For those of you who remember H&S exams talking about testing LEV's every 14 months, if you attach a site vacuum to a portable tool, its then an LEV as it is on-tool dust extraction. Yes, CoSHH regulation 9 applies to what used to have a smiley face on it. The extractors have changed too, for collection of construction dusts, H or M Classification extractors must be used. 

We were given the challenge of working out how a potential fleet of 35,000 dust extractors could essentially gain an MOT through a network of some 5,000 technicians and engineers in UK hire companies. This started with pitot tubes, anemometers (many of which disintegrated!) and good old fashioned gauges.

 

We completed the project working with the HSE Respiratory Risk team along with Hire Association Europe (HAE) and its members. The good news is that we have ended up with a very simple low cost test kit which includes full instructions and of course videos as per my earlier post. 

Regarding frequency of test, for high risk activities such as construction, HSE guidance is for a TExT at least every six months. 

 

Video links to see the kit being used - https://www.youtube.com/c/Learningforhire

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HSE FAQs on OnTool Dust Extraction - https://www.hse.gov.uk/lev/faqs.htm

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On-tool dust extraction TExT is towards the bottom of the FAQs web page.

Hope this is helpful and please post any questions here.