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LEV testing - choosing
An LEV test is only worth what the company doing it makes it worth - and they vary enormously. Here is how to choose one on the things that matter: competence, the quality of the report, and plain honesty.
The short answer
Choose an LEV testing company on the things that decide whether the test is worth having: the competence of its examiners, the quality and honesty of its reports, and whether it does the full three-stage examination rather than a quick airflow check. A qualified examiner, a report that measures each point and states clearly what needs doing, and a firm that finds real problems rather than passing everything - those are what make a test that stands up.
Why the choice matters
An LEV test is not a commodity where every provider delivers the same thing at a different price. The value of a test lies entirely in whether it truthfully tells you your extraction is controlling exposure - and that depends completely on who does it and how. A poor company can give you a certificate that means nothing; a good one gives you a genuine assessment you can rely on. The choice of company is the choice of whether the test is worth doing at all.
So it is worth choosing deliberately rather than on price alone. The cheapest quote may buy a superficial check that passes a failing system; a slightly dearer one may buy a proper examination that actually protects your people and your compliance. Knowing what to look for is what lets you tell the difference before you commit.
What to look for one
Competence is the first thing to check. A thorough examination and test has to be carried out by a competent person - someone with the training and knowledge to assess an LEV system against its design intent, take valid measurements and judge whether control is adequate. Ask about the qualifications and experience of the people who will actually do the work, not just the company. Recognised LEV qualifications, such as the BOHS P600 series, are a clear signal.
This matters because the judgement is the point. Anyone can hold a meter; knowing what a reading should be for a given hood and process, and whether exposure is genuinely controlled, is skilled work. A company whose examiners are properly qualified and experienced is a company whose tests carry real authority - and a firm that is cagey about its people's competence is telling you something.
What to look for two
The report is the deliverable, so its quality is much of what you are choosing. A good company produces a report that states, point by point and with figures, whether each part of the system is controlling exposure, records the condition, and sets out clear remedial actions. Ask to see an example report before you commit - it tells you immediately whether you would be getting measured evidence or a thin certificate.
A weak report - a pass and little else, with no real measurements or actions - is the mark of a company doing a superficial test, whatever it charges. The report is what an inspector will ask to see and what your risk assessment relies on, so a company that produces clear, measured, actionable reports is worth far more than one that produces a certificate you cannot use.
What to look for three
Look for a company that does the full three-stage examination to HSG258 - visual condition, measured performance, and a judgement on control - not a quick airflow reading dressed up as a test. Ask what the test involves; a proper firm will describe all three stages readily, while a superficial one will be vague about what it actually does. The depth of the examination is what separates a real test from a token one.
Honesty is the quieter signal, and an important one. A company that finds and reports genuine problems is doing its job; one that passes everything, cheaply and without comment, may simply be avoiding the work of a proper examination. Counter-intuitively, a firm that tells you what is wrong is more trustworthy than one that always tells you everything is fine - because a real examination of a real system usually finds something to note.
The takeaway
The way to choose an LEV testing company is to look past the price and the promise of a certificate to what actually makes a test valuable: competent examiners, measured and honest reports, and the full examination properly done. A company strong on those gives you a test that protects your workers and stands up to an inspector; one weak on them gives you paper that does neither, however little it costs.
So ask the questions - about the examiner's qualifications, to see a sample report, about what the test involves - and choose on the answers. The company that engages with those questions clearly and honestly is the one likely to give you a test worth having. Choosing well on the front end is what ensures the test you pay for is the test you actually need.
Questions
On competence, report quality and honesty, not just price - qualified, experienced examiners; reports that measure each point and set out clear actions; and the full three-stage examination properly done rather than a quick airflow check.
Examiners with recognised LEV qualifications, such as the BOHS P600 series, and real experience assessing systems. Ask about the people who will actually do the work, not just the company - a firm cagey about that is telling you something.
Ask to see an example report. A good one states, point by point and with figures, whether each part controls exposure, and lists clear remedial actions. A thin pass-only certificate signals a superficial test.
A company that finds and reports genuine problems is doing its job; one that passes everything cheaply and without comment may be avoiding a proper examination. A real test of a real system usually finds something to note.
What it involves - a proper firm readily describes the full three-stage examination to HSG258 (condition, measured performance, judgement on control), while a superficial one is vague about what it actually does.
No. The cheapest may buy a superficial check that passes a failing system. Choose on the examination and the report - a test worth having protects your people and compliance, which a token one does not.
We test to HSG258 with competent examiners and measured, honest reports - the examination worth having, not a certificate that does not stand up.
