Blog

We recently uploaded a blog all about Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV). This was the first blog in a series of two about LEV.

In this article below, the second of our free advice guides, we’ll go into more detail about the law and LEV, what we do and how we can help you.

Legal LEV testing requirement

It is a legal requirement, as set out in the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, for any employer to maintain healthy working conditions for their employees.

Under the current Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH), which govern the LEV industry, any employer using LEV in the workplace must have equipment examined and tested every 14 months to ensure it’s working effectively and safely.

Regular LEV testing

As Regulation 9 – (1) of COSHH states, a LEV system needs to be: ‘... maintained in an efficient state, in efficient working order, in good repair and in a clean condition’.

We can help you do this through regular LEV testing and servicing.

Testing determines how effectively a LEV system operates and removes dust and fume contaminants from the atmosphere, so that people cannot breathe them in, before discharging them safely.

Delivering a safer workplace

Good LEV service regimes, alongside regular testing, ensure that existing LEV systems continue to remove contaminants in the air before people breathe them in, delivering a safer workplace and a cleaner environment.

Our LEV expertise & services

We’ve decades of industry experience in dust extraction and thorough LEV testing, inspection, repair and maintenance for all types and sizes of businesses, UK-wide and overseas.

We undertake comprehensive examinations of LEV equipment, as well as providing extraction servicing and remedial works. We measure technical performance using state-of-the-art calibrated equipment to assess the effectiveness of a LEV system.

Where appropriate/necessary, we make recommendations and can supply/order parts for any repair work.

All our inspections and tests are fully in accordance with current COSHH, BOHS & HSE guidelines.

Our LEV engineers hold the BOHS (British Occupational Hygiene Society) P601 ‘Commissioning and Thorough Examination and Testing of Local Exhaust Ventilation Systems’, which the HSE guidance (HSG258) refers to as one measure of competency in this area.

HSG258 – relates to guidance on the maintenance, examination and testing of LEV, commonly used to control the release of hazardous airborne substances in the work environment.

We also hold the P602 ‘Design Principles of Local Exhaust Ventilation Systems’ and the further P604 ‘Performance Evaluation & Management of Local Exhaust & Ventilation Systems’ certifications.

Our LEV testing services include:

• A physical inspection of the system inclusive of a system diagram
• Providing a comprehensive LEV report, detailing performance rates of each system
• Issuing a certificate of compliance within COSHH requirements – should the LEV system meet HSE guidelines
• A range of service packages & maintenance
• Carrying out assessments/commissioning of new ventilation systems
• Supply and install new LEV systems & filtration solutions.

Our reports will clearly address and assess whether your LEV system complies with all current regulations and legislation.

Why choose us?

Find out more about our expertise, accreditation and skills-base here.

Contact us

If you’d like to find out more about the legal LEV testing requirements, and the services we offer to ensure you are compliant and your workforce remains safe, please contact us for a free, friendly, informal chat.

Our experts are here during normal working hours to help you, with no pressure to engage us.

Each year thousands of workers in the UK develop illnesses such as lung disease, cancer and other complications as a result of exposure to airborne contaminates while at work.

Any work that produces a substance such as dust, mist, fumes, gases, fibre, steam, chippings, swarf or vapours could be hazardous to health and cause unnecessary risk to an employee’s health.

Typical industries and activities

Typical industries and activities where the control of airborne hazardous substances may be needed include:

• Sawmills and joinery workshops
• Welding and sheet metal works
• Stone-masonry workshops
• Manufacturing businesses
• Factories
• Laboratories and places where chemicals are handled
• Paint-spraying and powder coating firms
• Schools, colleges and universities
• Engineering
• Bakery and food manufacture
• Plating and metal treatment facilities
• CNC machining
• Grinding, finishing and polishing
• Fabric and material manufacture
• Garages

Raising employer awareness

Employers are often unaware that their employees are being exposed to potentially harmful airborne substances.

This is because of several factors including inaccurate identification of the source of exposure, controls not being correctly used or the owner/senior manager being over optimistic about the effectiveness of their current checks.

What is an LEV?

An LEV system is an engineered solution specifically designed to capture and control any airborne substance before it becomes inhalable and potentially harmful.

By means of appropriate extraction methods, a LEV system provides control measures in the workplace preventing diseases and conditions occurring later in life.

Types of LEV equipment include:

• Fume cupboards
• Partial enclosure booths
• Extraction canopy hoods
• Carpentry extracts
• Welding extraction
• Spray booths

Get in touch

Having good air hygiene in your work environment is vital for your team’s health. Next month we’ll publish our second blog on this topic, which will be about legal LEV testing requirements.

So, if you think you have an LEV system, or multiple, our experts can help you to insure they are in a safe and compliant order.

Get in touch and have a free, friendly and informal chat with one of our experienced team members.