🦠 Preventing Infections at Work: How Local Exhaust Ventilation Can Help

When people think about workplace safety, slips, trips, and visible hazards are usually the first things that come to mind. But what about the invisible threats — bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other microorganisms that can cause serious infections?

Workplace infections can spread through the air, settle on surfaces, and put staff and visitors at risk. That’s why proper control measures, including adequate Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV), are essential to protect your people and meet health and safety obligations.

Understanding Biological Hazards at Work

Biological hazards, known as biological agents in UK health and safety regulations, include bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites, and prions. Workers can be harmed by:

• Becoming infected directly

• Developing an allergic reaction

• Suffering from illness due to toxins produced by the microorganisms

  
  

Exposure can happen when working directly with these agents — for example, in research labs — or incidentally through everyday tasks, such as caring for patients or maintaining building systems that may harbour harmful bacteria like Legionella.

Where Infections Are a Risk

Typical scenarios where staff could be exposed include:

✅ Healthcare: Nurses, carers, and other frontline workers handling infectious materials and patients.

✅ Laboratories: Technicians and scientists handling samples and cultures.

✅ Tattoo and beauty studios: Procedures involving skin piercing increase the risk of spreading bloodborne viruses.

✅ Building maintenance: Poorly managed cooling towers or air systems can spread Legionnaires’ disease.

In all these environments, controlling contaminated air is vital.

How LEV Helps Reduce Infection Risks

Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV) works by capturing contaminated air and bioaerosols right where they are generated — before they can spread throughout the workspace. LEV helps protect workers and visitors from breathing in harmful particles and reduces the risk of cross-contamination.

Good LEV design, installation, and maintenance can:

✔️ Extract airborne bacteria and viruses during tasks that generate aerosols, such as sample testing, dental procedures, or cleaning up spills.

✔️ Contain and remove contaminated air from enclosed work areas like labs and treatment rooms.

✔️ Complement general ventilation and hygiene measures to provide layered protection.

Practical Examples

✅ In laboratories:

• Fume cupboards and microbiological safety cabinets isolate and remove hazardous aerosols from lab processes.

  
  

✅ In healthcare:

• Local extraction arms or mobile units capture infectious droplets at the source.

• Portable HEPA-filtered air cleaners can add extra protection in patient rooms.

  
  

✅ In beauty and tattoo studios:

• LEV helps control airborne particles during skin treatments and piercing, lowering infection risks.

  
  

✅ In building systems:

• Correctly maintained LEV and water system controls help manage Legionella bacteria and prevent Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks.

  
  

What the Law Requires

Under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH), employers must:

✔️ Assess biological risks in the workplace

✔️ Implement engineering controls like LEV where appropriate

✔️ Inspect and maintain LEV systems to keep them effective

✔️ Train staff to use systems correctly

Failing to maintain your LEV properly can increase the risk of infections spreading; therefore, regular testing and servicing are essential.

A-Mac Environmental — Here to Help

At A-Mac Environmental, we specialise in designing, installing, and maintaining LEV systems that protect your people and your business. Our expert team can assess your needs, recommend the right solution, and ensure your systems meet all legal requirements.

✅ Need an LEV inspection or upgrade?

✅ Want advice on infection control ventilation?

✅ Ready to protect your workforce from hidden hazards?

Contact us today, and let’s create a safer, healthier working environment together.

A-Mac Environmental — Protecting People, Protecting Workplaces.