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LEV testing - choosing a tester
When you're choosing an LEV testing company, you can't easily judge the quality of the work yourself - it's technical, and the report either says pass or it doesn't. Accreditation and competence schemes exist partly to solve that: they're a way for a third party to vouch that a tester's work meets a recognised standard. Here is what accreditation actually means for LEV testing, what it doesn't guarantee, and how to use it when choosing. This is general information.
The short answer
Choosing an LEV testing company puts you in a tricky spot: LEV testing is technical work, and you're almost certainly not an LEV expert, so you can't easily judge whether a given tester will do a thorough, competent job or a superficial one. Both, after all, hand you a report that says pass or fail - and a bad test can pass a bad system, or miss a real problem, without you being able to tell. This is exactly the gap accreditation and competence schemes are meant to fill. Here's what they actually mean, and how to use them. This is general information. The problem: you can't judge the work yourself. The core difficulty is that LEV testing quality is hard for a customer to assess. The work is technical - measuring airflows and capture velocities, examining the system, judging performance against a benchmark. A thorough, correct examination and a superficial, box-ticking one can look similar from the outside, and both produce a certificate. So you can't easily tell good work from poor work by looking at the result - which means you can't rely on your own judgement to choose a good tester. You need some other signal of quality. What accreditation and competence schemes provide. Accreditation and competence schemes provide that signal. They work by having an independent third party assess the tester - or the testing company - against a recognised standard, and vouch that their work meets it. So instead of you having to judge the quality (which you can't), someone qualified to judge has done it for you, and their mark stands in for your assessment. There are two related things this can cover. Accreditation of the organisation: an independent accreditation body assesses that the testing company works to a recognised technical standard and operates a proper quality system - so the company's methods and quality management have been independently checked. Competence of the individuals: competence schemes and qualifications for LEV examiners recognise that the person doing the testing has the training and competence to do it properly (there are established frameworks and qualifications for LEV competence - covered in the what-ileve-and-the-lev-competence-framework-are and what-makes-someone-competent-to-test-your-lev pages). Together, these address both 'does the company work to a proper standard' and 'is the person competent'. What accreditation actually means. So what accreditation actually means, in practice, is: someone qualified to judge has checked the tester's competence, or the company's system, against defined criteria - and found it meets them. It's third-party assurance of quality that you couldn't easily obtain yourself. That's genuinely valuable: it lets you choose a tester with reasonable confidence in the work, without having to become an expert or take the tester's word for it. It also usually means there's a standard being upheld and, often, a body you could raise concerns with. What it doesn't mean. Accreditation isn't an absolute guarantee that every single job will be perfect. It raises the odds of good, competent work substantially, and gives you recourse and a standard - but it's a strong indicator, not a cast-iron certainty. An accredited tester can still have an off day, and accreditation covers the system and competence, not a guarantee of each individual result. So accreditation should make you confident, not complacent: it's a very good reason to trust a tester, but you still apply basic sense. How to use it. So use accreditation as a strong filter, alongside your own basic checks. Prefer testers with recognised accreditation and competent, qualified examiners - it's a good, efficient way to shortlist trustworthy providers. Then sanity-check the actual service: what's included in the test and report (is it a thorough examination or a quick once-over), references or reviews from similar businesses, and whether the report you get is genuinely thorough and clear. Accreditation gets you to a trustworthy shortlist; your basic checks confirm the specific service fits. This connects to the how-to-choose-an-lev-testing-company page. The takeaway. So accreditation bodies and competence schemes matter because they give you a trustworthy shortcut for judging LEV testing quality you can't assess yourself: an independent third party has vouched that the tester's competence or the company's system meets a recognised standard. It's strong assurance, not an absolute guarantee - so use it as a strong filter, alongside checking what's included, references, and the quality of the report. This is general information. This is general information.
