LEV Log Book: Paper vs Digital — Which Keeps You Compliant?

Your LEV log book is the single document an HSE inspector will ask for first. It's the proof that your local exhaust ventilation has been maintained, tested, and managed in line with COSHH Regulation 9. Without it, your well-maintained system and your competent examiner count for nothing.

Most UK businesses still use paper log books. Many of those businesses are one water leak, one lost folder, or one illegible entry away from failing an inspection.

What an LEV Log Book Is and Why You Need One

An LEV log book is your running record of everything related to the maintenance, examination, and user checks of your LEV systems. COSHH Regulation 9 requires you to keep records of every thorough examination and test (TExT) for a minimum of 5 years. HSG258 recommends you also record routine user checks and maintenance activities.

A complete log book should contain:

TExT reports — the formal examination documents from your competent examiner, including measurements, findings, and the date the next test is due
User check records — dates, who checked, what was inspected, readings taken, problems found, actions taken
Maintenance records — filter changes, belt replacements, ductwork repairs, any modifications
Remedial actions — evidence that problems identified in TExT reports or user checks were actually fixed, and when

This isn't optional record-keeping. It's a legal duty. The HSE ran 4,000 targeted dust inspections in 2024/25, and incomplete or missing LEV records are one of the most frequent findings.

Why Paper Log Books Fail

Paper log books aren't illegal. The COSHH Regulations don't prescribe a format. But paper introduces risks that digital systems don't.

Physical damage

A paper log book stored in a workshop is exposed to dust, moisture, oil, and general wear. Five years is a long time for a physical document to survive in an industrial environment. A single spill can destroy records you're legally required to produce. A fire or flood takes out everything.

Illegibility

Handwritten entries vary in quality. An inspector who can't read your records treats them the same as missing records. Entries made quickly at the end of a shift — with dirty hands, in poor light, using a blunt pencil — are the ones most likely to be challenged.

Inconsistency

Paper log books rely on every person who uses them recording information in the same way, in the same level of detail, every time. In practice, entries drift. Early pages are thorough. Later pages get sparse. Some days get skipped entirely. That inconsistency looks like inconsistent checking to an inspector.

Retrieval time

When an HSE inspector asks for your LEV records, they expect them promptly. Not tomorrow. Not after someone drives to the other site to collect the folder. If your log book is in a filing cabinet behind the workshop, under a stack of supplier catalogues, and the person who knows where it is happens to be off that day — you have a problem.

Multiple systems, multiple books

If you operate several LEV systems — perhaps across different rooms or sites — you may have multiple paper log books. Keeping track of which book covers which system, ensuring none of them goes missing, and making sure all of them are up to date becomes an administrative burden that grows with every system you add.

What HSE Inspectors Actually Look For

Understanding what triggers concerns makes the paper-vs-digital choice clearer. When an inspector reviews your LEV records, they're checking:

Continuity — no gaps in your TExT schedule. Every 14-month window is accounted for.
Completeness — TExT reports contain all required information (date, examiner details, measurements, findings, next test date). User check logs show consistent, regular entries.
Follow-through — if a TExT report or user check identified a problem, there's a record of it being fixed. A report that flags a fault with no corresponding repair record is a red flag.
Accessibility — records are produced quickly, without searching. Well-organised records signal competent management.
Retention — the last 5 years of TExT reports are available. Disposing of records early is a breach.

A paper log book can satisfy all five points. But it's fragile. One missing page, one water-damaged report, one period where nobody filled in the user checks — and you fall short.

What a Digital LEV Log Book Offers

Digital record-keeping addresses the specific weaknesses of paper. Here's what changes.

Searchability

Finding a specific TExT report from 3 years ago takes seconds, not minutes. Filter by date, by LEV system, by examiner. An inspector asks for the June 2023 report on your dust extraction unit — you pull it up on screen immediately.

Automated reminders

A digital system can alert you when a TExT deadline is approaching. Set reminders at 8 weeks, 4 weeks, and 2 weeks before each 14-month deadline. No more relying on someone remembering to check the diary. This alone prevents the single most common compliance failure: an overdue examination.

Audit trail

Digital records can log when entries were created, by whom, and whether they were modified. This creates an integrity layer that paper doesn't have. If an inspector questions whether a user check was actually done on the date recorded, a timestamped digital entry carries more weight than a handwritten date.

Cloud backup

Records stored in the cloud survive the disasters that destroy paper: fire, flood, theft, accidental disposal. Multiple backups mean no single point of failure. Your 5-year retention obligation becomes straightforward when records exist in a system designed to keep them.

Multi-system management

If you operate 3, 5, or 15 LEV systems — each on its own 14-month TExT cycle — a digital system tracks every deadline independently. One dashboard shows you which systems are compliant, which are due soon, and which are overdue. Paper can't do that without significant manual effort.

Remote access

Your records are available wherever you are. An inspector visits your site while the manager is off-site? The records are accessible from any device. No hunting through filing cabinets.

How to Choose Between Paper and Digital

Paper isn't always wrong. Digital isn't automatically right. The decision depends on your situation.

Paper may be adequate if:

You operate a single LEV system
One person manages all LEV records and is reliably present
Your workshop environment is clean and dry enough for paper to survive 5+ years
You have a consistent, disciplined record-keeping habit

Digital makes more sense if:

You operate multiple LEV systems
Multiple people are responsible for user checks
Your working environment is harsh (dusty, wet, oily)
You've had gaps in record-keeping before
You want automated reminders for TExT deadlines
You operate across multiple sites

For most UK SMEs operating LEV systems, the tipping point is two or more LEV units. Once you're tracking multiple 14-month cycles, paper becomes unreliable without disproportionate administrative effort.

Moving From Paper to Digital

If you decide to switch, you don't need to digitise your entire history on day one. A practical approach:

Start digital from today. All new user checks and TExT reports go into the digital system.
Scan critical documents. Photograph or scan your most recent TExT report for each system. This gives you the baseline date for the next 14-month cycle.
Keep paper records for the retention period. Don't throw away existing paper records. COSHH requires 5 years of TExT records. Store the paper safely and let it age out naturally as digital records accumulate.
Set up your TExT deadlines. Enter the date of each system's last TExT. Use the LEV testing due date calculator to confirm when the next examination is due. Set reminders.
Check for gaps. Run through the record-keeping requirements checker to identify anything missing from your current records.

Your Records Are Your Compliance

A perfectly maintained LEV system with no records is, in the eyes of the law, an untested system. The log book — whether paper or digital — is what proves you've met your duties under COSHH Regulation 9.

LEVproof will be a digital LEV log book built specifically for UK compliance: TExT tracking, user check logging, automated reminders, and audit-ready record storage. Join the waitlist for early access.

Sources

Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH) — legislation.gov.uk
HSG258: Controlling airborne contaminants at work — HSE
LEV guidance for employers — HSE
Local exhaust ventilation (LEV) guidance — HSE
COSHH main page — HSE

This guide summarises published HSE and government guidance. It does not constitute legal advice. Consult a qualified professional for advice specific to your situation.