COSHH, law & TExT
Being told the extraction was serviced last month is reassuring - and it is not the same as it having been tested.
The short answer
Servicing and testing get used interchangeably, and it causes real compliance gaps. Servicing - or maintenance - is the practical upkeep that keeps an LEV system running: changing filters, replacing belts, clearing ducts, fixing faults. The thorough examination and test is the statutory assessment that proves the system still controls exposure to the standard COSHH requires. One keeps it going; the other proves it works. They are not substitutes, and a serviced system is not automatically a tested one.
The detail
Servicing is ongoing and can often be done in-house or by a maintenance contractor. It is driven by the system's needs and the logbook - filters loading up, a belt wearing, a hood knocked out of position - and its job is to keep performance where it should be between tests. There is no fixed legal interval for a service; you do it as the system requires.
Testing is the TExT: a structured, three-stage examination by a competent person, measuring performance against the system's benchmarks and judging control effectiveness, at least once every 14 months. It produces a formal report and a next-due date. Crucially, HSG258 and COSHH are explicit that routine maintenance is not the same as, and does not discharge, the thorough examination and testing duty.
What it means for you
The two support each other. Good servicing means a system is more likely to pass its test and less likely to expose anyone between tests; regular testing catches the things a service misses and provides the independent, documented proof of control. Rely on servicing alone and you have a working system you cannot demonstrate is compliant; rely on testing alone and the system may drift or fail between examinations.
The practical trap is a maintenance contract that says LEV serviced and a duty holder who assumes that covers the legal requirement. It does not. If nobody has carried out a thorough examination and test to HSG258 in the last 14 months, you are not compliant, however well maintained the plant is. Check what your contract actually delivers - service, test, or both.
The service behind the guide
We provide the thorough examination and test that maintenance does not - independent, to HSG258, with a clear report - and can advise on the servicing routine that keeps you passing it.
Questions
No. Servicing is the practical maintenance that keeps the system running - filters, belts, repairs. Testing is the statutory thorough examination and test that proves the system still controls exposure. HSG258 and COSHH are clear that one does not replace the other.
Not on its own. COSHH Regulation 9 requires a thorough examination and test at least every 14 months by a competent person. A well-serviced system that has not had a TExT in that period is still non-compliant.
Often yes - routine maintenance and weekly checks can be done in-house or by a maintenance contractor. The thorough examination and test, however, must be carried out by a competent person able to make an objective assessment.
There is no fixed legal interval for servicing - you do it as the system needs, guided by the logbook. The statutory test is at least every 14 months, and more often for Schedule 4 processes or higher-risk situations.
Check what it actually includes. Servicing and the statutory thorough examination and test are different tasks; a service-only contract does not discharge the Regulation 9 testing duty. Confirm whether you are getting service, test, or both.
Phoenix Duct Clean · by the numbers
We carry out the statutory thorough examination and test to COSHH Regulation 9 - the part servicing does not cover. Call or email to book yours or check what you are due.