Dust extraction testing
Wood dust causes asthma, and hardwood dust can cause nasal cancer. The extraction on your saws, planers, spindle moulders and sanders is the main control, so COSHH requires it to be examined and tested by a competent person at least every 14 months.
A joinery shop with one ducted system and six to ten machine connections typically pays £300 to £840 excluding VAT.
- Hardwood dust limit
- 3 mg/m³
- Softwood dust limit
- 5 mg/m³
- Test at least every
- 14 months
Workshops that need their dust extraction tested
Joinery and furniture makers, shopfitters, sawmills, roof truss and timber frame plants, kitchen and bedroom makers, school and college DT workshops, and stone and worktop fabricators with dry cutting and polishing.
The workplace exposure limits are 3 mg/m³ for hardwood dust and 5 mg/m³ for softwood, averaged over eight hours, and where the two are mixed the hardwood limit applies to the whole lot. HSE has targeted woodworking in inspection campaigns, and the British Woodworking Federation reported in 2015 that most of the improvement notices issued in one campaign year concerned LEV and dust extraction.
Mobile single-bag extractors wheeled between machines are LEV too, and need a test like the fixed system.
Typical fees for dust extraction testing
| Item | Typical fee, ex VAT |
|---|---|
| Ducted system, first one or two machines Cyclone or bag filter, includes the report | £150 to £300 |
| Each further machine connection Saw, planer, moulder, sander, router or CNC | £25 to £60 |
| Mobile extractor Each unit, on the same visit as the main system | £25 to £60 |
| Retest after repairs Failed connections only | £100 to £200 |
Typical UK fees read from testing firms’ published prices, November 2026. A guide, not a quote.
What the examiner checks on dust extraction
- Each machine hood
Whether the guard and hood catch the dust where the cutter throws it. A table saw with a good under-table connection but no crown guard extraction can still fail.
- Blast gates
Which gates are open during normal work. If everyone leaves all the gates open, the far machines may get little air; the examiner tests the way you actually run it.
- Duct velocity
Wood dust needs high air speed in the duct to stay airborne. Low readings mean dust is settling in the runs, which is both a blockage risk and a fire and explosion risk.
- Filter and collection
Bag or cartridge condition, the pressure across the filter, shaking or cleaning gear, and how full the collection bins or sacks get.
- Return air
If filtered air comes back into the workshop, whether the filter is good enough for that, because fine dust passing the filter goes straight back into the breathing zone.
- Airflow indicators
HSE recommends an airflow indicator on each hood so operators can see when extraction is not working. The examiner will note where one is missing.
Saws, planers or a CNC due a dust extraction test? Get a quote.
Get a quoteHow dust extraction testing works
List the machines
when you enquireA count of machine connections and mobile units is enough for a quote. Photos of the filter unit help the examiner bring the right access kit.
Empty and check
the day beforeEmpty the collection bins and give the filter its normal clean, so the test shows the system as it is normally run.
Test each machine running
on the dayMachines are run as in normal work, with the blast gates set the way operators set them, and each connection is measured and labelled.
Report and fixes
after the visitFix any failed connections, often a split hose, a jammed gate or a blocked branch, and have just those retested.
Asked before booking
How often does dust extraction need testing?
At least every 14 months. Weekly and monthly checks between tests, recorded in the logbook, are part of keeping it in good working order.
Does a small hobby-style extractor need testing?
If it is used at work to control wood dust, yes. A single bag unit is a small job and usually tested at the per-point rate when the examiner is already on site.
Does a CNC router count?
Yes. The extraction at the cutting head is LEV and is tested like any other machine connection.
Our system passed but the shop is still dusty. Why?
Hand sanding, sweeping and blowing down with compressed air are common sources the machine extraction never sees. Your examiner can point these out, and on-tool extraction or a vacuum often solves them.
What does it cost?
For a typical joinery system, a few hundred pounds a year. See the LEV testing cost guide to estimate yours.
Related pages on LEV testing
Sources for this page
Fee bands are our own reading of what UK testing firms publish (2024 to 2026); we do not name or link them. The rules come from the regulations and official guidance below.
- COSHH 2002, regulation 9: maintenance, examination and testing of control measures
- HSE: Woodworking
- HSE HSG258: Controlling airborne contaminants at work, a guide to local exhaust ventilation (3rd edition, 2017)
- British Woodworking Federation: HSE wood dust clampdown and LEV testing (2015)
- BOHS P601: Thorough Examination and Testing of Local Exhaust Ventilation Systems
Get a quote for dust extraction 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.