Burgun Engineering was called to inspect a newly installed Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV) system at a woodworking facility. The system appeared operational and was supported by manufacturer installation instructions for the filter housing. However, on closer inspection, several major safety and compliance concerns were identified.
Findings
While the system had been installed to basic mechanical standards, it lacked fundamental safety documentation — including Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) and risk assessments for the process it served.
During the inspection, our engineers identified a critical safety issue with the positioning and orientation of the filter housing. The unit had been sited approximately 600mm from the building, which is typically acceptable, but the explosion relief doors were facing directly towards the workshop building — specifically toward two large plate glass windows.
Risk Assessment
This orientation presented an extreme hazard. In the event of an explosion within the filter housing, the blast and flame projection would have been directed straight through the glass windows and into the occupied workspace.
Empirical testing and past incident data confirm that explosion relief vents can discharge with high kinetic energy, releasing not only a pressure wave but also a large, high-temperature flame front.
In this configuration, the outcome of such an event could have been catastrophic — risking serious injury or fatality to personnel and causing extensive damage to the facility.
Our Recommendation
Under normal circumstances, Burgun Engineering does not recommend isolating LEV systems, as some extraction is typically better than none. However, given the severity of this design fault, immediate isolation of the system was advised until the installation could be made safe.
Outcome
The client was provided with a full LEV 360 inspection report and detailed guidance to bring the system in line with safe design principles, including:
Correct orientation of explosion relief doors away from occupied zones.
Safe clearance distances from buildings and walkways.
Implementation of MSDS and risk assessment documentation for all extracted materials.
At Burgun Engineering, we work to LEV 360 standards — ensuring that installations are not only compliant, but truly safe by design. This case highlights why thorough, independent inspection remains essential, even for newly installed systems.