Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV)
Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV) - Dust and Fume Extraction in the Workplace
On 9th June, 2009 HSE will hold a seminar/workshop for Machinery and LEV Suppliers at the Uttoxeter racecourse. A central message will be that wood dust is known to cause asthma, a condition which is not reversible. The event is free and we believe will be of interest to members.
HSE hold the opinion that standards of dust control in the wood and furniture industries are generally poor and up to now have focussed most of its attention on users of dust extraction equipment. In future HSE will turn its attention to Machinery and Dust Extraction suppliers and at the Seminar will highlight key messages to all sectors from dust extraction design to system maintenance and testing.
We believe the HSE focus is part of a long term programme to improve dust extraction in factories with their Inspectors attending HSE training courses on how to deal with situations they encounter in the field. In this respect the Inspectors have been equipped with test equipment specifically related to dust control Appendix 3 Inspector's Test Equipment. A HSE Topic Pack Assessing and inspecting LEV systems - Disease Reduction Programme' is a comprehensive 80 page guide to the inspection of LEV systems for use by HSE Inspectors. This Topic Pack is in advanced draft form and is expected to be finalised shortly.
HSE have indicated that they expect the improvement of LEV systems to be a gradual process and they are mindful of today's economic conditions and the indication is that when Inspectors issue enforcement guidance they will place a lot of emphasis on two HSE publications:
- Clearing the Air -A simple guide to buying and using local exhaust ventilation (LEV) - This publication has a code INDG408 and can be downloaded from www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg408.pdf.
- Controlling airborne contaminants at work - A guide to local exhaust ventilation (LEV) - This publication coded HSG258 is a book obtainable from HSE books at £12.95 http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/hsg258.htm.
It is a legal requirement for users of dust extraction systems to make sure the system continues to working properly and state that most systems need examination and testing by a competent person, once each year(legally a user is allowed 14 months between tests). Testing isn't normally something that the user can do for himself and most of our WMSA members involved with dust extraction offer this Test/Examination facility.
HSE believe that a well designed dust extraction system will continue to protect as long as air-flow into the hood is maintained and recommend that a simple way of monitoring the air-flow is the use of air-flow indicators (or equivalents) clearly visible to machine operators. A simple and helpful guide to the requirement and use of air-flow indicators can be found at the HSE Frequently asked LEV questions at this link www.hse.gov.uk/lev/faqs.htm.
WMSA are proposing to encourage users of dust extraction equipment to contact WMSA members for Test and Examination of their existing dust extraction equipment, Fitting of Air-Flow indicators (or equivalent), Quotations for new systems. We will mailshot our comprehensive user database with information on WMSA members offering these services.
