Local Exhaust & Ventilation Testing

Fulfilling Your Statutory Obligations and Controlling Your Running Costs

LEV testing is a dedicated service supplied by Ducting Express to ensure your company complies with current Health & Safety legislation and COSHH regulations.
We are able to survey and provide written details, including flow diagrams and reports from which would form the base details for any further monitoring to comply with these regulations and to ensure that your site and workforce avoid potential health hazards. This, in turn, maintains your system in good working order and will enable you to keep your running costs to a minimum.

What is an LEV system?

A Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV) system is any system which is used to remove airborne hazardous substances from within a working environment.

Why do you need LEV testing?

The purpose of the examination is to ensure that your LEV system is working effectively & conforms to current H&S regulation.

The Health and Safety at Work act 1974 and regulation 9 of the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health state that Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV’s) must be monitored and maintained to ensure it is in good working order including those that remove airborne dust and fumes and must take steps to prevent, control, maintain and monitor for dust and fume exposure within the working environment.

There is a statutory requirement for your system to be tested at least once in every fourteen months and, in certain situations more frequently.

All of our examiners are P601 accredited & have specialist LEV testing equipment, knowledge, experience and skills to carry out a thorough examination and test of your LEV system.

What is involved in a LEV test?

An LEV test will involve a complete inspection and examination of the LEV equipment and will also look at the working practices that involve the use of an LEV system, air flow measurements within the LEV system, hood capture velocities, the technical performance and an assessment of the working condition of the LEV system. All examinations will be carried to HSE regulations, and Ducting Express Services will advise you of the recommendations needed should your LEV system not meet current LEV regulations.

The COSHH regulations requires that any control measure taken to comply with Regulation 7 must be maintained in an efficient state, in efficient working order and in good repair.

It also specifies that records shall be kept of the results of the tests including details of any repairs carried out as a result of the examinations and tests. These records have to be kept for a minimum of 5 years.

It is a legal requirement that all LEV systems are tested.

What is your involvement during the test?

During the examination all we ask is that we are informed of all of your in-house H&S requirements, any hazardous areas & substances and that you perform your day to day tasks the same as any other day.

Will your LEV system need to be turned off during the test - How will the LEV examination affect your production?

Yes, at some point during the LEV inspection the system being tested will need to be shut down, we will minimise any down time during the examination, the majority of the examination will be completed with the system running and this will not affect your production.

What will be contained in the LEV examination report?

The law states that a record of your LEV examination and test report should be kept safely. Our examiners follow HSE Approved Code of Practice guidelines when writing out the report and it will contain information such as the systems level of performance related to its intended performance. This report will be enough to comply with the legal requirements of keeping a record of your examination and test.

To view an example of an LEV report please click here.

What if my system fails an LEV examination?

We will provide you with an LEV report giving the reasons for the systems failure, if required we can also provide you with a quotation for any works required to ensure your system conforms to current H&S regulations.

If your LEV system has been modified will it require a re-test?

Yes. If your LEV system has recently been, or is due to be, modified please get in contact with us to get a re-test booked in.

Do you need to contact us to book a re-test?

If we have completed an LEV examination for you before we will contact you to inform you when the system is due for a re-test.

Airflow Indicators

There isn't a specific legal requirement to have airflow indicators or similar fitted to an extraction. But as an employer you do by law have to make sure your LEV system keeps working properly.

Ducting Express recommend having an airflow indicator fitted to your LEV system as this is currently the only method of checking airflow that will show the operator or supervisor immediately if there's a problem. The HSE's LEV guidance HSG 258 also recommends these are fitted.

You can purchase airflow indicators here if required.