Local exhaust ventilation (“LEV”) testing and cleaning

LEV is a ventilation system that takes dust, mists, gases, vapour and fumes out of the air to reduced employee exposure to airborne contaminants.

Correctly designed LEV will:

Collect the air that contains the contaminants.

Make sure they are contained and taken away from people.

Clean the air (if necessary) and get rid of the contaminants safely.

LEV systems should be regularly tested to ensure they are operating efficiently. CMK can complete comprehensive LEV testing throughout the UK. Every contract inspected is issued a certificate and report of inspection as a record of legal compliance.

The services CMK provide include:

 Quotations and technical advice.

Work carried out to relevant BESA Association, BSRIA, health and safety guidelines and regulations.

Inspection and testing to ensure compliance with current COSHH Regulations.

Site-specific method statements and risk assessments as required.

All works fully certified and post-inspection reports provided.

Most LEV systems need a thorough examination and test once each year (legally, you are allowed 14 months between tests) to ensure it works well and continues to protect your employees. Some LEV systems (such as those controlling more critical or high-hazard processes) need more frequent thorough examination and testing. The COSHH Regulations require more frequent testing for some processes.

The thorough examination tests the LEV against the performance recorded in the commissioning report. It should include airflow and pressure measurements, checks on control effectiveness and, possibly, exposure measurement. If you don’t have the design performance data, you will not know whether your system is working correctly, so you may need your system commissioned. If your system has already been commissioned, but you have changed the process or layout since then, you will need to re-commission it. A professional advisor can help you work out what you need to do.