LEV Examination and Testing

An examination date does not replace daily attention to system condition. A failed airflow indication, damaged hood or changed process needs action when identified. Plan the formal examination alongside routine checks, maintenance and any commissioning needed after alteration.

The scope identifies each LEV system, its capture points and the process it serves. Examination and testing assess condition and performance against the intended operating requirements, using the information and measurements appropriate to the system.

The report should identify the examined equipment, findings, performance assessment and actions required. It must explain relevant limits to the assessment. HSE advises keeping examination records for at least five years and intended-performance information for the life of the equipment in its LEV FAQs.

Provide system drawings, commissioning data, previous examination reports, maintenance records and the relevant exposure assessment. Identify alterations to machines, hoods, materials or working methods since the last examination. Include the maximum number of capture points used together.

Arrange representative process operation and access to the necessary measurement points. Involve production, maintenance and safety contacts so the examiner can understand normal use. Agree how significant defects will be communicated and who decides whether the affected activity can continue with appropriate controls.

We establish the system inventory and due position, clarify the examiner's information requirements and coordinate the visit. The competent examiner assesses the system against the relevant performance basis and records findings for the equipment and process examined.

Handover turns findings into assigned actions. Separate immediate control concerns, maintenance repairs, missing information and design changes. Keep completed remedial evidence against the original observation and arrange any necessary verification, so the next examination does not simply repeat an unresolved list.

The number of systems and hoods, process complexity, access, measurement requirements and available performance information affect the work. An undocumented shared extraction network requires different preparation from a well-recorded standalone system.

The process may need to operate for assessment, while some examination activities require a safe shutdown. Agree the sequence rather than assuming testing means either uninterrupted production or complete closure. Repairs, cleaning, design appraisal and follow-up testing need clear inclusion or separate instructions in the quotation.

Industrial sites need process conditions and simultaneous use represented. Education needs workshop access and representative operation arranged safely. Healthcare and care needs the particular exposure-control task understood before the assessment scope is agreed.

These applications sit within the full sector range. Our service and project offering supports the sectors we serve; examination requirements follow the actual control equipment and process, including any specific shorter interval that applies.