HSE publishes legislation for Local Exhaust ventilation (LEV)
Clean air in a workers environment is an important subject: Working in rooms with contaminated air causes death by lung diseases of thousands of people in the UK every year. Lots of others suffer from asthma.
The health and safety legislation for UK, which was launched on the 20th May 2009, will help to “bring about a significant and measurable improvement in the coverage and effectiveness of engineering exposure controls particularly LEV in Great Britain” (the governments Health and Safety Executive). Therefore, improving the working conditions by reducing the exposure of workers to dusts and fumes and reducing the huge number of cases of respiratory disease are the aims of the legislation.
The new LEV-legislation focuses on three areas:
Workers:
"Time to clean the air"
A pocket guide that helps to check and to monitor the effectiveness of dust and fume equipment.
Employers:
"Clearing the air"
A buyers guide that will help employers develop a systematic and critical approach to buying and using LEV to avoid expensive mistakes and control exposures effectively.
Suppliers:
"Controlling airborne contaminants at work"
Guidance for the new legislation known as HSG 258 which is given on levels of competence for design and testing, design criteria and legal responsibilities. Moreover, there have to be more detailed instructions and user manuals.
Further information may be found on www.hse.gov.uk/lev//index.htm
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