Cost & commercial
It is tempting to see the report and logbook as paperwork wrapped around the real work of testing. In fact they are the part of the fee that keeps paying: the evidence that your LEV was controlling exposure, and the thing that defends you when an inspector or a claim asks you to prove it.
The short answer
It is tempting to see the report and logbook as paperwork wrapped around the real work of testing. In fact they are the part of the fee that keeps paying: the evidence that your LEV was controlling exposure, and the thing that defends you when an inspector or a claim asks you to prove it.
The detail
The report is the examination made durable. A proper one sets out the measured airflow and pressure at each point, the condition of hoods, ducts, filters and fan, photographs of the test points, a clear pass or fail, and a prioritised list of anything that needs doing. That last part is practical value in its own right - it tells you exactly what to fix and in what order, rather than leaving you to guess.
The logbook is the story over time. Each system carries its own record of examinations, interim checks and repairs, so a pattern - a filter loading faster each year, a fan slowly losing performance - becomes visible before it becomes a failure. A single certificate cannot show a trend; a maintained logbook can, and that is where it earns back its cost in avoided breakdowns.
Together they are your evidence of control. The HSE expects the whole report, not just the summary sheet, and records must be kept for at least five years, with the original design and commissioning information retained for the life of the equipment. When an inspector asks whether exposure was being controlled, a complete, current record answers the question in your favour without further argument.
That evidence reaches beyond enforcement. If a worker brings an occupational disease claim, the report and records are what show the employer was managing exposure, and the same file often satisfies insurers and clients who ask for proof of compliance. A one-page certificate with nothing behind it cannot do any of that, which is precisely why it is the cheap option.
What it means for you
Judged this way, the report and logbook are not an add-on to the fee - they are much of the point of it. The measurements protect people on the day; the record protects the business for years, across inspections, claims and contracts. Skipping to a bare certificate saves a little now and removes the very thing that makes the spend worthwhile later.
So the fee is best read as buying two things: a test, and a defensible record of it. The second is the one you reach for when it matters most, and it is why a complete report and a properly kept logbook are comfortably worth what they add to the price. It is also the cheapest kind of insurance to hold: unlike a policy, the record costs almost nothing to keep once the test is done, yet it is exactly what a business is asked to produce at the moments when everything else is going wrong.
The service behind the guide
Sibling guides
Budgeting annual LEV compliance for an SME · What's included in a proper price · What drives the price
Questions
It is the durable evidence of the test - measured readings, condition, photographs and a prioritised action list - and it is what the HSE expects to see in full.
It records each system's tests, interim checks and repairs over time, so slow trends show up before they become failures.
Test records for at least five years, and the original design and commissioning information for the life of the equipment.
Yes. It is evidence of control in an occupational disease claim and often satisfies insurers and clients asking for proof of compliance.
No. A one-line certificate cannot show readings, trends or an action plan, so it does not defend you the way a full report and logbook do.
Phoenix Duct Clean · by the numbers
Our examinations come with a full report and a clear logbook entry - the record that defends you when it counts.