Blog - Jasun Envirocare PLC

All about Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV)

Each year thousands of workers in the UK develop illnesses such as lung disease, cancer and other complications as a result of exposure to airborne contaminates while at work.

Any work that produces a substance such as dust, mist, fumes, gases, fibre, steam, chippings, swarf or vapours could be hazardous to health and cause unnecessary risk to an employee’s health.

Typical industries and activities

Typical industries and activities where the control of airborne hazardous substances may be needed include:

• Sawmills and joinery workshops
• Welding and sheet metal works
• Stone-masonry workshops
• Manufacturing businesses
• Factories
• Laboratories and places where chemicals are handled
• Paint-spraying and powder coating firms
• Schools, colleges and universities
• Engineering
• Bakery and food manufacture
• Plating and metal treatment facilities
• CNC machining
• Grinding, finishing and polishing
• Fabric and material manufacture
• Garages

Raising employer awareness

Employers are often unaware that their employees are being exposed to potentially harmful airborne substances.

This is because of several factors including inaccurate identification of the source of exposure, controls not being correctly used or the owner/senior manager being over optimistic about the effectiveness of their current checks.

What is an LEV?

An LEV system is an engineered solution specifically designed to capture and control any airborne substance before it becomes inhalable and potentially harmful.

By means of appropriate extraction methods, a LEV system provides control measures in the workplace preventing diseases and conditions occurring later in life.

Types of LEV equipment include:

• Fume cupboards
• Partial enclosure booths
• Extraction canopy hoods
• Carpentry extracts
• Welding extraction
• Spray booths

Get in touch

Having good air hygiene in your work environment is vital for your team’s health. Next month we’ll publish our second blog on this topic, which will be about legal LEV testing requirements.

So, if you think you have an LEV system, or multiple, our experts can help you to insure they are in a safe and compliant order.

Get in touch and have a free, friendly and informal chat with one of our experienced team members.

Why choose a Eurovent Certified Company?

It’s really important to choose a Eurovent Certified Company for your air filters.

Now, more than ever, it’s vital to know that the filter you are buying will perform to the levels that the manufacturer is claiming.

Guarantee of performance

Eurovent certification is your guarantee of performance. There are many counterfeit filter medias available, which simply will not meet the standards claimed.

Indeed, many filter suppliers are not even able to test their filters to the latest standards and so are unable to guarantee filtration levels.

Tested air filters

We test our air filters to EN16890 and EN1822.

As the UK’s longest established air filter manufacturer, we pride ourselves in the levels of quality and service we offer.

Plus, we’re the only air filter manufacturer based in the UK that has an ISO16890 test facility too.

Buy our products

You can buy our products direct via our one-stop-shop.

Tough energy efficiency standards for air filters

As the price of everything continues to rise and the demands for reducing CO2 emissions become more essential than ever, energy consumption related to air filters is our focus of attention.

The latest update to the Eurovent energy efficiency scheme came into effect in 2015.

With a new A+ grade and tougher limits, Eurovent 4/21 is good news for our customers and the industry alike.

Very best filters

Since the 4/11 programme was introduced in 2012, great strides have been taken in air filter technology. The products available today are now so efficient in their energy usage that the previous grading structure was no longer appropriate.

Eurovent 4/21 places a tougher limit on each grade and is structured to put a percentage of products into each category, so only the very best filters will achieve the highest classifications.

Eurovent energy efficiency classifications

Buyers of air filters will now find it a lot easier to find the right filter both in terms of energy efficiency and indoor air quality.

We’re a Eurovent Certified Company and have taken on board its new, objective energy efficiency classification are implementing it.

A+ is lowest energy consumption

All air filters can be graded from A+ to E: with A+ for the lowest energy consumption and E for the highest.

There are two key benefits for buyers and end-users:

• Selecting a higher-grade filter product will really mean you are choosing one of the most efficient options possible.
• The new classification encourages greater competition and product development, meaning better air filters with better performance. This tougher Eurovent 4/21 will result in air filters that offer even lower operating costs and energy consumption.

Eurovent 4/21 – energy consumption by filter grade (kWh)

The resulting effect of this re-structuring is that around 14% of all products will be downgraded from an A class – even those that fall just outside the new limit.

It should be remembered that the performance of these products has not deteriorated in any way; they still provide excellent energy efficiency. There is now simply more room for improvement.

It is also worth highlighting the difference in energy efficiencies between each filter grade. An A+ rated F7 filter could consume the same amount of energy as a B rated M6, for example.

So, it is crucial to choose a product according to what is required; not to over-specify the filter grade or select based upon purchase history.

The key is choosing the filter that will deliver the correct level of air cleanliness at the lowest possible energy consumption.

Working out the kWh number used in an air filter’s energy rating

• The filter is loaded with AC fine dust as specified in ISO 15957as L2in increments mtot and the pressure drop noted ∆P2
• A loading curve is then plotted on a graph
• Once the average pressure drop has been established, the equation below is used to calculate the Energy Rating in kWk. Calculation used in the new Energy Efficiency classification by Eurovent
• The kWh figure is purely a benchmark to compare one filter with another and should not be considered to be an actual consumption figure.