LEV Testing · Lee-on-the-Solent
The Solent Airport at Daedalus enterprise zone runs aviation, marine and engineering firms raising fume, mist and dust the law says must be controlled. We examine and test local exhaust ventilation to HSG258 and certify it.
Lee-on-the-Solent's working side is its old naval air station, now the Solent Airport at Daedalus enterprise zone, where aviation, marine and advanced-engineering firms run. Their aircraft and boat workshops, composite and paint shops and machining and welding bays all raise something their local exhaust ventilation has to capture at source.
LEV is tested hard by aviation and marine 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 Lee-on-the-Solent: 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 Daedalus aircraft workshop, the paint-booth and machining-mist extraction needed its thorough examination. We measured booth airflow and capture at the enclosures, found one reading down, set the fix, and re-tested before certifying.
A marine composite shop needed its resin and glassfibre extraction testing. We measured capture at the working points, checked the airflow, and labelled the system 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 such as paint spray and resin 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 aviation, marine and engineering units across Lee-on-the-Solent, and the wider Hampshire.
No - paint spray, resin and composite vapour, weld fume, machining mist and fume cupboards all fall under the same duty.
The Daedalus enterprise zone carries Lee-on-the-Solent's aviation, marine and machining trades, the fume, mist and dust drawn off wherever it is raised. We test to HSG258 so those workshops 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 Hampshire 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 Hampshire.
