LEV Maintenance Between Inspections: Your COSHH Duties and Practical Guide
Your LEV system gets a thorough examination and test every 14 months. Between those formal inspections, what are you supposed to be doing?
More than most employers realise. COSHH Regulation 9 doesn't just require periodic testing. It places a separate, ongoing duty to maintain LEV systems in working order. The TExT checks whether your system is performing. Maintenance ensures it keeps performing day after day.
The Legal Duty: Regulation 9 Maintenance
The COSHH Regulations 2002, Regulation 9(1), require employers to ensure that every LEV system provided as a control measure is maintained "in an efficient state, in efficient working order, and in good repair."
This is a standalone obligation. It exists independently of the TExT requirement. Even if your last thorough examination gave the system a clean bill of health, you're in breach of Regulation 9 if you let that system deteriorate before the next one.
The three elements of the duty are worth unpacking:
- Efficient state — the system operates effectively. It captures and removes contaminants as designed.
- Efficient working order — all components function correctly. Fans spin at the right speed. Dampers open and close. Filters aren't clogged.
- Good repair — nothing is broken, worn out, or damaged. Cracked ductwork, torn filter bags, corroded fan housings — all need fixing, not just noting.
The practical implication: maintenance is proactive. It means preventing failure, not just responding to breakdowns.
What Maintenance Actually Involves
HSG258 distinguishes between user checks (quick daily or weekly inspections), planned maintenance (scheduled servicing), and repairs (fixing things that break). All three are part of your Regulation 9 duty.
User checks
These are the daily or weekly inspections your own staff carry out. They catch problems early — before a gradual decline in performance becomes a total failure. We covered these in detail in our guide on user checks vs thorough examinations.
Planned maintenance
Scheduled servicing of components based on manufacturer recommendations, system type, and operating conditions. This is the part many businesses miss. Planned maintenance includes:
- Replacing filters and bags before they're overloaded
- Lubricating fan bearings on schedule
- Checking and replacing drive belts before they snap
- Cleaning ductwork to prevent buildup
- Testing and calibrating static pressure gauges
- Inspecting flexible connections for cracks or deterioration
Reactive repairs
Fixing things that break despite planned maintenance. A motor failure, storm damage to an external discharge stack, a collision with a forklift that damages ductwork. These need prompt repair — the system isn't meeting its legal duty while it's damaged.
Maintenance Schedule by LEV Type
The frequency of maintenance tasks depends on your LEV type, how heavily it's used, and the substances it handles. This table provides a starting framework. Adapt it based on your system's specific requirements and the manufacturer's guidance.
| Task | Daily | Weekly | Monthly | As Needed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Visual check of all hoods and capture points | Yes | — | — | — |
| Confirm airflow at each extraction point | Yes | — | — | — |
| Check for visible contaminant escape | Yes | — | — | — |
| Read and record static pressure gauges | Yes | — | — | — |
| Inspect filters/bags for damage or loading | — | Yes | — | — |
| Check flexible hoses and arms for damage | — | Yes | — | — |
| Check dampers and blast gates operate freely | — | Yes | — | — |
| Listen for unusual fan noise or vibration | — | Yes | — | — |
| Clean or replace pre-filters | — | — | Yes | — |
| Inspect ductwork joints and seals | — | — | Yes | — |
| Check fan belt tension and condition | — | — | Yes | — |
| Lubricate fan bearings | — | — | Yes | — |
| Clean ductwork internal surfaces | — | — | — | When buildup is visible or airflow drops |
| Replace main filters or bags | — | — | — | When differential pressure indicates or on schedule |
| Replace worn or cracked flexible connections | — | — | — | When damage is found |
| Repair ductwork damage | — | — | — | When damage is found |
| Service or replace fan motor | — | — | — | When performance drops or fault occurs |
For systems controlling highly hazardous substances — carcinogens like wood dust or welding fume — err on the side of more frequent checks.
Record-Keeping for Maintenance
COSHH doesn't prescribe a specific format for maintenance records, but the HSE's employer guidance makes clear that you need to demonstrate your system is being maintained. When an inspector asks to see your LEV records, they expect maintenance logs alongside your TExT reports.
