source such as vacuum pumps to generate a negative pressure, which propels gases to the external atmosphere. Despite scavenging, there will always be a quantity of gas that escapes into the theatre environment, and therefore the theatre needs adequate ventilation. The Health and Safety Executive Agency is a government agency with the role of preventing death, injury and ill health in Britain’s workplaces.
