Local exhaust ventilation – the dangers of ignorance

This is the first of a series of blogs from the Institue of Local Exhaust Ventilation Engineers (ILEVE), a Society of CIBSE, about maximising people's health in the workplace.

Adrian Sims, vice-chair of ILEVE, highlights the dangers of ignorance when it comes to local exhaust ventilation and highlights a scheme to help businesses find expert advice.

Local exhaust ventilation (LEV) engineers can find themselves visiting some unusual workplaces – metal foundries, industrial flour mills, timber merchants or chemical factories. Our role is to design, install and maintain LEV equipment and systems to reduce workers' exposure to airborne hazardous substances.

It's important to remember that any substance can be 'hazardous' to human health. It could be flour dust or fine sawdust. It's really a matter of the exposure level. And while many people may assume it can take years for an employee to inhale enough of a substance to suffer ill-health, that's far from the case. Sometimes only a very short exposure of minutes or hours can be enough to cause serious illness or even death.

Health and Safety Executive (HSE) figures show that, while the UK is comparatively safe, many workers are affected by poor or non-existent local exhaust ventilation. There are 13,000 deaths each year estimated to be linked to past exposure at work, primarily chemicals or dust. That shocking number reflects the fact that many businesses do not understand their obligations to install and maintain LEV systems.

Statistics from the HSE show

* ~ 60% of LEV systems are not thoroughly examined and tested

* ~60% of those that are tested are not tested competently

* >60% of LEV systems are not checked or maintained.

When you crunch the numbers, 65% of applications have local exhaust ventilation, but only 24% of those have adequate control of potentially health-damaging substances.

At this year's BESA Conference, my colleagues on the Committee for the Institute of Local Exhaust Ventilation Engineers (ILEVE) discussed the dangers of ignorance around LEV. Inspections often begin with a request for Safety Data Sheets on substances used in a business, and many of us are still supplied with the wrong information, out of date Sheets – or none at all.

Businesses are responsible for providing LEV systems in their workplaces and for the consequences of not ensuring they are correctly installed and maintained. Even if we leave aside the human cost, the dangers of poor LEV include explosions and fires that can destroy an entire factory in very little time. LEV should be important enough to engage the attention of a business all the way to the boardroom.

At ILEVE, we aim to make it easy for businesses to find LEV independently-assessed, competent experts to turn to when designing, updating or maintaining LEV systems. It may seem safe to assume that a contractor with expertise in ventilation is adequately qualified to deal with local exhaust ventilation. But LEV is a specialist field with very particular technical requirements, and businesses should be aware of the need to work with competent individuals.

That's why ILEVE launched a Partnership Scheme for consultants and contractors who employ LEV experts. Our scheme members are independently-assessed to ensure that their in-scope employees or contractors have ILEVE corporate membership (and trainees have an ILEVE Affiliate membership) and that the business follows industry best practices.

In addition, ILEVE Partnership Scheme member companies must also hold a suitable level of insurance specific to LEV work. And each Partner must nominate one LEV expert to take responsibility for the company's commitment to the requirements and philosophy of ILEVE.

Business owners have a lot of obligations, and keeping on top of regulations can be a challenge. But with the right expert advice, LEV should be straightforward to deal with, and protect employees and premises. The ILEVE Partnership Scheme makes those experts easier to find.

If you'd like to find out how to join the ILEVE Partnership Scheme.

#LEV #ILEVE