What is LEV Testing and What is the Process?
LEV (Local Exhaust Ventilation) systems play a crucial role in protecting employees by limiting exposure to hazardous airborne contaminants in the workplace. The law states that any LEV system must be kept in efficient working order and thoroughly examined and tested at least once every 14 months.
This article explains an LEV system test and defines the steps examiners take to perform one.
What is an LEV system?
An LEV system is a ventilation system that captures and removes airborne contaminants, such as dust, fumes, vapours, or gases, to limit employees’ exposure and protect them from harm.
How does a LEV system work?
An LEV system captures the contaminants at the emission source and transports the contaminated air to a cleaning device to remove the contaminants from the airflow. The captured contaminants are usually discharged outside or removed from the air via filtration or scrubbing then the clean air is released back into the environment.
Regulations state that anyone who operates an LEV system in the workplace must ensure that it is adequately maintained to provide the appropriate protection and must also have their system tested at least once every 14 months.
What is LEV system testing?
An LEV system test is a detailed and systematic examination to confirm that the LEV is still working as effectively as initially intended and is appropriately protecting employees from harmful exposure.
The LEV testing process explained
The law states that a competent individual must perform all LEV system tests. According to the HSE website, “competence is the combination of training, skills, experience and knowledge that a person has and their ability to apply them to perform a task safely.”
During an LEV test, an examiner will thoroughly inspect and evaluate an LEV system against the commissioning report’s performance, industry standards, and HSE guidelines by completing the following steps:
- Visual examination and component testing: Filters and internal and external ducting will be visually examined and tested to ensure they are in good working order.
- Particle count test: The captured particles inside the system will be tested to determine how effective the system is.
- Reporting: The examiner will write up and provide a report outlining the test details and results, provide practical advice and outline any recommendations.
The results of the test and the report the examiner provides must be kept on file for a minimum of 5 years.
Are you looking for competent LEV testing services?
Our examiners are experienced in providing detailed and thorough LEV testing services. If you want to speak to a team member about testing your LEV system, please call 0116 2764522.