V. Commissioning Report: The “Birth Certificate” and Legal Basis of the System

After the commissioning is completed, the commissioning party should submit a complete commissioning report to the owner. This is not a dispensable piece of paper, nor a mere formality; it is the fundamental basis for the legal operation and subsequent maintenance of the LEV system, and the most crucial evidence material when facing regulatory inspections.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) of the United Kingdom clearly stipulates in its technical guideline HSG258 that the commissioning report must include the following contents:

  • – Test date: Precise to the day, recording the time of each test.
  • – Owner’s name and address: Clearly indicating the ownership and location of the system.
  • – Commissioning personnel information: Name, position, affiliated organization, and handwritten signature. The signature implies responsibility – the commissioning personnel are responsible for the data they fill in.
  • – Location and identification number of the LEV system: For factories with multiple systems, each system should have a unique number for easy traceability.
  • – Hazardous substances controlled by the system: List the specific pollutant names that the system is designed to control, such as “welding fumes (mainly iron oxide, manganese)”, “woodworking dust”, etc.
  • – Process description and pollutant generation method: Briefly describe the nature of the pollution source – is it continuous or intermittent? Is it high-temperature hot smoke or normal-temperature dust? This information helps determine if the design is reasonable.

– Quantitative test results: This is the core data part of the commissioning report and should at least include:

  • – Airflow of each hood (cubic meters per hour or liters per second);
  • – Air velocity at key duct locations (meters per second);
  • – Hood opening air velocity (if applicable);
  • – Total system airflow;
  • – Static pressure at the fan inlet and outlet (Pascals);
  • – Fan speed (revolutions per minute);
  • – Motor current (amperes);
  • – Pressure difference across the purification device;
  • – Filter efficiency (if measurable);

– Qualitative test results: Including observation records of smoke tests, photos or video screenshots of airflow visualization. The smoke test should indicate the type of smoke tube used, the smoke release location, and the description of the observed airflow path.

– System diagram and test point locations: Clearly mark the location number of each test point on the duct layout diagram to ensure that subsequent regular inspections can be conducted at exactly the same locations, ensuring data comparability.

– Calibration certificates: The measuring instruments used (anemometers, manometers, tachometers, etc.) should be within their validity period, and the calibration certificate number and validity period should be attached.

The role of the commissioning report is not limited to “proving qualification today”. It provides a benchmark for future regular inspections – British regulations require LEV systems to undergo a comprehensive inspection at least every 14 months. Without this benchmark, inspectors several years later cannot determine if the system performance has declined to an unacceptable level. If the report is lost, it is equivalent to the system losing its performance reference system, making it difficult to determine whether it is qualified during the next inspection.

In addition to the commissioning report, the supplier should also provide the following documents at the time of delivery:

  • – Equipment operation and maintenance manual: Detailed operation instructions, maintenance cycles, list of vulnerable parts, and replacement methods for each piece of equipment (fans, filters, scrubbers, etc.).
  • – User logbook: A blank record book for operators and maintenance personnel to record daily inspections, abnormal situations, maintenance actions, and filter replacement dates. The logbook is the most direct tool for tracing the history of problems.
  • – Training records for operators: Who participated in the training, what was trained, and whether they passed the assessment. Training records are part of the evidence chain of the management system and also serve as supporting evidence during inspections.

VI. Operator Training and Handover: The Final Step to Make the System Truly “Alive”

The completion of commissioning and the delivery of the report, the installation of the equipment in place, and the normal operation of the fans do not mark the true end. The LEV system is for the operators to use. If the operators do not know how to use it, how to monitor it, what to check daily, or who to contact when problems arise, this system will soon degenerate from a “protective tool” into a “decoration”.

The core task of the handover stage is to transfer the “right to use” and “responsibility for maintenance” of the system completely to the user. This includes at least the following four aspects of training:

Operation Training – Ensure that each operator at the workstation knows:

  • – How to start and stop the system correctly? The start sequence is to turn on the fan first and then start production, and the stop sequence is to stop production first and then turn off the fan. This sequence is not optional but a rule to ensure that pollutants do not spread.
  • – How to determine if the system is operating normally? Listen to whether the sound is stable, check if the differential pressure gauge is in the green zone, and feel if there is suction at the hood opening.
  • – What to do when an abnormality is detected? Try to adjust it themselves or stop the operation and report to the team leader? Clearly tell the operators: Do not disassemble and repair by themselves; reporting is the first action.

Daily Inspection Training – Enable the team leader or designated responsible person to perform daily/weekly quick checks:

– What should be checked when starting work every day? Is the hood opening shifted or blocked? Is the fan’s operating sound normal? Is the differential pressure gauge within the normal range?

– What should be checked weekly? Use a smoke tube to quickly verify the capture effect of each workstation; check if the exposed parts of the air ducts are damaged; observe if the damper position has been moved.

Basic Maintenance Training – Clearly define which maintenance tasks can be completed internally by the user and which must be performed by professionals:

  • – What operators can do: Clean the accumulated dust at the hood opening, clean the outer surface of the hood cap, and report abnormalities.
  • – What team leaders can do: Empty the filter dust hopper, replace simple filter cotton, and tighten loose flange bolts.
  • – What must be done by professionals: Replace filter cartridges or bags, adjust the fan belt tension, rebalance the air volume, and handle electrical faults.

Fault Reporting Process Training – Establish a clear communication channel:

  • – What constitutes a fault? The differential pressure gauge entering the red zone, a significant decrease in suction at the hood opening, abnormal sounds or vibrations from the fan, or visible dust at the exhaust outlet.
  • – Who to report to? Clearly specify the name and contact information of the contact person.
  • – What information should be provided when reporting? Workstation number, description of the fault phenomenon, occurrence time, and whether the operation has been stopped.
  • – What should operators do during the fault handling period? Continue working or pause? It must be clear: No polluting operations should continue until the LEV system returns to normal.

The training format should not merely be a signature on a piece of paper. Effective approaches include: on-site demonstrations (letting the operator perform a smoke test themselves), oral assessments (asking “What should be done first when starting up?”), and printing key operation points on cards and posting them near the workstations.

Training should be documented. Participants should sign to confirm their attendance, and the training content should be archived. This serves as evidence in the management system and also provides a safeguard for the operator’s safety. An untrained operator using a LEV system poses a risk no less than allowing someone who has never learned to drive to take to the road.

The final action in the delivery phase is to leave a list of contacts. This includes the after-sales service contact person, phone number, and response time commitment of the supplier or installer. Operators do not need to understand complex engineering principles, but they need to know “who to call when there is a problem.”

Installation turns the drawings into physical objects, commissioning turns the physical objects into tools, and delivery turns the tools into usable protection. Only when all three are accomplished can the LEV system be truly “alive” and reliably protect the health of operators every day on the production line.