LEV Testing · Horwich
The engineering, vehicle and trade units around Horwich and the former Loco Works weld, machine, service and finish, raising fume, mist and dust the law says must be controlled. We examine and test local exhaust ventilation to HSG258 and certify it.
Horwich built locomotives on its 96-acre works between Red Moss and Chorley New Road, and the making has not left the town - the engineering, fabrication and vehicle units around the old works and the Middlebrook estate carry it on. Their welding and grinding bays, machining benches and spray booths all raise something their local exhaust ventilation has to capture at source.
LEV works hard 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 Horwich: 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.
At a Horwich fabrication unit near the old Loco Works the weld-fume extraction needed examining. We measured capture at each arm and the transport velocity through the ducting, found a fan below duty, set the fix, and re-tested before certifying.
A vehicle workshop near Middlebrook needed its spray booth and grinding extraction testing. We measured booth airflow and capture at the bench, 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.
A thorough examination and test under COSHH is a real assessment, not a rubber stamp. It is a structured examination of the system's condition, measurement of its actual performance, and an assessment of those readings against how the system should perform to control the exposure. It follows the HSE's guidance, HSG258, and ends in a report and a label.
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 such as spraying and heavy welding. 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 engineering, fabrication and vehicle units around the town and Middlebrook, and the wider Greater Manchester.
No - weld fume, paint spray, machining mist, metal and wood dust, fume cupboards and salon and dental extraction all fall under the same duty.
Horwich's units carry the town's welding, fabrication, machining and vehicle trades, the fume, mist and dust 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 Greater Manchester 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 Greater Manchester.
