Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV)

Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV)

We have our own engineers who are competent in the design, testing and commissioning of Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV) systems.

LEV is a ventilation system which removes dusts, mites, gases, vapour or fumes out of the air to stop them from being breathed in. Each year in Britain, there are thousands of people dying of lung disease or being diagnosed with asthma as a result of airborne contaminants breathed in in the workplace. Any workplace which produces dust, mist, fumes, gases or vapours may be risking the health of its employees, examples include flour dust in bakeries, paint mist from spraying, carbon monoxide from furnaces and solvents from painting.

LEV designed and used properly will:

  • Collect air containing contaminants
  • Make sure contaminants are contained and removed from people
  • Clean the air where necessary and safely rid contaminants

Installing LEV is the first step in protecting workers’ health but it doesn’t end here. If the LEV is not properly designed, the wrong type and/or not used and maintained properly you are not protecting your employees.

A typical LEV system is comprised of a hood(s) which collects airborne contaminants at (or near) the source, ducts to carry the airborne contaminants away from any process, an air cleaner to filter and clean the extracted air, a correctly sized and selected fan to deliver adequate suction to the hood and discharge for the safe release of cleaned, extracted air into the atmosphere. LEV hoods can be a small as a hand-held tool or large enough to walk into.

The law states that you must ensure that an LEV system continues to work properly once installed and as such, must be regularly tested and maintained. This work must be done by a competent person. The frequency of LEV testing is dependent on how complicated the system is, how likely it is to fail and the likely consequences of failure (risk). A record of all LEV checks and maintenance must be kept on site for at least five years. COSHH Regulations require more frequent testing for some processes.

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