Your LEV test report and certificate explained

Is it a report, a record or a certificate?

COSHH regulation 9(4) requires the employer to keep a suitable record of each thorough examination and test of LEV, and of any repairs that followed. How long to keep it is covered further down.

In practice the examiner gives you a written report, and many people call it the LEV certificate or LEV test certificate. Regulation 9 does not use that word. HSG258 uses it once, in paragraph 344, which says control will in nearly all circumstances be adequate when the examiner's criteria are met, with "a test certificate issued". It gives no layout for one. The detail is in paragraphs 348 to 351, which describe a report and an employer record.

If you are only handed a one-page certificate, ask for the full report too, so that you hold everything paragraph 349 lists. The table shows how the documents fit together.

Read the report part by part

HSG258 paragraph 349 and L5 paragraph 186 list what a suitable employer record should normally contain. That is sixteen details. The drawn page below groups them into eight parts. L5 paragraph 188 adds that the list is not definitive and that not every point suits every type of LEV.

Layouts differ. Some examiners use the ILEVE report template, which CIBSE still hosts with the note "Last updated pre-2024". ILEVE has been dormant since April 2024, and the page says using its templates does not ensure compliance with the COSHH Regulations or HSE requirements. Check any layout against the list below, not the other way round.

Compare benchmark and measured results

In a test report, the benchmark is the intended performance that the measurements are compared with. HSG258 paragraph 277 says the commissioning report "sets the benchmarks and standards against which the employer compares the results of statutory testing", and L5 paragraph 177 says commissioning information "can provide a benchmark" for later examinations and tests. HSG258 also uses the word for an exposure level set when specifying new LEV (paragraph 79 and Appendix 2). That is a different thing.

Under paragraph 341 the examiner checks the results against the design specification, which may sit in the user manual or another source of performance standards, then diagnoses why any result differs. If the employer agrees, the examiner may make a small adjustment that restores performance, such as rebalancing a system whose dampers have been displaced.

A reading below the benchmark shows a difference. It does not say why. Paragraph 343 lists what the examiner needs to have done before judging control: a visual examination, a look at the process and how operators use the LEV, challenge tests and measurements.

Which numbers to expect

HSG258 paragraphs 352 to 364 describe measurement methods for each part of a system. Which ones appear in your report depends on the system. The table shows what each measurement is, so that a column of figures in the report is easier to place.

Critical defects and the action plan

HSG258 paragraph 348 says the examiner produces a prioritised plan for any actions, and that you should understand what each one requires. If an action is unclear, contact an LEV supplier for expert help. The chapter 10 key points add that your engineer and the person responsible for health and safety should both see the report.

Critical defects are listed in the report, and L5 paragraph 187 says employers should address them immediately. Where a system is unsafe, HSG258 paragraph 342 says the examiner stops the examination until repair has put back the original performance, and warns the client promptly.

What to keep, and how long

Regulation 9(4) sets the minimum: five years from the day the record was made, for the record or a suitable summary of it. HSG258 paragraph 350 also wants a copy at the workplace where the LEV is installed. Keep the earlier reports too. Paragraph 334 lists the previous test report among the documents the examiner uses next time.

Keep the information on the installed system for as long as you have it. HSE says to keep it for the life of the equipment. It might be a commissioning report, supplier data or recognised HSE guidance, and it is what the next report compares against.

HSE's page for employers suggests using the thorough examination report as an audit, and improving where needed. A label shows the status at the hood. The record is what regulation 9(4) asks you to keep.

LevHQ is a directory. It does not test LEV or check reports, so it cannot tell you whether yours is right. Put questions to the examiner who wrote it.

If something is missing

When the intended performance is missing, HSE's guidance for examiners says the report should say so and explain how the judgement on control was reached. For unmodified, single-point, standard systems the examiner may refer to expected performance for that type of equipment. For non-standard systems with several hoods the judgement may be harder, and sometimes not possible, but the test still shows current performance.

Where to go next

This guide stops at the report. These pages cover the rest.