Meeting Your COSHH LEV Responsibilities: Ensuring Clean Air and Compliance with LiftTech Inspection Services.
If your work creates dust, fume, vapour or mist, your Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV) is what stops it reaching your workers' lungs. Under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH), employers must keep LEV in efficient working order and have it thoroughly examined and tested by a competent person. LiftTech Inspection Services carries out LEV thorough examinations and tests across Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Essex, with clear reports showing whether your extraction is working as it should.
Thorough Examination and Test:
COSHH Regulation 9 requires LEV to be thoroughly examined and tested at least every 14 months, and more often for some processes listed in Schedule 4, such as monthly for abrasive blasting of metal castings. Our Engineer Surveyors check the condition of every part of the system, measure its performance against the original commissioning data or design specification, and confirm whether it is still controlling exposure effectively. You receive a clear report showing what passed, what failed and what needs attention.
What the Examination Includes:
A typical LEV examination covers a visual check of hoods, ducting, filters, fans and discharge points for damage, blockages and wear; airflow measurements such as face velocity, capture velocity and duct velocity; static pressure readings at key points; and checks such as smoke tests or a dust lamp to show whether contaminants are actually being captured. Results are compared with the system's benchmark figures, so any loss of performance is easy to spot.
Dust extraction (woodworking, joinery and sawmills)
Welding and soldering fume extraction
Spray booths and spray rooms
Laboratory fume cupboards and extracted enclosures
On-tool extraction for grinding, cutting and sanding
Grinding, polishing and abrasive blasting extraction
Downdraught benches, extracted workbenches and flexible arms
An LEV test, properly called a thorough examination and test (TExT), is a detailed check of a local exhaust ventilation system to confirm it is still controlling exposure to hazardous dust, fume, vapour or mist.
It combines a physical inspection of the system with airflow and pressure measurements, and checks on how well each hood captures the contaminant. The results are recorded in a report showing whether the system is performing as designed.
Yes. Regulation 9 of the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH) requires employers to keep control measures, including LEV, in efficient working order and good repair, and to have LEV thoroughly examined and tested at least every 14 months. Records of each examination must be kept for at least five years.
LEV is any engineering control that captures airborne contaminants at or near their source and carries them away from the worker's breathing zone. It includes hoods, booths, enclosures, ducting, filters, fans and discharge stacks.
Common examples are woodworking dust extraction, welding fume extraction, spray booths, laboratory fume cupboards and on-tool extraction on grinders and saws. General ventilation, such as wall-mounted fans, is not LEV.
Most LEV must be thoroughly examined and tested at least once every 14 months. Schedule 4 of COSHH sets shorter intervals for some processes, for example every month for abrasive blasting of metal castings, and every 6 months for some metal grinding and polishing and for non-ferrous metal casting.
Between examinations, you should also carry out regular user checks, as set out in your system's logbook, so that faults are spotted early. HSE guidance HSG258 explains what these checks should cover.
LEV must be examined and tested by a competent person with the knowledge, training and experience to assess the system, take accurate measurements and judge whether it is controlling exposure.
LiftTech's Engineer Surveyors are independent of the companies that install and maintain your equipment. We only examine and test, so our findings are impartial and focused on your compliance.
Each LEV system should have a user manual and a logbook. The manual describes how the system is designed to work and its performance benchmarks, normally set at commissioning. The logbook records the results of routine checks, maintenance and repairs.
After each thorough examination and test you will receive a report, which you must keep for at least five years. If your system has no commissioning report or benchmark figures, we can advise on what is needed so future examinations have a reliable baseline.
Not sure if your extraction is due for testing? Contact LiftTech today and one of our Engineer Surveyors will be happy to help.
Expertise in LEV Compliance:
Our Engineer Surveyors carry out statutory examinations every day and understand what HSE and insurers expect to see. We examine LEV against COSHH and HSE guidance HSG258, record clear measurements for every hood and give you practical, plain-English findings so you know exactly what needs doing.
Why Choose LiftTech Inspection Services
Thorough Examinations and Detailed Reports:
Every hood and extraction point is examined and tested, with airflow and pressure readings recorded against benchmark values. Our reports clearly show which parts of your system pass, which fail and why, so you can prioritise repairs and demonstrate compliance to HSE, insurers and auditors.
One Provider for All Your Statutory Inspections:
Many of our clients have LEV alongside lifting equipment, pressure systems and work equipment. We can examine your LEV, LOLER, PSSR and PUWER equipment in a single visit where possible, keeping your records together and reducing disruption to your business.
Compliance and Peace of Mind:
By choosing LiftTech Inspection Services, you can be confident that your LEV systems meet COSHH requirements and are protecting your workers from hazardous dust and fume. We are based in Norwich and cover businesses across Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Essex.
Don't overlook your responsibilities under COSHH regulations.
LiftTech Inspection Services is here to provide comprehensive LEV inspection services, including thorough examination and testing of dust extraction, fume extraction, spray booths and fume cupboards. Contact us today to arrange your LEV test and keep your workforce safe and compliant.
