LEV Testing · Brierley Hill
The glass, forge and metal trades of the Pensnett Trading Estate at Brierley Hill raise fume, dust and mist the law says must be controlled. We examine and test local exhaust ventilation to HSG258 and certify it.
Brierley Hill built its name on glass and steel, and metal is still its trade - the Pensnett Trading Estate, one of the largest in the Black Country, carries the fabricators, platers and glass finishers on. Their welding and grinding bays, cutting and polishing lines and plating tanks all raise something their local exhaust ventilation has to capture at source.
LEV is tested hard by heavy metal and glass work and quietly loses its edge - filters load, ducts fur, a fan tires - until a hood stops holding the exposure. We carry out thorough examination and testing to HSG258 across Brierley Hill: 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.
In a Pensnett fabrication shop, the fume extraction over the welding and grinding stations needed its thorough examination. We measured capture at each point and the transport velocity, found the pull down on one hood, set the fix, and re-tested before certifying.
A glass-finishing line needed its cutting and polishing dust extraction testing. We measured capture at the wheels, checked the ductwork, and labelled the plant 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 condition of the hoods, ducting, filter and fan and how each is meant to control its process.
We measure capture and face velocities, transport velocity and static pressure at every key point.
The readings are judged against the design benchmark under HSG258, with a clear pass or fail on control.
The plant is labelled and you get the report and next-due date for your COSHH records.
At least every 14 months for most systems, sooner for higher-risk work such as heavy welding and plating. 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 fabrication, plating and glass-finishing units across Brierley Hill, and the wider Black Country.
No - weld fume, plating mist, glass and metal dust, machining mist and fume cupboards all fall under the same duty.
The Pensnett Trading Estate carries Brierley Hill's welding, plating and glass-finishing trades, the fume, dust and mist of Black Country metal and glass work drawn off wherever it is raised. We test to HSG258 so those lines 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 West Midlands 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 West Midlands.
