A fume cupboard is a type of local exhaust ventilation, usually shortened to LEV. It is there to capture and control harmful substances before anyone breathes them in. Because people's health depends on it working, there are clear expectations about keeping it in good order and having it examined regularly by someone competent.
None of this needs to be daunting. Once you understand what is expected and why, keeping on top of it is mostly a matter of planning.
What the law expects, in plain terms
Under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health regulations, usually called COSHH, employers must keep any control that protects people from hazardous substances in effective working order, and have it thoroughly examined and tested at appropriate intervals. For most fume cupboards this thorough examination and test happens on a routine cycle, commonly around every twelve to fourteen months, though many labs choose to test annually to keep it simple.
The point of all this is not paperwork for its own sake. It is to confirm that the cupboard is still doing the job it was installed to do, because performance can drift over time as filters load, fans wear, or the way the room is used changes.
A fume cupboard can look and sound completely normal while no longer protecting the person at the bench. That is exactly why it needs testing rather than assuming.
What a thorough examination and test involves
A competent engineer assesses whether the cupboard is capturing and containing as it should. In practice that usually includes:
- Checking the airflow at the face of the cupboard, so that air is being drawn in fast enough to capture fumes.
- Assessing containment, to confirm fumes are being held inside and drawn away rather than spilling back towards the operator.
- Inspecting the general condition, alarms, and any filters.
- Producing a clear report of the findings, and flagging anything that needs attention.
The report matters. It is your record that the control was working, and it is the thing an inspector or auditor will ask to see.
Staying on top of it
- Keep a simple record of when each cupboard was last examined and when the next test is due.
- Do not wait for a problem. Regular testing on a known cycle is easier and safer than reacting to a failure.
- If anything changes, a new process, a relocation, a knock, have it checked rather than assuming it is fine.
- Schools have their own additional guidance to follow, covered briefly below.
Do not rely on your nose
It is worth stressing a point that catches people out. The absence of a smell does not mean the absence of a hazard. Many harmful vapours have little or no odour, and a filter can be close to the end of its life while everything still seems normal. This is precisely why measured testing exists, and why a filter should never be judged by smell alone.
A word on schools
Educational settings have additional, sector-specific guidance for fume cupboards, and school units are checked against it. If you look after a school laboratory, it is worth being aware that your testing follows that guidance as well as the general duty under COSHH.
How we help
Our engineers carry out LEV thorough examination and testing on fume cupboards and related equipment, for our own units and other manufacturers'. We help you keep to a sensible schedule, provide clear reporting, and carry out any remedial work or filter changes that a test identifies, so you can demonstrate the control was doing its job.
LEV testing and servicing, all makes
Scheduled examination and testing, clear reports, and any repairs or filter changes identified, for any manufacturer's equipment.