Posted by Marian Vasilescu on October 8, 2019 in Business
Recently, one of our consultants was carrying out a survey in a foundry. They had installed this type of booth for their fettling operations. However, as can be seen in the following photograph, The booth was not being used in the way intended – the worker was carrying out the work outside the booth. The dust generated was not contained and, consequently, the extraction would not be as effective as it should be. The worker will have a higher exposure than if he carried out the fettling inside the booth.
Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV) is a machine that extracts air from a process as a way of controlling and reducing the exposure of workers to dust, fumes and vapor which could be hazardous to their health. It is a legal requirement, as set out in the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, for any employer to maintain working conditions for employees. Any employer that uses LEV techniques in the workplace must have equipment examined and tested at least “every 14 months” to ensure it is working effectively and safely.
LEV Testing is a legal requirement in the UK for compliance with health and safety standards. LEV Test reports often form part of a company’s insurance policy. Inadequate testing can result in employers being prosecuted, insurance policies being invalidated and even employees becoming ill.
How Welding Supplies Direct can help ? WE will carry out a thorough tests in line with COSHH Regulation 9 as detailed in HSE Guide HSG258 Our levels of service can be tailored to your Companies needs. However, most clients choose to take advantage of by combining servicing with the LEV testing. See extra details on LEV Testing.
Where employers use or intend to use LEV they must ensure that it is appropriate for the task, installed and operated correctly and subsequently maintained so it continues to operate as when originally installed. Suppliers of LEV can play an important role in helping the employer with the design, installation and maintenance of the equipment. This guidance is therefore intended to help employers and suppliers as well as managers, trade union and employee safety representatives to work together to provide effective LEV so that workers are not breathing in hazardous substances. Different chapters will be more appropriate for different audiences.