Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV)
and tested every 14 months
A Guide to Internal Cleanliness of Ventilation Systems.
What is Local Exhaust
Ventilation (LEV)
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 whilst at work. Any work that produces a dust, mist, fume, gas or vapour could be a substance hazardous to health and cause unnecessary risk to an employee’s health.
Employers are often unaware that their employees might be overexposed to potentially harmful airborne substances. This is contributed to by a number of 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 controls.
A LEV system is an engineered solution specifically designed to capture and control any airborne substance before it can become inhalable and potentially harmful to the user. 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
Fume Cupboard On Tool Extraction
Partial Enclosure Booth Laminar Flow Cabinets
Extraction Canopy Hood On Tool Extraction
LEV is a way of controlling and reducing the exposure of workers to dust, fumes and vapour which could be hazardous to their health. For example, a manufacturing process may have localised extraction hoods connected with ductwork to a fan and filter which transports contaminated air away from the workers before discharging it into the atmosphere.
Typical industries and activities where the control of airborne hazardous substances may be needed:
Saw mills and joinery
Welding and sheet metal work
Stone-masonry
Manufacturing environments
Factories
Laboratories and chemical handling
Schools, Colleges and Universities
Paint-spraying and powder coating
Engineering
Bakery and food manufacture
Plating and metal treatment facilities
CNC machining
Grinding, finishing and polishing
Fabric and material manufacture
Garages
LEV systems are often used to control
Gases, Fibre, Vapours, Steam, Dusts, Chippings, Fumes, Swarf,Mist.
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 employees. Any employer that uses LEV techniques in the workplace must have equipment examined and tested every 14 months (under the current Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations COSHH) to ensure it is working effectively and safely..
Every employer who provides a LEV system shall ensure: “...it is maintained in an efficient state, in efficient working order, in good repair and in a clean condition” - Regulation 9 -1 COSH.
Regular LEV testing determines how effectively a LEV system operates and removes dust and fume contaminations from the atmosphere before discharging them safely, so that people cannot breathe them in.
Good LEV service regimes and regular testing ensure that existing LEV systems continue to remove contaminations in the air before people breathe them in, delivering a safer workforce and cleaner environment.
Our LEV expertise and services:
Jasun Envirocare has 40 years industry experience in: dust extraction, thorough LEV testing, inspection, repair and maintenance for all types and sizes of businesses across the UK and abroad.
We undertake a thorough examination of LEV equipment including: hoods, filters and ducts, extraction servicing, personal air sampling and technical performance using state-of-the-art equipment and assess the effectiveness of the LEV system.
Where appropriate/necessary, we will make recommendations and can supply/order parts for any repair work. All our inspections and tests are fully in accordance with current Health and Safety Executive Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) guidelines, which govern the LEV industry.
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.
HSG54 – 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.
Our LEV testing services include:
• a physical inspection of the system inclusive of a line drawing
• providing a comprehensive LEV report, detailing performance rates of each system
• issuing a Certificate of Compliance within COSHH requirements - should the LEV system pass HSE regulations
• a range of service packages
• carrying out assessments of new ventilation systems for compliance with Building Regulations Approved Doc F.
Our reports clearly address and assess whether the LEV system complies with all current regulations and legislation