Manufacturers across all sectors have been calling for quicker LEV reports and Filtermist has responded by ensuring that all of its LEV engineers produce electronic reports which can be completed and returned within 10 days.
“The industry standard for turning around reports is about 15 to 20 working days, but we are hearing from many clients that they need them much quicker,” says Matthew Wall, LEV and service team leader at Filtermist. “With this in mind, we looked at our processes and came up with a strategy that sees all reports completed electronically on a tablet by our LEV engineers on site. These reports then get sent back to a secure internet portal in PDF format, where they are downloaded, filed and processed before being sent back to the client. This new approach has reduced our report lead time to just 5-10 days and, in emergency situations, we can even do it as quick as one or two.”
LEV is an engineering control system used to reduce exposures to airborne contaminants in the workplace, such as dust, mist, fume, vapour and gas. Companies are legally required through CoSHH regulation 9 to ensure LEV systems are operating effectively to protect their staff, with LEV testing by a competent person required at least once every 14 months. Some LEV systems require more frequent testing depending on the nature of the application.
Filtermist’s engineers are responsible for installing, servicing and LEV testing oil mist, smoke, fume and dust extraction systems for clients in a variety of industries across the UK. Investment in the latest skills is crucial to meeting the exacting standards demanded by customers.
The company has reinforced the importance it places on this capability by announcing that all of its installation and service engineers will be trained to P600 by Bill Cassells at special sessions due to be held at Filtermist’s Telford headquarters. Having previously worked as a senior HSE inspector, the founder of training company Oxly8 is a UK expert in LEV.
The P600 ‘Methods for testing the performance of LEV’ course focuses on the fundamentals of LEV systems, from their components, to measurement and testing techniques. Engineers will be provided with a sound foundation of knowledge, and can progress to further BOHS (British Occupational Hygiene Society) LEV qualifications if necessary.
Says Wall: “Our mission is to create cleaner, safer and more productive work environments, and one of the key ways of achieving that is by working with clients to ensure they not only install the best equipment, but regularly service and LEV test it, so it works to optimum performance. Investment in our engineers is part of a wider company approach to upskilling all of our staff and developing the next generation of Filtermist employees.”