Key points
The problem
The core difficulty in choosing an LEV tester is that the quality of the work is hard for a customer to assess. LEV testing is technical - measuring airflows and capture velocities, examining the system's condition, judging performance against a benchmark. A thorough, correct examination and a superficial, box-ticking one can look similar from the outside, and both produce a certificate that says pass or fail.
So you can't easily tell good work from poor work by looking at the result. A bad test can pass a bad system, or miss a real problem, and you'd get a certificate either way - with no easy way to know whether the examination behind it was rigorous or cursory. This means you can't rely on your own judgement to choose a good tester (you're not an LEV expert, and the output doesn't reveal the quality). You need some other signal of quality to go on. That's the gap accreditation fills (next). So the problem - you can't easily judge the work yourself - is the starting point: LEV testing quality is opaque to the customer, so you need an external signal. That's what accreditation provides. So you can't assess the work directly, so you need help. This is general information. This is general information.
What accreditation provides
Accreditation and competence schemes provide the signal of quality you can't generate yourself. They work by having an independent third party assess the tester - or the testing company - against a recognised standard, and vouch that their work meets it. So instead of you having to judge the quality (which you can't), someone qualified to judge has done it for you, and their mark stands in for your assessment.
There are two related things this can cover. Accreditation of the organisation: an independent accreditation body assesses that the testing company works to a recognised technical standard and operates a proper quality system - so the company's methods and quality management have been independently checked. And competence of the individuals: competence schemes and qualifications for LEV examiners recognise that the person doing the testing has the training and competence to do it properly (there are established frameworks and qualifications for LEV competence, covered in the what-ileve-and-the-lev-competence-framework-are page). Together, these address both 'does the company work to a proper standard' and 'is the person competent'. So what accreditation provides - a third party vouches for the work - is the solution to the problem: independent assurance, at the organisation and individual level, that stands in for your own judgement. So an independent body checks the quality for you. This is general information. This is general information.
What it actually means
So what accreditation actually means, in practice, is this: someone qualified to judge has checked the tester's competence, or the company's system, against defined criteria - and found it meets them. It's third-party assurance of quality that you couldn't easily obtain yourself, because the assessor has the expertise (to judge the technical work) and the independence (no stake in the outcome) that you lack.
That's genuinely valuable. It lets you choose a tester with reasonable confidence in the work, without having to become an LEV expert or simply take the tester's own word for their quality. It also usually means there's a recognised standard being upheld (the criteria the tester was assessed against), and often a body you could raise concerns with if something went wrong. So an accreditation isn't just a logo - it represents a real, independent assessment against a standard, which is exactly the assurance the opaque nature of the work otherwise denies you. So what it actually means - checked against defined criteria by someone qualified to judge - is the substance behind the mark: real independent verification of quality. What it doesn't mean is next, to keep it in perspective. So the mark represents a genuine independent check. This is general information. This is general information.
What it doesn't mean
It's worth being clear about what accreditation doesn't mean, so you use it sensibly. Accreditation isn't an absolute guarantee that every single job will be perfect. It raises the odds of good, competent work substantially, and gives you recourse and a standard - but it's a strong indicator, not a cast-iron certainty. An accredited tester can still have an off day, and accreditation covers the company's system and the examiner's competence, not a guarantee of each individual result.
So accreditation should make you confident, not complacent. It's a very good reason to trust a tester - much better than nothing, and better than an unverified claim of quality - but it doesn't remove the value of applying basic sense to the actual service you get. Treating accreditation as an absolute guarantee (and so skipping any other checks) would be overdoing it; treating it as a strong, reliable filter (and still sanity-checking the service) is right. So what it doesn't mean - a strong indicator, not an absolute guarantee - keeps accreditation in proportion: trust it strongly, but not blindly. How to use it well follows. So it's strong assurance, not a perfect one. This is general information. This is general information.
How to use it
So use accreditation as a strong filter, alongside your own basic checks. Prefer testers with recognised accreditation and competent, qualified examiners - it's a good, efficient way to shortlist trustworthy providers, doing the hard part (judging technical quality) for you. So it should be near the top of your criteria when choosing an LEV tester.
