How to Pass an LEV Inspection: Avoid the Common Failures
- Nexus Examination
- Jun 26
- 3 min read
A failed LEV inspection means downtime, remedial costs, and a compliance gap you have to close in a hurry. The frustrating part is that most failures are avoidable, and usually come down to maintenance that slipped or paperwork that went missing. Here is how to pass an LEV inspection, and the common reasons systems fail when they should not.
How Do You Pass an LEV Inspection?
To pass an LEV inspection, keep the system well maintained, make sure the original performance data is available to test against, fix obvious faults before the visit, and make sure the system genuinely captures contaminants at source. Most failures come down to blocked filters and ducts, poor airflow, or missing records.
In other words, passing is not a trick. It is the natural result of a system that actually works. We carry out LEV examinations across Berkshire and the surrounding counties, and the businesses that sail through are simply the ones that look after their kit between tests.
What the Inspection Is Actually Checking
A thorough examination and test compares your system's current performance against its original design figures. The examiner checks the physical condition, measures airflow and capture velocity, and judges whether the system still controls exposure at source.
So "passing" means the system is doing the one job it exists to do: keeping hazardous dust, fume, mist or vapour out of people's lungs. The HSE's LEV guidance sets the standard the examiner works to.
Why LEV Systems Fail
In our experience, failures cluster around the same handful of issues. The most common reasons an LEV system fails its test are:
Poor or uneven airflow, and weak capture velocity at the hood
Blocked or clogged filters and ductwork
Damaged or worn parts, such as cracked panels, perished flexible ducting or worn fan belts
Leaks at duct joints and seals
Faulty or missing airflow indicators, gauges or alarms
Hoods moved too far from the source, or the system altered for a new process
Missing commissioning data or test records
Almost all of these are preventable with a bit of routine attention, which is exactly where passing the test is won or lost.
How to Make Sure Yours Passes
The work happens long before the examiner arrives. A few habits make the difference.
Keep It Maintained
Change or clean filters on schedule, check fan belts and bearings, clear the ductwork, and fix leaks as they appear. The single biggest cause of failure is a system that has been left to drift between tests.
Keep the Performance Data and Records
Hold on to your commissioning data for the life of the system, because the test is judged against it. If you cannot show what "good" looked like, you cannot easily prove it is still good. Keep previous reports, the logbook, maintenance notes and evidence that past defects were fixed.
Do Routine User Checks
Get operators doing simple daily or weekly checks on airflow indicators and gauges, and reporting anything abnormal. Positioning matters too. With capture systems like a soldering fume extraction arm, a hood left too far from the source will fail, however well the rest of the system runs.
Fix Known Faults Before the Test
Do not book a test on a system you already know is faulty, and do not let anything clog the hoods or ducts in the meantime. Clear access around hoods, ducts and fans, brief staff on the visit, and allow enough time for proper measurements.
What Happens If It Fails
If a system fails, the report will set out exactly what is wrong and what needs doing. Act on those recommendations promptly, carry out the repairs, and arrange a retest. A system that cannot control exposure should be taken out of use until it is fixed.
In our experience, the businesses that treat the report as a to-do list rather than a filing job are the ones that pass cleanly next time. Our thorough examination services include clear recommendations for exactly this reason.
The Bottom Line
Passing an LEV inspection is straightforward when the system is genuinely doing its job. Keep it maintained, keep the records that prove its performance, fix faults before they are found for you, and make sure operators use it properly.
Do that and the test becomes a confirmation rather than a worry. Leave it to chance and you risk downtime, remedial costs, and a gap in the protection your people are relying on.
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