Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration
LEV Testing
An extraction system can sound and look normal while pulling far less air than it was designed to, and the first sign is often a worker’s cough rather than a fault light. COSHH gives employers a fixed deadline to prove it still works: a thorough examination and test at least every 14 months.
Robinsons Facilities Services arranges LEV testing for factories, workshops, foundries and fabrication sites across Yorkshire and the Humber. We coordinate specialist engineers trained to BOHS P601 standard and organise repairs when a system falls short.
From £150+VAT per LEV unit (multi-unit discounts)
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Local exhaust ventilation (LEV) must be thoroughly examined and tested at least every 14 months under regulation 9 of the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002, or more often for the processes in Schedule 4. The test is carried out by a competent person, usually following HSE guidance HSG258, and records are kept for at least five years.
What the law requires
Unlike most building compliance checks, the LEV interval is set in law. Regulation 9 of COSHH puts the duty on the employer and sets the maximum gap at 14 months. Schedule 4 shortens it for some processes:
- every month: blasting to clean metal castings, and jute cloth manufacture
- every six months: dry grinding, abrading or polishing of metal for more than 12 hours a week, and processes producing non-ferrous metal castings
Test records, including any repairs, must be kept for a minimum of five years. If an HSE inspector finds a material breach, the business also pays HSE’s costs under Fee for Intervention, currently £188 an hour.
Where LEV testing applies
Any system that captures dust, fume, vapour or mist at source counts as LEV. Typical examples include:
- welding bays and soldering benches
- woodworking dust extraction
- spray booths
- metal grinding, fabrication and foundry work
- on-tool extraction and portable units
For South Yorkshire’s steel and metalworking firms, the six-monthly grinding rule in Schedule 4 is the one most likely to apply, so a site on a standard 14-month cycle can fall out of compliance without realising it.
Laboratory fume cupboards are LEV too, and have their own testing standards, covered on our fume cupboard servicing page.
What a thorough examination and test covers
The test compares how the system performs now against its commissioning data. A standard visit includes:
- a physical inspection of hoods, ductwork, fans and filters for damage and blockages
- airflow and pressure readings at each hood and duct, checked against the original design figures
- a judgement on whether each hood still controls exposure for the way it’s actually used
- a written report with a prioritised list of any remedial actions
If no commissioning report exists, the first visit establishes a baseline so future tests have something to measure against.
Checks between tests
HSE expects regular user checks between thorough examinations, such as reading airflow indicators and looking for damage, all recorded in an LEV logbook. The engineer can set out which checks suit each system and how often, so your team knows what to look for.
When a system fails its test
Common failures are blocked filters, worn fan belts, damaged or disconnected ductwork and hoods positioned too far from the work. Our specialist partners carry out repairs and remedial work, then retest so the record shows the system back within its design performance.
Pricing
LEV testing: from £150+VAT per LEV unit (multi-unit discounts)
Each extraction system is tested and reported individually, and the per-unit rate drops where several are tested on the same visit.
Repairs and remedial work: quoted works
Repairs are priced through quoted works after the test, with a fixed, itemised price agreed before anything starts.
How we support you
We act as your single point of contact for the specialist LEV engineers and track each system’s due date, including any on a one-month or six-month Schedule 4 cycle, so no test is missed. Reports are kept together for your COSHH records and any HSE visit.
Robinsons Facilities Services is SafeContractor approved and holds UKAS-certified ISO 9001.
Get a quote for commercial LEV testing →
Prefer to speak to someone? Call us on 01423 226578 →
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LEV Testing FAQs
With Robinsons Facilities Services, LEV testing starts from £150+VAT per LEV unit, with multi-unit discounts when several systems are tested together. Repairs found during the test are quoted separately. Send us an enquiry or call us on 01423 226578 for a quote.
No more than 14 months apart for most systems. Processes listed in Schedule 4 of COSHH need testing more often: monthly for casting blasting, and six-monthly for heavy dry metal grinding or non-ferrous casting work.
Yes. COSHH regulation 9 requires employers to get LEV examined and tested within fixed maximum intervals and to keep the records for five years. It’s one of the few building compliance checks where the interval itself is set by law.
P601 is the British Occupational Hygiene Society qualification in thorough examination and testing of LEV systems. The law doesn’t name a specific qualification, but P601 is the recognised benchmark for showing an examiner is competent.
A competent person, meaning someone with the knowledge and experience to examine the system and judge whether it controls exposure. Most employers bring in an external specialist with calibrated instruments, and HSE notes the test is often done by a contractor.
Usually, yes. The two terms are often used for the same thing: the statutory thorough examination and test, with airflow measurements and a written report. The routine user checks between tests are separate and go in the logbook. Our article on LEV system inspection explains what skipping the test can cost.
The report lists each defect with a priority. Serious faults should be fixed promptly, and exposure controlled in the meantime, for example by limiting use of the affected hood. After repairs, the system is retested and the result added to the record.
A typical report identifies each system and the process it controls, records measured airflow and pressures at every hood against the benchmark figures, and notes the condition of fans, filters, ductwork and controls. It gives each system a satisfactory or unsatisfactory rating with a prioritised action list and due dates, and the examiner signs it.
HSG258 is HSE’s guide to controlling airborne contaminants with LEV. It covers design, commissioning, user checks and the thorough examination and test, and is the guidance most LEV examiners work to.
Last updated: 13/10/2026
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