What a DOSH LEV baseline inspection involves

If your laboratory or plant installs a fume hood, extraction arm or any local exhaust ventilation (LEV) system in Malaysia, that system must be examined and tested before it goes into service — and periodically after. This is not a supplier’s optional extra. It is a statutory requirement under the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994 and the Use and Standards of Exposure of Chemicals Hazardous to Health (USECHH) Regulations 2000.

What the baseline inspection is

The baseline examination establishes the as-installed performance of a new LEV system: the reference against which every future periodic examination is compared. It answers one question — does this system actually capture the contaminant at the source, at the airflows the design promised?

What gets tested

• Capture and face velocities at each hood, enclosure or extraction point, measured against the design specification.
• Duct transport velocities, verifying contaminants keep moving rather than settling in the ductwork.
• Static pressures across the system, establishing the fingerprint later inspections compare against.
• Fan and filtration performance against the design duty.
• Physical condition — ducting integrity, dampers, access points and labelling.

Who performs it

Examinations must be carried out by competent persons registered with the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH). The examination produces a report the facility owner keeps and produces on inspection.

Why it changes how you buy a fume hood

A fume hood that fails its baseline inspection is not a discount — it is a liability sitting in your laboratory. This is why Lab ID engineers the enclosure, the ducting and the airflow as one scope and delivers the system through its baseline inspection, rather than installing furniture and leaving certification as the client’s problem.

This explainer is general guidance, not legal advice. Requirements are confirmed against your facility during design.