A Guide To Coshh And Local Exhaust Ventilation (lev)

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A large number of people in Great Britain die every year from lung disease or get asthma due to inhaling airborne contaminants at work. If your place of work produces dust, fumes, mist, gas or vapours then your health could be at risk. Maybe you work in a bakery, use spray paints or are a welder which exposes you to certain health hazards.

Such types of exposure are heavily represented in CoSHH legislation which sets out exposure limits, preventative guidelines and continuous reductions into the contact between people and hazardous emissions.

CoSHH regulations stipulate the steps companies must take to prevent, control and monitor exposure to contaminants in the air and there are unlimited fines for failing to comply with CoSHH legislation.

Local exhaust ventilation (LEV) is a suitable option to protect workers health and safety. LEV is a ventilation system that takes dusts, mists, gases, vapour or fumes out of the air so that they can't be breathed in. The equipment should be able to collect the air which is contaminated and ensure that it is contained away from people and also remove the air safely.

An LEV hood may come in various forms. It may be small and make up part of a hand held tool, or it could big enough to walk into.

It is crucial that the right kind of LEV system is used for the job in hand. In order for the system to work effectively and adequately control exposure, the hood must securely fit the hood.

Your employer is responsible for ensuring that the LEV supplier is competent to do the job so choosing the right contractor is vital. Employees will need training in the use of the LEV equipment by the supplier and how to check and maintain it.

Once the LEV is installed CoSHH law stipulates that checks must be made to ensure it works effectively. The equipment must be checked and maintained on a regular basis and must be tested and examined by following the guide in the manual and log book.

If there is any obvious damage to the LEV or it isn't working efficiently, employees should report this and it should be repaired straight away. Data from checks and maintenance should be noted in the log book.

It is important to examine and test LEV systems each year to ensure they still work well and continue to protect employees. Some high hazard processes will involve more rigorous CoSHH testing.

About the Author:
Dale Allen delivers CoSHH compliance as one of the UK's leading compliance authorities. Find out more about how you can use his online COSHH365 CoSHH assessment tool to produce compliant CoSHH assessments with the benefits of a managed Safety Data Sheet library.



Article Originally Published On: http://www.articlesnatch.com


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