LEV Testing Companies
My last LEV test was in .
Choose the month and year, and this line will tell you when the next test is due under COSHH.
The rule is at least every 14 months. Blasting, grinding and casting processes listed in COSHH Schedule 4 need a test every one or six months instead.
LEV testing by industry
The test is the same in principle everywhere. What changes is the hazard, the kit, and the faults examiners find most often.
| Industry | What the extraction controls | Typical kit | Often found on test |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joinery and woodworking | Wood dust: asthma, and nasal cancer from hardwood | Ducted system with a cyclone or bag filter; connections on every saw, planer, moulder, sander and CNC | Blast gates left open everywhere, split hoses, dust settling in long duct runs |
| Fabrication and welding | Welding fume: lung cancer, and manganese affecting the nervous system | Fume arms, hoods, downdraught benches, on-torch extraction | Arms used too far from the arc, joints that will not hold position, loaded filters |
| Labs and school science | Chemical vapours and fumes from practical work | Ducted and recirculating fume cupboards, snorkel arms, balance enclosures | Cluttered cupboards, sashes above the stop, draughts from doors, old filters |
| Bakeries and food | Flour and enzyme dust: one of the main causes of occupational asthma | Hoods over mixers and tipping points, sack tipping stations, sieving enclosures | Hoods that do not cover the tipping point, dust escaping when sacks are emptied |
| Grinding, polishing and foundry | Metal dust and fume; some processes need testing every 1 or 6 months | Grinder and linisher hoods, blast cabinets, casting and fettling extraction | Wheel guards adjusted away from the hood, worn ducts at bends, shorter intervals missed |
Also tested: spray booths, oil mist extractors on machine tools, soldering fume units and on-tool extraction. Starting from scratch with a new system? That is commissioning, a longer job.
Whatever your industry, the examiner needs the same three facts: postcode, hood count, last test date.
Get a quoteWhat the examiner checks, hood to stack
HSG258 sets the test out in three stages: examine every part, measure how the system performs against its commissioning figures, then judge whether it is still controlling exposure while the work goes on.
Hood
Where the air is captured. Its position and shape decide most of whether the system works.
Ducts
Bends, dampers and blast gates. Air speed has to stay high enough to carry dust to the filter.
Filter
The pressure across it, its condition and whether it suits the substance.
Fan
Speed, belts and motor, and whether it still moves the volume the design needs.
Discharge
Where cleaned air goes: back into the room, or outside clear of doors and air intakes.
Every hood tested gets a label with the date and the next due date; a hood that fails gets a red label. The report follows, usually within a fortnight, with readings for each test point against the benchmark. More on the thorough examination and test.
The logbook between tests
The 14 month test is a snapshot. HSG258 expects the system to be looked after in between, and the record of that is the logbook: a few minutes a week from someone who uses the kit.
Check that each airflow indicator reads in its green zone, hoods are where they should be, hoses and arms are intact, and the filter is not overdue for emptying or a change. Write down what you found, even when it is nothing.
Keep the logbook with the commissioning report and the last test report. Together they are the evidence an inspector or insurer will ask to see.
| Week of | Indicators | Hoods, hoses | Filter | Initials |
|---|---|---|---|---|
What LEV testing costs
Testing firms price by the number of hoods or extraction points, with a minimum for the first system. Sites with many points pay much less per point than a workshop with one extractor, because travel and the report are shared out.
Budget for repairs too. A failed hood is often a cheap fix, such as a split hose, a stuck damper or a filter change, but it needs a retest once done.
| Item | Typical, ex VAT |
|---|---|
| First system, one or two hoods | £150 to £300 |
| Each further hood or point | £25 to £60 |
| Fume cupboard, several on one visit | £60 to £120 |
| Spray booth, per extract fan | £200 to £350 |
| Commissioning a new system | £400 to £1,200 |
Typical UK fees read from testing firms’ published prices, November 2026. A guide, not a quote.
Commissioning, testing and who can do them
Commissioning, once
When a system is new or altered, commissioning proves it controls exposure and records the air speeds and pressures at each hood. Those figures are the benchmark for every later test, so a site with no commissioning report has nothing to measure against. The qualification to look for is BOHS P604.
The periodic test, every 14 months
The thorough examination and test checks the system still meets that benchmark. COSHH asks for a competent person; in practice that means an examiner with BOHS P601, independent of whoever maintains the kit. If a hood fails, stop relying on it, repair it and have it retested.
What duty holders ask us
What do LEV testing companies do?
They carry out the thorough examination and test of local exhaust ventilation that COSHH regulation 9 requires: they inspect each part, measure air speeds and pressures, check the system still controls exposure, label each hood and write a report.
How often does LEV need testing?
At least once every 14 months. A few processes in COSHH Schedule 4 need testing more often: blasting to clean metal castings every month, and long-running dry metal grinding or polishing and non-ferrous casting every six months.
What qualification should an LEV examiner have?
The law asks for a competent person. The recognised qualification for the periodic test is BOHS P601; for commissioning, BOHS P604. Ask to see the certificate.
How much does LEV testing cost?
For one small system, typically £150 to £300 plus VAT, then about £25 to £60 for each further hood on the same visit. Our cost guide has an estimator.
How long must test records be kept?
At least five years, under COSHH regulation 9. Keep them with the logbook and the commissioning report.
What if our system has never been tested?
Book a test now and treat it as overdue. If there is no commissioning report either, ask for the first visit to set benchmark figures so later tests have something to compare against.
Sources for this page
- COSHH 2002, regulation 9: maintenance, examination and testing of control measures
- COSHH 2002, Schedule 4: frequency of thorough examination and test of LEV in certain processes
- Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (SI 2002/2677), legislation.gov.uk
- HSE HSG258: Controlling airborne contaminants at work, a guide to local exhaust ventilation (3rd edition, 2017)
- HSE: Commissioning LEV
- HSE: LEV information for designers, installers and examiners
- BOHS: LEV qualifications (P600, P601, P602, P604)
- HSE: Woodworking
- HSE: Flour dust and risks to bakers
- HSE safety alert STSU1-2019: mild steel welding fume
Get a quote for LEV testing
Postcode first, then a few details about the system, then your contact details. Two minutes, start to finish.
Received. We are on it.
- Within a working day we contact you with the name of a qualified examiner who covers your postcode and tests this kind of extraction.
- They only see your details once you have said yes.
- They agree the hoods, the date and a written fee with you directly. There is no mailing list.