COSHH 2002 · Regulation 9

LEV testing & thorough examinations

Statutory examination and testing of local exhaust ventilation by a competent person

If your workplace uses local exhaust ventilation to control dust, fume, mist or vapour, COSHH places a legal duty on you to have it thoroughly examined and tested at suitable intervals. SEIS engineer surveyors measure how well your system actually captures and removes contaminant, then issue the report that is your evidence of compliance.

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Independent & impartial
BOHS P601 competence
HSG258 method

14 months

Maximum test interval, most systems

HSG258

The HSE method we test to

P601

Competence standard for LEV testing

5 years

Records retained

Regulation 9 explained

What COSHH actually requires of you

COSHH applies wherever work exposes people to substances hazardous to health, the dusts, fumes, mists, vapours and gases that cause occupational ill health. Where you rely on local exhaust ventilation to control that exposure, Regulation 9 requires the system to be maintained in efficient working order and, crucially, to be thoroughly examined and tested at suitable intervals by a competent person.

That examination is not a quick look at the fan, and it is not the same as servicing the system. It is a measured assessment of whether the LEV still captures and removes contaminant the way it was designed to, and it must result in a written report you can show the HSE.

The duty stays with you. Bringing in a testing contractor does not transfer it. Under COSHH the responsibility for controlled exposure sits with the employer or duty-holder, for every system on site, throughout its working life.

What a compliant examination delivers

Tested by a competent person, typically BOHS P601 qualified, independent of who maintains the system
Recorded in a written report with measured airflow data, defects and remedial actions
Defects flagged with clear actions so you can put them right before they become a risk
Records kept for at least five years as your evidence of compliance

What a TExT covers

What an LEV examination measures

A Thorough Examination and Test follows the HSE method in HSG258: a visual examination, a set of performance measurements, and a judgement on whether the system actually controls exposure. These are the areas assessed on every visit.

01

Condition & integrity

A thorough visual examination of hoods, ducting, filter housings, fans, dampers and discharge points for damage, wear, corrosion, leaks and incorrect installation.

02

Capture velocity

Measured airflow at each hood, the speed of air drawing contaminant in at source, checked against the system’s design performance and HSG258 benchmarks.

03

Duct airflow & pressure

Duct velocities and static pressures measured at test points with calibrated instruments, to confirm the system moves enough air through every branch.

04

Filters & fan performance

The condition of filters and the performance of the fan, the parts whose gradual decline quietly reduces extraction long before anyone notices.

05

Control effectiveness

A judgement, often shown with smoke or dust-lamp visualisation, on whether contaminant is genuinely controlled, with all data and remedial actions in your report.

Commissioning, routine & after change

When your LEV needs examining

COSHH expects an LEV system to be assessed at more than one point in its life. Knowing which applies helps make sure a system is never quietly running below the performance it was installed to deliver.

Commissioning baseline

When a system is first installed, its designed performance should be recorded as a commissioning baseline. That baseline is what every later test measures against, so a system without one starts at a disadvantage. Establishing it is typically a P604-level task.

Routine examination & test

The recurring TExT, at least every fourteen months for most systems and more often for higher-risk processes. This is the examination most duty-holders mean when they talk about LEV testing.

After modification or relocation

Any change that could affect performance, a new hood, altered ductwork, a moved machine or a replaced fan, warrants a fresh examination, because the system in use is no longer the system that was last tested.

Examination, test or maintenance?

Three things that are often confused

Only one of these satisfies COSHH Regulation 9. Knowing the difference shows where the statutory duty actually sits, and why in-house checks, valuable as they are, do not replace it.

Statutory

Thorough Examination & Test

The formal TExT by a competent person, measuring performance against design and producing a written report. This is the legal requirement under Regulation 9, and the only one that discharges it.

In-house

Operator & visual checks

The routine daily or weekly checks your own people make: airflow indicators, filter condition, obvious damage. Important for catching problems early, but they are not a thorough examination.

When new

Commissioning assessment

The baseline taken when a system is installed or substantially changed, recording its designed performance. It sets the reference every later test is judged against, rather than replacing the recurring test.

Only a Thorough Examination and Test by a competent person satisfies COSHH Regulation 9. SEIS provides that test, independently.

14MONTHS MAX

How often

Why 14 months is a ceiling, not a target

COSHH sets the longest permitted gap between examinations at fourteen months for most LEV systems. The two months beyond a year exist to give you scheduling room, not to stretch the real interval. It is a legal maximum, not a default that suits every process.

Two things pull the interval shorter. Schedule 4 of COSHH sets fixed, shorter minimums for named high-risk processes, some as tight as six months. And HSG258 is clear that you test more often wherever wear would degrade performance between tests, or risk assessment shows higher exposure potential. Defaulting every system on site to fourteen months, regardless of what it serves, is where duty-holders most often come unstuck.

Areas we cover

LEV testing across our coverage area

We work nationwide, with established local engineer surveyors across our coverage area. Choose your county to find lev testing in your nearest town.

Common questions

LEV testing and certification: common questions

How often does an LEV system need testing?

Under COSHH Regulation 9, most LEV systems need a Thorough Examination and Test at least every fourteen months. That is a legal maximum. Higher-risk processes named in Schedule 4 need testing more often, some every six months, and a risk assessment can shorten the interval further.

What is an LEV Thorough Examination and Test?

It is a detailed statutory inspection following the HSE method in HSG258. A competent person visually examines the hoods, ducting, filters and fan, measures airflow and capture performance against the system’s design, and judges whether contaminant is genuinely being controlled, then reports the findings.

Who is competent to carry out LEV testing?

Someone with the training, experience and calibrated instruments to measure LEV performance and judge it objectively. In practice this means an engineer qualified to BOHS P601, the recognised standard for thorough examination and testing of LEV systems.

What do I get after an LEV test?

A written report containing the measured airflow and capture data, the condition of each part of the system, any defects found, the remedial actions needed and the next due date. You must keep these records for at least five years as evidence of compliance.

What happens if my LEV fails the test?

The report sets out clear remedial actions. Where the system is not controlling exposure adequately, that needs putting right, and in some cases a system may need to be taken out of use until it is. A follow-up check confirms the fix has restored proper control.

Is LEV testing a legal requirement?

Yes. Where you use local exhaust ventilation to control exposure to a substance hazardous to health, COSHH Regulation 9 makes the thorough examination and test a legal duty. The duty sits with the employer or duty-holder, not with the testing contractor.

Due an LEV test?

Talk to an engineer surveyor about your extraction systems, get a quote, and book your LEV thorough examination and test, wherever you are in the UK.

0330 043 8191 Request a quote