DSEAR
COSHH is about what a substance does to a person. DSEAR is about what it does to the building — and the two get confused constantly, so one of them ends up unassessed.
What the law requires
The Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002 require employers to assess the risks from dangerous substances — those capable of creating fire, explosion or similar energetic events — and to eliminate those risks or reduce them so far as is reasonably practicable. Where an explosive atmosphere may occur, the place must be classified into zones, marked where required, and fitted with equipment and protective systems suitable for the zone. Employers must also provide information and training, and put arrangements in place to deal with accidents and emergencies involving the substance.
Legislation referred to on this page: Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002 · Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002. Named so you can read the source. Nothing on this page is legal advice, and whether a duty applies to your organisation is a question for you and your adviser.
Who it applies to
- Any employer whose work involves flammable liquids, gases, or dusts — solvents, LPG, petrol, and dusts such as flour, sugar and wood.
- Substances created by the work count, which is how a dust extraction system becomes the hazard rather than the control.
- Cellar and dispense gases in hospitality fall here too, which surprises operators who associate the regulations with industry.
- DSEAR and COSHH overlap in scope and differ in purpose: COSHH addresses health effects, DSEAR addresses fire, explosion and energetic events. An assessment for one is not an assessment for the other.
What you have to be able to show
The list an inspector, insurer or auditor actually works through.
- A risk assessment covering the dangerous substances actually present.
- Zone classification where an explosive atmosphere may occur, and how the zones were arrived at.
- That equipment in a zone is suitable for it, and the records showing so.
- Control and mitigation measures — ventilation, ignition control, containment.
- Emergency arrangements, and evidence that people know them.
- Information and training for anybody working with or near the substance.
How DutyHub records it
DutyHub does not carry out any of the work below. It records who did, when, and what they found.
The assessment held against the premises
Substances are a register in their own right, so one arriving on site without an assessment is a visible gap rather than a discovery.
Zones as a property of the place
Classification is recorded against the area it applies to, so equipment questions have somewhere to be answered from.
Equipment suitability chased like any certificate
Inspection and maintenance records carry expiry and are chased ahead of it.
Training tied to the substance
Who is trained on what, with a refresh cycle, so the answer to "who may work in that area" is a list rather than an opinion.
Start with what applies to you
Add your premises and answer a short set of questions about them. DutyHub works out which duties land on which building, and shows you the gaps before anybody else finds them.
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