Rank: Forum user 
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Can anyone with good knowledge of DSEAR advise whether there is a strict requirement to apply zoning categories 21/22, etc, to a small joiner's workshop with LEV? Presumably, where the requirement does exist, all electrical equipment would require to be appropriately ATEX-rated to comply with the Regulations?
Thanks
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Rank: Super forum user
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I have limited DSEAR experience :o)
If the LEV is working efficiently then the work area does not have an airborne sawdust explosion risk. So ATEX not required??
If it is a small workshop and the LEV suddenly failed, the quantity of airborne sawdust released would not be significant. Just switch off everything, sweep up and fix the LEV.
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Rank: Forum user
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Hi,
It is unlikely that a small workshop would need to be classed as DSEAR unless there is obvious signs of dust gathering and present in the air when in use, it is more likely that the extact LEV would present risk and this should be of suitable design and give effective protecteion to mitigate the risk involved.
Pete,
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Rank: Super forum user
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As previously suggested and in my limited experience with major DSEAR issues, if the workshop is small and the LEV is working OK then I would expect the inside of the dust collection bag/ducting as being the only area that would or could be classified as Zone Category 21/22 for the purposes of DSEAR. If the general workshop environment is classified as being Zone Cat 21/22 because of the wood dust then something is very wrong and you do have a serious problem to deal with! In other words I would be very surprised if you found that you had to fit ATEX rated light fittings etc in the workshop area. I would be interested to know if you find out anything different as we have woodworking workshops and they are not classified as being Zone Cat 21/22.
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Rank: Super forum user 
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Please, please do not go there!
If you are looking to DSEAR zone woodworking shops then you COSHH controls are worse than dire! ;)
There are some latent issues that I see in these environments that are never correctly addressed, including COSHH, but DSEAR zoning, should NEVER be one!
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 1 user thanked paul.skyrme for this useful post.
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Rank: Forum user
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Thanks everyone for taking the time to post your thoughts and comments.
The question arose following a report by specialist LEV engineers, which raised a major non-conformance in view of the fact that "In accordance with DSEAR, the Joiner's workshop is a Dust Zone 21, which should be fitted with ATEX D2 or IP6X rated electrical Equipment".
The inspectors are B.Eng and MILEVE qualified engineers and there is an assumption that they know what they're talking about.
LEV within the workshops has been designed for the types of machinery installed, works as it should and standards of housekeeping are very good. Whilst I recognize the hazards that dust can pose (from both COSHH and DSEAR perspectives) I felt that the blanket classification suggested by the engineers was somewhat arbitary, rather than reference to something that was clearly defined in DSEAR. Also, the potential cost implications associated with upgrading all electrical installations within zoned areas to the appropriate standards would be totally excessive.
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Rank: Super forum user 
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The most commonly quoted LEL for hardwood dust is 40g/m3 whilst the WEL is 5mg/m3. That is a whopping great difference.
Agree with previous posters that DSEAR is highly unlikely to be an issue in the general workshop.
However the areas inside the LEV ductwork and filters is much more likely to be one where explosions need to be considered and controlled.
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Rank: Super forum user 
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I would suspect their comments are backside covering following that fatal explosion in the wood mill some months ago.
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Rank: Super forum user
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I wouldn't give a definite 'no' to DSEAR being applicable.
While I have quite a bit of DSEAR/ATEX experience in oil/gas etc - so I know what DSEAR requires. So while I have never 'done' DSEAR in a joiners shop ...
The 1st step is to identify if any of the substances are 'dangerous' as defined in the regs.
As a general point for dusts, the usual key point is the particle size.
For rough cut saws etc the wood chips would be expected to be quite large.
From my limited knowledge of wood working, what are the dust particle sizes when sanding etc either by hand or machine?
As other have said, provided LEVs are used and good housekeeping is maintained I doubt if its an issue - DSEAR.
However, my advice would be to at least investigate as far as to show the likely dusts produced are not likely to be explosive.
Is there not any information available from Wood Working Trade/Industry bodies, where this information might be available?
A this very simple DSEAR assessment might then be sufficient.
As Walker says, there was a recent explosion in Cheshire at a wood mill, not sure if it was related to wood dusts though.
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Rank: Super forum user
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Just to expand on the earlier references to it, the massive explosion and extensive fire at Bosley Mill not far from Macclesfield and Congleton in Cheshire occurred just over a year ago on 17th July 2015.
According to various sources the main purpose of the factory (operated by a company called Wood Treatment Ltd) was to grind timber into fine particles alias wood flour. Some reports of the disaster seemed misleading in stating that it involved a flour mill (which people tend to interpret as meaning a mill for grinding grain) rather than a wood flour mill. Recent local/regional news reports regarding the first anniversary of the disaster mentioned that the joint investigation by Cheshire Police and the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) remains in progress. Therefore, until information is made public by the investigators, it seems best for us not to speculate in depth on the cause/s of the explosion. Also, in addition to killing 4 employees, the explosion and fire effectively destroyed the premises. This compounded the adverse effect on the local community because a significant number of local people who worked at the premises were made redundant afterwards.
Graham B
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Rank: Forum user
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I concur with the above comments. Just because an engineer has put in a requirement does not mean they are good at assessing risk and hence used risk assessment as a means of justifying their decision, similar to insurance companies. I have only ever come across DSEAR in paint spraying booths - you can appreciate the difference !
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Rank: Super forum user 
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ODonnell19538 wrote:
The question arose following a report by specialist LEV engineers, which raised a major non-conformance in view of the fact that "In accordance with DSEAR, the Joiner's workshop is a Dust Zone 21, which should be fitted with ATEX D2 or IP6X rated electrical Equipment".
You could ask those specialist engineers where you might buy a bandsaw, router, circular saw etc. and similar handheld tools manufactured to conform with that specification...........!
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Rank: Super forum user 
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Or ignore there advice and carryon as you are. When you have the LEV system inspected at 14 months they should also be checking the 'air pull' and this should be in your report saying that it is in good order.
Or you could have air monitoring completed and the results will show what you need to do.
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As a DSEAR Compliance manager I am called upon to carry out Hazardous Area Classifications with regards to woodworking workshops and in 90% of the cases the only ATEX Zones present are contained in ducting and cyclone systems which have been already designed with Explosion Relief Panels. I would recommend reading the following documents which explain things quite nicely. HSE information sheet No. 32 (Safe collection of wood waste Prevention of fire and explosion) available on the internet. After that other information with relevance is contained in BSEN 12779 Safety of woodworking machines chip and dust extraction systems with fixed installation safety related performances and safety requirements. There is no need to classify the workshop unless you have large accumulations of wood dust on surfaces which could be lifted into the air by air movement e.g. natural or compressed air and cause a potentially explosive atmosphere. Housekeeping is therefore regarded as the best defence for this type of situation. An additional Tyndall lamp test can be used when testing the LEV to prove that the dust actually being captured at source sufficiently if you are not sure and can identify which areas may be causing releases of dust which settle out in the workshop.
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Reported - the old embedded link to router setting
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Reported - the old embedded link to router setting
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4 users thanked Roundtuit for this useful post.
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