LEV Testing · Larkfield
The Larkfield Trading Estate and the New Hythe paper and print works raise dust, solvent vapour and weld fume the law says must be controlled. We examine and test local exhaust ventilation to HSG258 and certify it.
Larkfield's industry sits by the Medway at New Hythe, long a centre of papermaking, printing and packaging, alongside the engineering and fabrication units of the Larkfield Trading Estate. Their print and coating lines, converting and packing rooms and welding bays all raise something their local exhaust ventilation has to capture at source.
LEV is tested hard by print and process 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 Larkfield: 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 New Hythe print works, the extraction over the coating and drying lines needed its thorough examination. We measured capture at the working points and the airflow through the system, found one reading down, set the fix, and re-tested before certifying.
A Larkfield Trading Estate fabrication unit needed its weld-fume extraction testing. We measured capture at each arm and the transport velocity, 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 print and solvent 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 print, converting and fabrication units across Larkfield, and the wider Kent.
No - print and solvent vapour, paper and process dust, weld fume, machining mist and fume cupboards all fall under the same duty.
The New Hythe works and the Larkfield Trading Estate carry the town's print, converting and welding trades, the dust, vapour and fume 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 Kent 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 Kent.
