Home > Regional Coverage > LEV Testing North East
Armstrong Environmental provides independent Local Exhaust Ventilation testing throughout the North East from our offices in Durham and Gateshead.
Our locally based team supports organisations across Newcastle, Gateshead, Durham, Sunderland, Northumberland, County Durham and the major industrial areas of Teesside, including Middlesbrough, Stockton-on-Tees, Billingham, Redcar, Wilton and North Tees.
We work with organisations ranging from individual workshops and laboratories to complex manufacturing sites and large estates containing significant numbers of LEV systems.
Local Exhaust Ventilation systems must continue to control hazardous substances effectively during normal use.
A thorough examination and test—commonly referred to as an LEV TExT—should establish whether the complete system remains in efficient working order and continues to provide the intended level of control.
Regulation 9 of the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations requires employers to maintain control measures in an efficient state, in efficient working order, in good repair and in a clean condition.
The COSHH Approved Code of Practice and guidance, commonly known as COSHH L5, supports these legal requirements. HSE guidance HSG258 provides further practical guidance on the design, commissioning, testing and management of effective LEV systems.
Most LEV systems require thorough examination and testing at least once every 14 months, although some processes require shorter intervals.
A competent LEV examination considers the complete system—including its hoods, enclosures, ductwork, air cleaners, fan and discharge—together with the process and how the system is used.
Testing can include visual examination, airflow and pressure measurements, smoke visualisation and comparison with commissioning or benchmark information. The report should identify defects, explain their significance and provide clear, prioritised recommendations.
An LEV TExT should provide more than measurements and a certificate. It should help the duty holder understand whether the system remains effective and what action is required where deficiencies are identified.
The North East contains a diverse mix of chemical, marine coatings, rail, biopharmaceutical, battery and advanced-manufacturing operations.
These environments can involve dusts, fumes, vapours, gases, biological agents and other substances hazardous to health.
Armstrong Environmental has experience supporting organisations across:
We understand the requirements of organisations operating complex processes, specialist engineering controls and substantial LEV estates where consistent testing, defensible reporting and long-term COSHH compliance support are essential.
Managing a significant LEV estate requires effective planning, accurate asset information and a consistent approach to examination and reporting.
Armstrong Environmental can coordinate LEV testing programmes across multiple departments, buildings and sites while maintaining the technical quality of each individual examination.
Our approach can include asset verification, planned testing schedules, consistent reporting, prioritisation of significant defects and identification of recurring or site-wide issues.
LEV Tracker® can provide duty holders with clearer oversight of their systems, reports, test dates and outstanding actions.
Our LEV testing capability covers engineering controls ranging from workshop extraction and production systems to fume cupboards and biological safety cabinets.
Alongside COSHH thorough examination and testing, Armstrong Environmental can undertake the additional testing required to validate biological safety cabinet performance against BS EN 12469.
Where LEV performance measurements alone do not provide sufficient evidence of adequate control, workplace exposure assessment and air monitoring can help establish the potential exposure of employees.
This can include personal exposure monitoring, static air sampling and comparison with relevant Workplace Exposure Limits in EH40. Workplace Exposure Limits are only one part of the COSHH framework; employers must still prevent exposure or ensure that it is adequately controlled.
Combining engineering-control expertise with workplace exposure assessment enables Armstrong Environmental to investigate both how the control performs and whether people are being protected as intended.
Clients choose Armstrong Environmental because we provide:
Our LEV testing is led by BOHS-registered LEV Specialists listed on the BOHS Register of Occupational Hygiene Professionals, which is accredited by the Professional Standards Authority.
