Do I need a DSEAR assessment?
ISO 17025 Accredited Combustible Dust Lab
ISO 9001 Accredited Quality Management System
500+ DSEAR/ATEX Assessments
Answer 5 quick questions
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Do you have any flammable liquids or gases on-site?
This can include diesel, propane/LPG, or acetone.
Do you store more than 50 litres of liquids marked 'highly flammable' on-site?
This can include acetone and petrol.
Do you have any organic powdered material on-site?
This can include materials such as flour or wood dust.
Do you have any legacy or ATEX-rated equipment on-site?
Do your flammable storage units have ATEX-rated lights and fans?
This quiz is an initial guide, not a formal DSEAR assessment or legal advice.
Resources to support your DSEAR journey: Combustible Dust: What data do I need, and how does it relate to DSEAR compliance? DSEAR: Earthing & Bonding in Hazardous Areas, Top 10 Failings of a DSEAR Review, How to Become DSEAR Compliant (Step By Step), What is DSEAR? Meaning & Regulations Explained, Assist Your Process Safety Analysis With A DSEAR, Hazardous Area Classification (HAC): Zones & Equipment Explained
What is DSEAR?
The Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002 (DSEAR) require employers to assess and then remove or control the risks from substances that can catch fire or explode. That covers flammable liquids and gases, combustible dusts, and the explosive atmospheres they can create. Where such an atmosphere can form, DSEAR also requires hazardous area classification (ATEX zoning), and equipment rated safe to use inside those zones.
Who needs a DSEAR assessment?
You have DSEAR duties if any of these are true at your site.
When should you review your DSEAR assessment?
On a schedule
On a change
On an event
Frequently asked questions
What makes Sigma-HSE different for a DSEAR assessment?
Most consultancies write you a DSEAR report and stop there, then subcontract the lab work that makes it defensible. We do both. Our UK laboratory is UKAS-accredited to ISO/IEC 17025 for the dust-explosion and thermal-reactivity (DSC/ARC) battery, so the data behind your assessment stands up to an HSE inspector, an insurer, or a court. One partner, one accountable relationship, no stitching a lab to a consultancy.
How does Sigma-HSE approach a DSEAR assessment?
We start with what is actually on your floor, not a template. We identify the dangerous substances, classify the hazardous areas (ATEX zoning), test any material whose explosion or thermal properties are unknown, and set out controls your team can act on. You get a practical assessment you can implement, not a document that sits in a drawer until the next audit.
Can a DSEAR assessment improve operational efficiency, not just compliance?
Yes. A good assessment tells you where the real risk sits, so you stop over-engineering low-risk areas and paying for zoning or equipment you do not need. Getting the classification right first time avoids costly retrofits and keeps production moving.
Can Sigma-HSE deliver DSEAR and ATEX assessments for international or multi-site operations?
Yes. We support multi-site and multinational operations from one relationship, covering UK DSEAR/ATEX, US OSHA PSM and NFPA, and Indian standards. That means consistent method and reporting across your whole estate, instead of a different local supplier at every site.
How do you make sure a DSEAR assessment holds up to a regulator or insurer?
Defensibility is the point, not a by-product. The test data comes from a UKAS-accredited ISO 17025 laboratory, which is categorically different from unaccredited results, and the assessment is written by people who run DSEAR and process safety work day to day. If it is challenged, it holds.