What to record
For each maintenance activity, log:
- Date of the check, service, or repair
- Who carried it out (name and role)
- What was done (specific tasks completed)
- Findings (condition of components, any readings taken)
- Actions (what was repaired, replaced, or flagged for follow-up)
- Follow-up (any outstanding issues and when they'll be addressed)
How maintenance records differ from TExT records
TExT reports are formal documents produced by a competent examiner after a thorough examination. They contain calibrated measurements, detailed component assessments, and a professional opinion on whether the system adequately controls exposure.
Maintenance records are your operational logs. They show what you've done between formal examinations to keep the system working. They're less formal but no less important. An examiner conducting your next TExT will want to review your maintenance records — they provide context for what they find during their assessment.
Together, TExT reports and maintenance logs create a complete picture of your LEV system's condition over time. Gaps in either record undermine the whole compliance picture.
Storage and retention
Keep maintenance records for at least 5 years, alongside your TExT reports. The COSHH Regulations specify the 5-year retention period for TExT records. While there's no explicit statutory retention period for maintenance logs, retaining them for the same period is standard practice and strongly recommended. An HSE inspector reviewing your compliance history will expect to see both.
Use our record-keeping requirements checker to confirm exactly what you need to keep for your specific setup.
When to Call a Specialist
Not every maintenance task needs an external engineer. Your trained staff can handle daily checks, filter changes, belt replacements, and basic cleaning. But some situations call for specialist involvement:
Call a specialist when:
- Airflow readings have dropped significantly and you can't identify why
- The fan is vibrating excessively or making grinding noises that don't resolve with basic checks
- You've modified the work process or added new extraction points — the system may need rebalancing
- Ductwork needs internal cleaning in hard-to-reach sections (especially if the substance is hazardous to clean)
- The static pressure readings are consistently outside the normal range recorded during the last TExT
- You need to replace major components (fan, motor, main ductwork sections) and want to confirm the replacement matches the system's design specification
Handle in-house when:
- Replacing filters and collection bags on schedule
- Tightening or replacing fan belts
- Repositioning hoods and flexible arms
- Clearing accessible blockages
- Replacing damaged flexible hose sections
- Lubricating bearings per the manufacturer's schedule
- Recording daily and weekly check readings
The dividing line is straightforward: if the task could change the system's performance characteristics or requires specialist tools and knowledge, get an expert. If it's routine servicing that your staff have been trained to do, handle it in-house.
What Happens When Maintenance Lapses
The consequences of poor maintenance are both practical and legal.
Practically: LEV performance degrades gradually. A filter that's 80% loaded doesn't stop working overnight — it gets progressively less effective. Capture velocity drops. More contaminant escapes into the breathing zone. Workers are exposed to higher levels of hazardous substances without anyone noticing because the system still makes noise and looks like it's running.
Legally: An HSE inspector who finds a poorly maintained LEV system doesn't need to wait for the next TExT. The duty to maintain is ongoing. If your ductwork has a visible gap, your filter is clearly overloaded, or your fan belt is fraying, that's a Regulation 9 breach right now — regardless of when your last TExT was. The HSE's Dust Kills campaign has driven targeted dust-inspection enforcement, and inadequate maintenance is among the most common enforcement findings.
Bringing It Together
Maintenance isn't a separate burden on top of your LEV compliance duties. It's the practical backbone of compliance. A well-maintained system passes its TExT without surprises. A neglected system fails — and may have been failing to protect workers for months before anyone checks.
The key is making maintenance systematic. Schedule it. Record it. Review the records. Act on findings promptly.
LEVproof is designed to make this manageable — tracking maintenance tasks, storing records alongside your TExT reports, and keeping everything in one place for when the inspector visits. Join the waitlist for early access.
Sources
- Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH) — legislation.gov.uk
- HSG258: Controlling airborne contaminants at work — HSE
- LEV guidance for employers — HSE
- Local exhaust ventilation (LEV) guidance — HSE
- COSHH main page — HSE
This guide summarises published HSE and government guidance. It does not constitute legal advice. Consult a qualified professional for advice specific to your situation.
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