How Do You Maintain An LEV System?

29th November 2023

When you operate a business that generates harmful airborne contaminants such as wood dust, welding fumes, and paint vapours, your LEV system is crucial in protecting you and your employees’ health and providing a safe workplace.

In this article, we explain how an LEV system should be correctly maintained to ensure it is providing adequate protection from harmful airborne contaminants in the workplace.

Why Is It Important To Maintain An LEV System?

Maintaining a Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV) system is essential to ensure it effectively controls airborne contaminants and provides a safe working environment for your employees. Maintaining an LEV system is critically important for several reasons:

COSHH Compliance: To comply with COSHH regulations, employers must adequately maintain their LEV system by testing it every 14 months. This ensures the system works properly and effectively protects workers’ health.
Worker Health and Safety: The primary purpose of an LEV system is to protect the health and safety of workers by controlling and removing airborne contaminants, such as dust, fumes, gases, and hazardous substances. Failure to maintain the system can lead to ineffective contaminant capture and workers’ exposure to harmful substances, resulting in health issues, respiratory problems, or other occupational illnesses.
LEV Efficiency and Effectiveness: Regular maintenance ensures that the LEV system operates at peak efficiency. If components like filters, fans, or ducts become clogged or damaged, the system’s ability to capture and remove contaminants diminishes. This can result in higher contaminant levels in the workplace and reduced effectiveness of the control measures.
Longevity of Equipment: Maintaining your LEV system can extend the lifespan of its components and equipment. Components may wear out prematurely without proper care and maintenance, costing you more money in the long run.