By workplace & process
Since welding fume was reclassified as a carcinogen, capture at the arc is not optional. A test proves it is happening where it needs to.
The short answer
Welding fume is now classified as a human carcinogen, and since 2019 the HSE has been clear that general workshop ventilation is not an acceptable control for any indoor welding, regardless of how brief the job is. Effective LEV captures the fume at or very close to the arc, before it reaches the welder's breathing zone. An LEV test exists to confirm that capture is actually happening, not just that a fan is running.
The detail
In 2017 the International Agency for Research on Cancer reclassified all welding fume, including mild steel fume, as a Group 1 carcinogen linked to lung cancer and possibly kidney cancer. The HSE responded with a safety alert strengthening its enforcement expectation: suitable engineering controls, typically LEV, are required for all welding done indoors, whatever the duration, because there is no known safe level of exposure. The same extraction also controls manganese in mild steel fume, which can cause neurological effects similar to Parkinson's disease.
That raised the bar for what an extraction system has to do. It is no longer enough to dilute fume across a room. The system has to draw fume away at the point it is generated, which for an on-torch or fixed hood means the capture zone has to line up with where the welder is actually working. Where LEV alone cannot hold exposure down, it must be supplemented with suitable respiratory protective equipment, with an assigned protection factor of at least twenty.
What it means for you
A thorough examination and test of welding LEV looks at whether the hood or on-torch extraction is positioned and powered to capture fume at source, measures the airflow and capture performance against the commissioning benchmark, and confirms the ducts, filters and fan are moving air as intended. The examiner records the readings, notes any shortfall, and sets the next test date - at least every fourteen months under COSHH, and sooner where risk demands.
The most common real-world failing is a hood that no longer sits close enough to the work, or extraction that has lost airflow through filter loading or duct leakage. Both leave visible fume drifting up past the visor even though the equipment is switched on. Good capture is specific and checkable, and that is exactly what the test is for.
The service behind the guide
We examine welding fume LEV against the capture performance the current standard demands and report clearly on any gaps, so your control is genuinely protecting the welder.
Questions
Yes, for indoor welding. Since the 2017 reclassification of welding fume as a carcinogen, the HSE expects engineering controls - typically LEV - for all indoor welding including mild steel, regardless of duration.
Fume is drawn away at or very close to the arc, before it reaches the welder's breathing zone. The hood or on-torch extraction has to line up with where the work is actually done, with enough airflow to capture at source.
No. Engineering controls come first. RPE is a backup for residual fume where LEV alone cannot control exposure, and outdoors where LEV is impractical, with an assigned protection factor of at least twenty.
At least every fourteen months under COSHH Regulation 9, and more often where the risk assessment indicates. The test confirms capture performance against the commissioning benchmark.
Because there is no known safe level of exposure to a carcinogen. Diluting fume across a room still leaves the welder breathing it; capturing at the arc removes it before it reaches them.
Phoenix Duct Clean · by the numbers
We test welding LEV against what good capture requires and give you a clear report with any remedial actions. Call or email to book.