LEV Testing · Bishop's Stortford
The Raynham Road units and the Stansted-side trades weld, machine and spray, raising fume, mist and dust the law says must be controlled. We examine and test local exhaust ventilation to HSG258 and certify it.
Bishop's Stortford's working side sits on the Raynham Road estate and the aviation-support trades toward Stansted. The engineering and machining units, the aircraft-support and vehicle trades and the joineries all raise fume, mist or dust, and each leans on local exhaust ventilation that has to capture it at source.
An LEV system slides out of tune without a sign - filters load, ducts fur, a fan tires - until a hood stops holding the exposure. We carry out thorough examination and testing to HSG258 across Bishop's Stortford: measured capture and face velocities at the working points, a judgement against how the system was meant to perform, and a label carrying a next-due date you can trust.
CNC and manual machining raises oil mist and metal dust at the enclosure and bench that has to be captured at source.
Flour, powders and steam need capture at the mixing and process points, from bakeries to production kitchens.
Saws, sanders and routers throw fine wood dust that has to be drawn off at the tool and the bench.
Weld fume and grinding dust need capture at the arm and booth, wherever steel is fabricated.
Bodyshop spray booths and prep bays carry paint mist and solvent vapour that the extraction has to hold and clear.
Fume cupboards, safety cabinets and dental and salon extraction all count as LEV and all fall due on the same clock.
Real jobs, described by sector and area - never by a client's name.
On the Raynham Road estate, an engineering unit's weld-fume arms needed their thorough examination. We measured capture at each arm and the transport velocity through the ducting, flagged one running slow, and re-tested after the fix before certifying.
An aircraft-support unit toward Stansted needed its machining-mist extraction testing. We measured capture at the enclosures and the transport velocity through the system, checked it against the design, and labelled it with the readings and next-due date.
Condition of hoods, ducting, filters and fan - the damage, blockage and wear that quietly drops performance.
Measured capture and face velocities at the working points, plus transport velocity and static pressure through the system.
The readings assessed against how the LEV should perform to actually control the exposure - not just whether the fan turns.
Where the process warrants it, sampling to confirm the control is keeping the substance out of the breathing zone.
The point of a thorough examination and test is to prove the extraction still controls the exposure - so we measure it, we do not eyeball it. Condition, capture and face velocities, transport velocity and static pressure are checked against the design intent under HSG258, and the result is written up and labelled on the plant.
We test to the HSE's guidance, HSG258, and the job ends in a report and a label on the plant: what was measured, what passed, what needs putting right, and the date the next test falls due.
We examine the hoods, ducting, filter and fan and identify how each is meant to control its process.
We record capture and face velocities, transport velocity and static pressure at every key point.
The readings are assessed against the design intent under HSG258, with a clear verdict on control.
The plant is labelled with the result and next-due date, and you get the report for the COSHH file.
At least every 14 months for most systems, sooner for higher-risk work. We match the interval to the process and label the next-due date on the plant.
The condition of hoods, ducts, filters and fan, and measured capture, face, transport and static-pressure readings - all weighed against how the LEV should perform to control the exposure.
We set out what failed and why, usually a single reading, so it can be corrected, then re-test to confirm control before certifying.
Yes - the Raynham Road units and the Stansted-side trades across Bishop's Stortford, and the wider Hertfordshire.
No - weld fume, machining mist, metal and wood dust, spray booths, fume cupboards and salon and dental extraction all fall under the same duty.

The Raynham Road estate and the Stansted-side trades carry Bishop's Stortford's engineering, aviation-support and vehicle work, each raising a fume, mist or dust its LEV has to draw off at source. We test to HSG258 so those units can prove their extraction holds what their people would otherwise breathe.
We have carried out LEV thorough examination and testing to HSG258 since 2001, across Hertfordshire and the UK. From a machine shop to a joinery, a spray booth or a lab fume cupboard, the job ends the same way: measured readings, a clear verdict, and a label whose next-due date you can rely on.
Tell us what you run and we will examine, measure, report and label it to HSG258 - across Hertfordshire.