Then sanity-check the actual service, which accreditation doesn't fully cover: what's included in the test and report (a thorough examination and test, or a quick once-over); references or reviews from businesses like yours; and whether the report you actually receive is genuinely thorough and clear (readable, with the measurements, findings and any remedial actions). Accreditation gets you to a trustworthy shortlist; these basic checks confirm the specific service fits your needs and is being delivered well. This combined approach - accreditation as the strong filter, basic checks as confirmation - is how to choose a good LEV tester without being an expert (covered further in the how-to-choose-an-lev-testing-company page). So how to use it - a strong filter, alongside basic checks - is the practical method: lean on accreditation to shortlist, then confirm the service with a few sensible checks. So use accreditation to shortlist, then check the specifics. This is general information. This is general information.
Questions
Because you can't easily judge LEV testing quality yourself - it's technical, and a thorough test and a superficial one both produce a pass/fail report; accreditation has an independent body vouch that the tester's work meets a recognised standard, giving you a trustworthy signal of quality you couldn't get on your own. Accreditation matters when choosing an LEV tester because you can't easily judge the quality of the work yourself. LEV testing is technical - measuring airflows and capture velocities, examining the system, judging performance against a benchmark - and a thorough, correct examination and a superficial, box-ticking one can look similar from the outside, both producing a certificate that says pass or fail. So you can't tell good work from poor work by the result, and a bad test can pass a bad system without you knowing. Accreditation solves this by having an independent third party assess the tester (or the company) against a recognised standard and vouch that their work meets it - so someone qualified to judge has done the assessing for you, and their mark stands in for your own judgement. That gives you a trustworthy signal of quality you couldn't otherwise get, letting you choose with reasonable confidence without being an expert. So it matters because it provides independent assurance of quality you can't assess yourself. So because it vouches for work you can't judge alone. This is general information. This is general information.
That an independent body qualified to judge has assessed the tester's competence, or the company's methods and quality system, against defined criteria and found they meet a recognised standard - real third-party verification of quality, plus usually a standard upheld and a body to raise concerns with. Accreditation for an LEV tester means that an independent body qualified to judge has checked the tester's competence, or the company's system, against defined criteria - and found it meets them. It's real third-party verification of quality, from an assessor with the expertise to judge the technical work and the independence to do so honestly. It can cover two related things: accreditation of the organisation (an independent body assessing that the company works to a recognised technical standard and operates a proper quality system) and competence of the individuals (schemes and qualifications recognising that the person testing has the training and competence to do it properly). So it addresses both whether the company works to a proper standard and whether the examiner is competent. In practice, an accreditation also usually means there's a recognised standard being upheld (the criteria assessed against) and often a body you could raise concerns with. So it's not just a logo - it represents a genuine, independent assessment against a standard, which is exactly the assurance you otherwise can't get. So it means the tester's quality has been independently verified against a standard. So an independent, qualified check against defined criteria. This is general information. This is general information.
No - it's a strong indicator, not an absolute guarantee; accreditation raises the odds of good work substantially and gives you recourse and a standard, but it covers the company's system and the examiner's competence, not a promise that every individual result is flawless, so stay confident but not complacent. No - accreditation is not an absolute guarantee that every LEV test will be perfect. It's a strong indicator, not a cast-iron certainty. Accreditation raises the odds of good, competent work substantially, and gives you recourse and a recognised standard - but it covers the company's quality system and the examiner's competence, not a guarantee of each individual result. An accredited tester can still have an off day, and accreditation assures the framework and competence behind the work, not the flawlessness of every single job. So accreditation should make you confident, not complacent. It's a very good reason to trust a tester - far better than an unverified claim of quality - but it doesn't remove the value of applying basic sense to the actual service you receive. Treating it as an absolute guarantee (and skipping all other checks) overdoes it; treating it as a strong, reliable filter (and still sanity-checking the service) is right. So it's strong assurance to rely on, but still worth confirming with basic checks. So no - a strong indicator, not a perfect guarantee. This is general information. This is general information.
