Plymovent

What Is P601?

21st November 2023

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Every year in the UK, thousands of people unnecessarily fall ill to occupational diseases such as Asthma, Mesothelioma, and COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease). This is due to inhaling harmful airborne contaminants like dust, fumes, and gasses in the workplace.

Under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations, the law requires all employers to adequately control exposure to harmful airborne contaminants in the workplace that cause ill health. This means that it is an employer’s responsibility to ensure that exposure to harmful airborne contaminants is reduced to levels as low as is reasonably possible to protect their workers.

Any employer who uses local exhaust ventilation (LEV) to control these airborne contaminants must ensure that the system is operating effectively and is in good working order. According to COSHH regulations, a thorough examination and test of the LEV system must be completed once every 14 months by a competent individual.

One way of guaranteeing competence is to complete the P601 qualification. Although this qualification is not a legal requirement, HSE strongly encourages those testing LEV systems to have completed it.

What is P601?

The P601 qualification is a competence-based LEV training course designed to provide the theoretical knowledge and basic practical skills to enable examiners to competently undertake Statutory Examinations and Tests (TExTs) of LEV plant.

What Does the P601 Cover?

The qualification provides examiners with the methodology, theoretical knowledge, and practical skills to enable them to:

  • Understand the core principles and main design elements of an LEV system.
  • Identify the principles of good control practices of hazardous airborne contaminants and the role of an LEV system.
  • Understand the practices and procedures for undertaking statutory examinations (TExTs).
  • Select and use the appropriate LEV testing equipment.
  • Perform the correct mathematical calculations necessary to calculate airflows and velocities.
  • Conduct the required measurements safely to determine if an LEV system is functioning effectively and operating to the design specification for optimal performance.
  • Decide whether an LEV system can sufficiently control the identified hazards.
  • Provide appropriate solutions for any faults discovered.
  • Create reports and record the results of the examinations and tests (TExTs) in a suitable format as regulatory guidance requires.

Having a P601-qualified LEV examiner thoroughly examine and test your system guarantees that it works effectively, adequately controls exposure levels, meets the benchmarked performance levels and ultimately protects your employees.

At LEV Engineering, we thoroughly examine and test (TExT) LEV systems. Each of our examiners has attained the P601 accreditation and can confidently demonstrate their understanding of the principles of good control practice for hazardous substances in the workplace and the role of local exhaust ventilation.