Welding fume extraction testing
Since HSE’s 2019 safety alert, mild steel welding fume has been treated as a cause of lung cancer, and general ventilation is no longer accepted as control for welding indoors. That puts extraction arms, hoods, downdraught benches and on-torch extraction at the centre of most fabrication shops, and each one needs testing at least every 14 months.
A shop with four fume arms on one fan typically pays £200 to £420 excluding VAT.
- HSE alert
- February 2019
- Test at least every
- 14 months
- Typical arm
- £25 to £60
Who needs welding fume extraction tested
Fabricators and steel erectors with indoor welding bays, engineering workshops, agricultural and plant repairers, vehicle body and trailer builders, manufacturing lines with robotic welding cells, and school and college welding workshops.
HSE says you must thoroughly examine and test LEV at least every 14 months. Where LEV alone does not get exposure low enough, respiratory protection is added on top, not instead.
Soldering fume extractors in electronics assembly are LEV too, and are often forgotten because they sit on the bench.
Typical fees for welding fume extraction
| Item | Typical fee, ex VAT |
|---|---|
| First system, one or two arms or hoods Wall or ceiling fan with filter, report included | £150 to £300 |
| Each further arm, hood or bench On the same system or visit | £25 to £60 |
| On-torch extraction unit Each portable unit tested at the bench | £25 to £60 |
| Robotic cell enclosure Usually priced as a small separate system | £60 to £120 |
Typical UK fees read from testing firms’ published prices, November 2026. A guide, not a quote.
What the examiner checks on welding extraction
- Capture distance
How far the arm hood can be from the arc and still pull the fume in. Most capturing hoods lose most of their effect beyond about one hood diameter, so the examiner checks the distance welders actually use.
- Arm joints and hoses
Split or crushed hoses and loose joints leak air before it reaches the hood. Arms that will not hold their position tend to get pushed out of the way.
- Air speed at the hood
Velocity at the hood face and the hood static pressure, compared with the commissioning figures.
- Filter and spark arrestor
Filter loading and the pressure across it, and the spark arrestor or pre-separator where there is one.
- Where the air goes
Whether cleaned air returns to the shop and whether the filter is rated for welding fume, or whether it discharges outside clear of doors and windows.
Fume arms due their test, or an HSE visit coming? Get a quote.
Get a quoteHow a welding extraction test runs
Count the arms
when you enquireFixed arms, hoods, downdraught benches and portable units, and how many fans they share.
Weld as normal
on the dayThe examiner watches typical work with smoke or by eye to see whether fume rises past the hood.
Measure and label
on the dayEach arm is measured, compared with its benchmark and labelled pass or fail with the next due date.
Training points
in the reportWhere the kit is fine but the hood is used too far from the arc, the report says so. That is a training fix, not a repair.
Asked before booking
Is general ventilation enough for welding?
Not indoors. HSE’s 2019 alert says suitable engineering controls, typically LEV, are needed for all indoor welding whatever the duration.
Do on-torch extraction guns need testing?
Yes. They are LEV, and the examiner tests the unit and the flow at the torch.
Can we test the arms ourselves between visits?
You should check them. Weekly checks of hoses, positioning and airflow indicators recorded in the logbook are expected. The statutory test still needs a competent examiner.
Does stainless steel welding change anything?
The fume contains chromium and nickel compounds, so control matters even more. The test itself is the same.
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 safety alert STSU1-2019: change in enforcement expectations for mild steel welding fume
- HSE: Maintenance, examination and testing of LEV and RPE (welding)
- HSE HSG258: Controlling airborne contaminants at work, a guide to local exhaust ventilation (3rd edition, 2017)
- BOHS P601: Thorough Examination and Testing of Local Exhaust Ventilation Systems
Get a quote for welding fume 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.