Accrediting the organisation means an independent body has checked the company works to a recognised standard and quality system; competence schemes for individuals recognise that the person testing has the training and competence to do it properly - together they cover both a proper company system and a competent examiner. The difference is what's being vouched for - the organisation, or the person. Accreditation of the organisation means an independent accreditation body has assessed that the testing company works to a recognised technical standard and operates a proper quality system - so the company's methods, procedures and quality management have been independently checked. Competence of the individuals means schemes and qualifications recognise that the person actually doing the testing has the training and competence to do it properly - there are established frameworks and qualifications for LEV examiner competence. So one addresses 'does the company work to a proper standard and quality system' and the other 'is the individual examiner competent'. Both matter, because a good result needs both a company with sound methods and quality control, and a competent person carrying out the examination - a competent individual in a shambolic company, or a good company system with an undertrained examiner, each has a weak link. So ideally you want both: an accredited company and competent, qualified examiners. This is covered in the competence-framework pages. So one vouches for the company, the other for the person - both count. So company accreditation checks the system; competence schemes check the examiner. This is general information. This is general information.
As a strong filter to shortlist trustworthy providers - prefer accredited testers with competent examiners - then sanity-check the actual service: what's included in the test and report, references from similar businesses, and whether the report you get is thorough and clear; accreditation shortlists, your checks confirm the fit. Use accreditation as a strong filter, alongside your own basic checks. First, prefer testers with recognised accreditation and competent, qualified examiners - it's a good, efficient way to shortlist trustworthy providers, because it does the hard part (judging technical quality) for you. So accreditation should be near the top of your criteria. Then sanity-check the actual service, which accreditation doesn't fully cover: what's included in the test and report (a thorough examination and test, or a quick once-over); references or reviews from businesses like yours; and whether the report you actually receive is genuinely thorough and clear (with the measurements, findings and any remedial actions, readable and useful). Accreditation gets you to a trustworthy shortlist; these basic checks confirm the specific service fits your needs and is being delivered well. So the method is: lean on accreditation to shortlist trustworthy candidates, then confirm the specifics with a few sensible checks - the combination lets you choose a good tester without being an expert. This connects to the how-to-choose-an-lev-testing-company page. So use it to shortlist, then check the service details. So as a strong filter, backed by basic service checks. This is general information. This is general information.
Accreditation makes an accredited tester a much safer choice than an unaccredited one, but cheapest-and-accredited still deserves a quick check that the service is complete - a very low price can mean a thinner examination or report; accreditation assures competence, but confirm what's included so you're comparing like with like. Accreditation makes an accredited tester a much safer choice than an unaccredited one, so if you're choosing on price, staying within accredited, competent testers is sensible. But 'cheapest and accredited' still deserves a quick check, because accreditation assures competence and a standard - not that every accredited firm's service is identically complete. A very low price can sometimes mean a thinner service: a more cursory examination, a briefer report, or fewer points tested than a fuller service includes. Accreditation means the work should be done competently to a standard, but the scope of what's included can still vary between quotes. So before picking the cheapest accredited option, confirm what's included (a full thorough examination and test, a proper report with measurements and findings) so you're comparing like with like - a cheaper quote that covers less isn't really cheaper for the same thing. Within genuinely comparable, complete services from accredited testers, choosing on price is reasonable. So accreditation lets you shortlist on trust, but confirm the scope before choosing on price alone. So check the scope matches before assuming cheapest is best. So it's a safer choice, but confirm what's included. This is general information. This is general information.
Accreditation and competence give you a trustworthy way to judge LEV testing you can't assess yourself - a third-party mark that the work meets a recognised standard; our LEV thorough examination and testing is carried out by competent examiners to that standard, so you get assurance you can rely on, backed by a clear report. Ask us about your LEV testing. This is general information.
