How Often Should LEV Testing Be Done? Setting the Right Interval

Plenty of businesses treat LEV testing as a once-a-year job, or assume the 14-month figure they have heard is a target to aim for. Neither is quite right, and getting it wrong leaves a gap in both your compliance and your workers' protection. Here is how often LEV testing should be done, when it needs doing more often, and how to set the right interval for your system.

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How Often Should LEV Testing Be Done?

For most systems, LEV testing must be done at least every 14 months under COSHH Regulation 9. That figure is the legal maximum gap, not a recommended default. Higher-risk processes listed in COSHH Schedule 4 need testing more often, in some cases every 6 months, and your risk assessment may call for a shorter interval still.

The duty to get the interval right sits with the employer. We carry out LEV examinations across Berkshire and the surrounding counties, and one of the first things we sort out for a client is whether 14 months is actually appropriate for what they do.

What the 14-Month Rule Really Means

It helps to read 14 months as a ceiling rather than a schedule. It is the longest the law allows between thorough examinations for most LEV, not the interval HSE expects every business to settle on.

The right gap comes from your risk assessment, which weighs the substance involved, the process, and how quickly the system is likely to degrade. The HSE's LEV guidance makes clear that the interval should match the risk, not the calendar.

When LEV Needs Testing More Often

Some systems should be tested well inside the 14-month limit. In our experience, more frequent testing applies to:

• Processes listed in COSHH Schedule 4, some of which need testing every 6 months or even monthly

• Work producing respirable crystalline silica, such as stone or tile cutting

• Wood dust extraction, frequently tested every 6 months because of the link with nasal cancer

• Welding and metal fume extraction, often every 6 months given the serious respiratory risks

• Systems handling highly toxic or rapidly clogging contaminants

• Any system where the risk assessment shows performance drops off quickly

If your work falls into any of these, the default 14-month gap is almost certainly too long.

When to Test Sooner Than Scheduled

The interval is not the only trigger. Certain changes mean a system needs re-checking regardless of when its last test was. Bring testing forward if you have changed the process, introduced new equipment or materials, altered the work layout, or significantly modified the LEV itself.

The same goes if performance has visibly dropped, if there are signs of wear, or if a repair has been carried out. A system that no longer matches the conditions it was designed for may not be controlling exposure, whatever the calendar says.

Testing Is Not the Same as User Checks

The 14-month figure refers to the statutory thorough examination and test by a competent person. It does not replace the simple daily or weekly checks operators should be doing in between, such as glancing at airflow indicators and gauges and reporting anything unusual.

Both matter. The routine checks catch problems early, and our thorough examination services confirm at set intervals that the system as a whole still controls exposure as intended. One is not a substitute for the other.

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The Bottom Line on LEV Testing Frequency

For most LEV, testing should be done at least every 14 months, treating that as the maximum rather than the aim. Higher-risk work needs it more often, sometimes every 6 months, and your risk assessment should drive the final figure.

Set the interval by the risk rather than habit, bring it forward when the work changes, and keep the routine user checks running in between. That is what keeps the system protecting your people and keeps you on the right side of COSHH.