Here at IAQ Services, we offer LEV inspections and testing to ensure that your LEV system is fully compliant with health and safety standards and anyone in your workplace is safe from air pollutants.
What is an LEV?
LEV stands for Local Exhaust Ventilation, and this form of ventilation is designed to prevent breathing zones from being contaminated by substances in the air such as dust or air vapours.
What is LEV testing?
The purpose of Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV) testing is to remove harmful and hazardous substances such as dust and fumes from ventilation systems that operate within various environments such as offices, restaurants, schools and so on.
Our LEV testing service is designed to prevent your LEV system from emitting hazardous fumes, gases, oils, acids, solids, or any other substances that fall under the COSHH regulations. We will carry out the review process to ensure that your LEV system is fully compliant with the regulations in place so that no one in your business is put at risk.
If your local exhaust ventilation requires thorough cleaning to meet health and safety requirements, we can help to find you a suitable contractor for this process to be completed. If you already have a contractor, we can ensure that this process is carried out correctly and in accordance with health and safety regulations. Once the contractor has completed the cleaning, we can provide a secondary audit to ensure that your LEV system is up to suitable safety standards.
If your business is charged with LEV non-compliance, your company will be published on the official HSE website, so it’s important to carry out your responsibilities of getting your LEV system tested every 14 months.
How often should LEV be inspected?
Every 14 months
The HSE’s Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations requires that, where certain chemicals and other substances are used in industrial and commercial processes, they should either be contained or safely dispersed (Local Exhaust Ventilation). Also a requirement of these regulations is that LEV systems should be regularly tested to ensure that they are operating efficiently (ideally every 14 calendar months).
The Law
Health & safety law says you must assess the risks to your workers from hazardous substances – dusts, fumes, vapours – and decide what measures to use to protect their health. It goes on to say that employers have a legal responsibility to ensure that employee exposure to dust/fumes etc is minimised and well controlled.
What we can do to help
LEV systems should be regularly tested to ensure they are operating efficiently. We have a team of surveyors, trained to P601 who carry out comprehensive LEV inspections and testing across the UK. On completion of every contract, a certificate and report of inspection is issued, your record of legal compliance.
Are you complying?
According to the HSE, only 40% of installed LEVs are tested annually as required by COSHH Regulation 9 and worryingly there appear to be a large number of schools which have poorly functioning LEVs. According to the HSE, an LEV system that is poorly installed, ineffective or loses its effectiveness through lack of maintenance – leads directly to industrial disease.
Suppliers often fail to provide adequate guidance to their customers. An easy way of showing if the LEV is working properly is to check airflow indicators which ideally should be installed at each extraction hood.
If there are problems with an LEV, there are a number of ways to restore its effectiveness. For example, by replacing components such as the filter, clearing any blockage or simply closing some extraction points if too many are open. This should be carried out as soon as possible after the fault has been recognised.
Request A Callback
If you require more information around our LEV testing services, fill in the form below and request a callback.
Alternatively, you can give us a call on 0330 133 5290 and our team will be happy to discuss the options with you.
Receive non-bias & Impartial LEV inspections
Ensure that your LEV system is free of hazardous particles with our LEV testing services. Get in touch with our team today and we’ll ensure that your LEV system meets safety standards so you can sigh a breath of fresh air.