A cross bench is a laboratory clean workstation designed to maintain a contamination-free environment for sensitive samples. It operates on horizontal (cross) laminar airflow, where HEPA-filtered air flows uniformly from the rear of the bench toward the operator, continuously sweeping away airborne particles. It is commonly used for microbiology work, media preparation, and quality testing in pharmaceutical and food laboratories. The cross bench provides product protection but is not intended for handling hazardous materials.