By workplace & process
Silica, metal fume and intense heat make foundry extraction both essential and hard to sustain. A test has to confirm it still performs where conditions fight against it.
The short answer
A foundry stacks several serious hazards in a punishing environment. Workers can be exposed to respirable crystalline silica from moulding sands, metal fume and dust containing nickel, chromium, manganese, cobalt and lead, combustion products, and fume from binders and casting waxes - all in the presence of intense heat. Local exhaust ventilation is essential to control these, but the heat and the dust load make that extraction both critical and difficult to sustain, which is exactly why testing it matters.
The detail
The health hazards are severe. Respirable crystalline silica causes silicosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer; metal fume can cause metal fume fever, and manganese in particular has neurological effects. Because several of these substances are so harmful, exposure has to be controlled tightly and, for the carcinogens, reduced as low as reasonably practicable. HSE guidance for foundries, and HSG258 for the ventilation itself, set the framework.
Heat is what makes foundry LEV distinctive. Hot processes create strong thermal updraughts that a hood has to work with rather than against, and high temperatures are hard on ducts, filters and fans over time. Housekeeping is a hazard in its own right: dry sweeping is not acceptable because it re-suspends settled silica and metal dust into the air, so vacuum equipment of the right class is used instead. HSE benchmarking of the foundry sector has also found cases where the thorough examination and test supplied did not actually meet the Regulation 9 requirement - a reminder that the test itself has to be done properly.
What it means for you
A thorough examination and test of foundry LEV checks that hoods are capturing fume and dust at source despite the heat and updraught, that ducts and fans are moving air at the commissioned rate under demanding conditions, and that filters and collectors are coping with the load - at least every fourteen months, and often more frequently given the environment. Health surveillance runs alongside for those exposed to silica and to skin hazards.
The recurring failing is extraction whose performance has drifted under heat and dust loading, so capture that met the design on commissioning no longer holds in daily hot work. In a setting where the substances are this dangerous, proving that the extraction still performs - rather than assuming it does - is the core of keeping a foundry workforce safe.
The service behind the guide
We test foundry LEV against the silica, metal fume and heat it has to handle, and report on capture, airflow and the remedial work the environment demands.
Questions
Respirable crystalline silica from moulding sands, metal fume and dust containing nickel, chromium, manganese, cobalt and lead, combustion products, and fume from binders and casting waxes - all in intense heat.
Hot processes create strong thermal updraughts that a hood must work with rather than against, and high temperatures wear on ducts, filters and fans over time, so performance can drift more quickly.
Because it re-suspends settled silica and metal dust back into the air. Vacuum equipment of the appropriate class is used instead, so the cleaning method does not undo the extraction.
Yes. Workers exposed to respirable crystalline silica need health surveillance for conditions such as silicosis and COPD, and skin surveillance applies where dermatitis is reasonably likely.
At least every fourteen months under COSHH, and often more frequently given the heat and dust load, with the test confirming capture and airflow are holding under demanding conditions.
Phoenix Duct Clean · by the numbers
We examine foundry LEV against the silica, metal fume and heat it must cope with, and report clearly on performance. Call or email to book.