Spray Booth LEV Testing – Everything you need to know, and more! Did you know that spray booths are subject to smoke clearance testing too…
Spray Booth LEV Testing
Under Regulation 9 of the COSHH regulations, vehicle bodyshop owners have a legal requirement to adequately control airborne contaminants at work through the use of local exhaust ventilation (LEV) systems. Exposure to harmful isocyanate substances should be controlled in spray booths and paint mixing rooms.
According to the HSE’s Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations 2002, businesses and vehicle bodyshop owners that have spray paint extraction systems and who use isocyanate materials should have spray booths tested annually (or once in a 14 month period). Paint spray extraction systems should be: “Maintained in an efficient state, in efficient working order, in good repair and in a clean condition,” to control exposure to isocyanates.
Spray Booth Smoke Clearance Testing
Employers should utilise a LEV examination and test as a management audit tool to assess the LEV system over the past year. The primary objective of completing tests is to identify defects in the LEV equipment to have them remedied so those airborne contaminants at work are adequately controlled.
In addition to LEV testing, spray booths should be subject to smoke clearance testing, in tandem with LEV testing. This test measures the length of time taken for isocyanate particles to be cleared from the booth. In the test, the booth is filled with smoke and when switched on, an accurate reading is taken to calculate how long it takes to completely extract the smoke.
Upon completion of the smoke clearance test, the measured time should be indicated on entry points to the booth to inform anyone who wants to enter the spray booth without appropriate respiratory protective equipment (RPE). This time can then be used going forward as the elapsed guideline time (after the spraying task have been completed) before it is safe to enter.
Both LEV test reports and smoke clearance test reports should be filled in the LEV Logbook for a minimum period of 5 years.
The Dangers of Isocyanates
HSE HSG 276: Isocyanate Paint Spraying guidance states: “Isocyanate paint mist is invisible and breathing it in can cause occupational asthma:” Whilst Yale School of Medicine states that: “If occupational asthma develops, attacks can are triggered in a variety of environments; not just by isocyanate exposure.”
According to HSE’s INDG 388: Safety In Isocyanate Paint Spraying guidance, “Breathing in isocyanate paint mist can cause asthma and vehicle paint sprayers are about 80 times more likely to get asthma than the average worker.”
Symptoms of occupational asthma include (or work-related asthma):
- Wheezing
- Shortness of breath
- A runny nose
- Nasal congestion
- Eye irritation and;
- Chest tightness
According to the HSE’s latest figures, published in Health and Safety at Work: Summary statistics for Great Britain 2020: “There were 174 new cases of occupational asthma seen by chest physicians in 2019, with evidence of an increase in the rate of new cases over recent years.”
Fully Qualified Engineers
Our highly skilled and qualified spray booth engineers are capable of completing spray booth testing and LEV testing on all spray booth equipment in accordance with the current legislation. Our engineers have undertaken all the mandatory and ongoing training assessments to ensure they are fully compliant with the current spray booth regulations, guidelines and best practices.
Save Yourself Time and Money
Save yourself time and money out of maintaining your LEV systems with a comprehensive Service Level Agreements (SLA). We offer tailored maintenance service contracts for all types of LEV equipment and we can tailor maintenance schedules around you to suit you and your business’s operational requirements.
An Inventory of Successfully Completed Installations
Over our 20 years in business, we’ve helped thousands of businesses provide pollution-free workplaces. We’ve provided comprehensive LEV design and specification, installation, certification services for all kinds of processes and industries. Browse some of our favourite projects in our Case Studies section.
Why Choose Auto Extract Systems?
Auto Extract Systems is the UK’s leading LEV company. Over the last 20 years, we’ve helped thousands of businesses create dust and fume free workplaces. We have steadily been building and diversifying into new industries to help businesses provide pollution-free workplaces with comprehensive LEV (local exhaust ventilation) systems. Our team of P602 qualified LEV system design engineers have over 80 years of combined experience, the know-how, and the ability to specify comprehensive LEV systems to help your business meet HSE’s HSG258 guidance.
As experts in all things LEV, we can help your business become Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulation 2002 compliant with a tailored LEV solution. We provide comprehensive design, installation, testing, maintenance and remedial works services across a range of industry sectors. Find out more about us here.
Get in touch with our team today to discuss your requirements. Call us on 01942 267444, email info@autoxtract.co.uk.
Request your FREE LEV Site Assessment Today!
We’ll call to arrange a convenient time and date to visit your site. We’ll analyse your working processes, assess the substances used and the contaminants generated. We’ll work out how best to control the dust and fume in a way that’s in line with your COSHH risk assessment. Next, we’ll design you a comprehensive LEV system that adheres to HSG258 guidance and send this you to via email.
We’ll do all this to ensure we fully understand your dust and fume extraction requirements and help you to provide a pollution-free workplace!
This is an amazing service we do for thousands of businesses throughout the UK and Ireland every year. We work with such a wide variety of industries, from manufacturing, industrial, woodworking, pharmaceutical and automotive workshops to schools, colleges and military establishments.
Request your FREE, no-obligation LEV site assessment today!
