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LEV testing - cost driver
If you want to predict what an LEV test will cost, count your hoods, not your square metres. Every capture point is examined on its own, so the point count is the single biggest thing that moves the price.
The short answer
LEV testing is priced chiefly on the number of extraction points - hoods, booths, on-tool arms and other capture points - because each one has to be inspected and have its performance measured on its own. Two similar-sized premises can have very different point counts and therefore very different prices, which is why floor area is a poor guide and the point count is the number that matters.
Why points, not area
A thorough examination and test assesses each capture point individually: a visual check of its condition, airflow readings such as face velocity or capture velocity taken at that point, and a judgement on whether it is controlling exposure. None of that can be done for the system as a whole - it has to be repeated at every hood, booth and arm. So as the number of points rises, so does the time on site, and the price with it.
That is why a small workshop with one dust hood is a quick job while a factory with fifteen pick-up points across several machines is a long one, even in a building of similar size. The examiner is doing the same careful work fifteen times over, and the quote reflects that.
What counts as a point
The point count is not only the canopies or hoods you might picture. It includes spray and paint booths, on-tool extraction arms on benches, downdraught tables, capture points on individual machines, and any other position where contaminant is drawn off at source. A busy workshop can have far more capture points than a quick look suggests.
This is worth knowing before you ask for a quote, because an accurate point count is what lets an examiner price the job properly. Undercounting leads to a quote that changes on the day; a full count of every capture position gives a figure you can rely on.
Beyond the count
The point count is the main driver, but it is not the only one. The type of system matters - simple fan-and-ductwork with a few hoods is quicker than a system with booths, filtration stages and multiple branches. Access matters too: points at height or in awkward positions take longer to reach and measure safely than ones at bench level.
So two systems with the same number of points can still differ in price if one is more complex or harder to reach. The count sets the baseline; complexity and access adjust it. A short survey, or an accurate description of the system, is what pins the figure down.
Using this to plan
The practical upshot is that you can get a rough sense of an LEV test's cost yourself by counting the capture points and noting the system type. A single small system with a fan, ductwork and a handful of points is often a modest fixed price; larger multi-point installations are quoted individually against the count and complexity, with location and access also playing a part.
Counting the points also helps you plan the cycle. Because the whole system is tested together on the 14-month interval, knowing the scale of it lets you budget the recurring cost properly rather than being surprised by it - and makes it easy to spot if a quote has missed part of your system.
One visit, whole system
Because the whole system falls due on the same 14-month cycle, the sensible approach is to test all the capture points together in one visit rather than piecemeal. Doing them together shares the setup and reporting across the system, keeps the records aligned to a single date, and means nothing gets forgotten between separate visits - which is both cheaper per point and cleaner for compliance.
It also matters when the system changes. Adding a capture point later is not just another line on the bill - it can draw airflow from the existing points, so a new addition is a reason to re-check the whole system, not only the new part. Planning the test around the full system, and re-testing after changes, keeps both the cost and the control predictable.
Questions
Because each hood, booth or arm has to be inspected and have its performance measured individually. The work is repeated at every capture point, so the point count is the main thing that sets the time and the price.
Because two premises of the same size can have very different numbers of capture points. Floor area does not track the work; the point count does.
Any position where contaminant is captured at source - canopies and hoods, spray and paint booths, on-tool extraction arms, downdraught tables and capture points on individual machines.
Yes. The point count is the single biggest cost driver, adjusted by the system's complexity and how accessible the points are.
Count every capture point and note the system type. A small single-point system is often a modest fixed price; larger multi-point systems are quoted individually against the count and complexity.
Yes. Undercounting leads to a price that changes on the day. A full count of every capture position gives a figure you can rely on.
Tell us how many capture points you have and we will quote the thorough examination and test to match your system.
