Mention the idea of dust and fume extraction to a sample group of 1,000 UK business owners and chances are at least 999 will agree that they’re important. It’s pretty much common knowledge that when it comes to looking after the health and safety of employees in accordance with UK law, there’s very little of more importance than making sure they have clean air to breathe. There are so many hazards across a busy workplace to take into account, but without clean and safe air to breathe at all times there’s literally no point in bothering with anything else.

But while it’s universally agreed upon that good ventilation and fume extraction are important, it’s also pretty safe to say that rather large numbers of business owners don’t give the idea the full thought and investment it deserves. Regardless of the size or type of extraction system you need, you’ll have the choice of scraping the bottom of the barrel with the cheapest setup on the market or going for something of a much higher calibre. And while it may seem as though the latter is unnecessary as they both do the same job, it’s not quite as black and white as it appears.

Here’s a quick look at just a few of the reasons why it pays to go for higher quality systems when looking to install fume and dust extraction technology:

1 – Cheaper to Run

First of all, it’s worth considering that while it may be an attractive thought to make big savings on the installation in the first place, there’s a good chance you’ll regret the decision just as soon as those monthly energy bills begin rolling in. Think of it a little like any other home appliance that’s used on a daily basis – something with an energy rating of E may well be cheaper, but the savings you’ve have made over the long-term by buying the A+++ alternative massively augment the initial cost cuts.

2 – Lower Maintenance

And it doesn’t just stop with the savings made on energy either as the cheaper and more inefficient the system you have installed, the more frequently it’s going to need to be serviced and repaired going forward. It’s simply inevitable that when you use something of lower quality on a daily basis in a heavy duty environment, it’s not going to be long before it needs costly repairs and servicing. By contrast, invest in quality equipment and long-term maintenance costs are kept to absolute minimums.

3 – Worker Health and Safety

As mentioned earlier, the very reason these kinds of systems exist is of course primarily to make sure that the employees in the workplace have a safe environment in which to work. However, there’s a big difference between simply ticking the proverbial health and safety box and actually going the extra mile to make sure the air in the workplace is every bit as clean and safe as it can possibly be. If you care for the health and wellbeing of your employees, there’s really only one way to go.

4 – Reduced Risk of Accidents

Every single piece of machinery across the workplace that depends on electricity to run represents a fire hazard in its own right. What’s more, every piece of electrical equipment that was picked up for the lowest possible price and installed with a haphazard attitude represents an exponentially larger fire risk than a top-level piece of kit installed by world-class professionals. So again, for the sake of overall workplace safety and risk reduction, quality counts.

5 – Productivity

How can productivity benefit from a stellar fume extraction and ventilation system? It’s easy really – just think about how you might struggle if and when a rather sizeable chunk of your workforce begins dropping ill on a regular basis and cannot make it into work. As touched upon numerous times already, health and safety in the workplace is of paramount importance for all involved as not only do you have a moral responsibility to keep tabs on the health of the workforce, but you cannot expect to get by with half of them falling sick out of the blue.

6 – Reliability

Last but not least, it’s also worth thinking about the convenience that comes with having an LEV installation that largely looks after itself and does its job properly month after month, as opposed to one that forces you to shut up shop and bring in the repair guys time and time again. If you’d prefer to run in a manner that’s convenient and cost-effective, it should be clear which of the two makes sense.