Your Insurer Asked for a Dust Hazard Analysis (DHA). Now What?

By DHA Report Group · Updated October 5, 2026

You opened the loss control report from your insurer and one line asks you to complete a dust hazard analysis (DHA). You may not have heard the term before this week. That is common, and the request is manageable. Here is what it usually means, what to ask before you do anything, and what to send back.

What the request usually means

Your insurer’s loss control representative saw, or read about, a process at your plant that handles a material that can burn as a dust. Flour, sugar, wood, plastics, metals, and many chemical powders are in that group. The recommendation asks you to document where that dust is present and what you have in place to control it.

A DHA is that document. NFPA 660, the combined combustible dust standard, puts the responsibility for having one on the owner or operator of the plant, and insurers refer to it for that reason. The request is not a verdict on how you run your plant. It is a standard item for sites that handle these materials. If you are not sure it applies to you, start with does my facility need a DHA.

Three questions to ask your insurer first

A short email to your loss control contact saves a lot of guessing. Ask:

1. What are the dates? Ask when they need a response and when they need the finished DHA. Those are often two different dates. Many insurers will take an acknowledgement and a plan first, with the report to follow.
2. What do you want to receive? It may be the full report, a summary, or a list of recommendations with their status. Ask whether they have any requirements for who leads the study.
3. Is a remote study acceptable? Many DHAs are done from drawings, photos, and process information. Some insurers accept that and some want a site visit. Find out before you collect quotes.

Keep the answers in writing with the original recommendation. You will want them again when you send the finished work back.

The steps from here

1. Check for an existing DHA. Someone before you may have had one done. Under NFPA 660 a DHA must be reviewed and updated at least every five years and whenever the process changes, so check its date and whether it still matches your process.
2. List what is in scope. Write down the materials you handle and the equipment that moves, mixes, grinds, dries, or collects them.
3. Gather your documents. A layout, photos, Safety Data Sheets, dust collector information, and any dust test results you already have. Our DHA preparation checklist walks you through the full set.
4. Get a quote. Scope drives the price, so have your list ready. See what a DHA costs for what moves the number up or down. We quote each DHA from your own intake and documents, typically within two business days of a 15-minute intake.
5. Have the DHA completed. Most of ours finish in 3 to 5 weeks from retainer and complete documents, depending on complexity. Expedited studies are available. Compare that timing with the dates your insurer gave you. For where the time goes, see how long a DHA takes.

What to send back

Think of your reply in three parts, sent at three different times.

• Now. A short note that says you received the recommendation, who will complete the DHA, and the date you expect to have it.
• When the DHA is done. The report or summary in the form your insurer asked for.
• After that. Your plan for the recommendations in the DHA. List each item with the person who owns it and a target date.

A plan with names and dates answers the question behind most loss control follow-ups, which is whether the item is moving. For help building that plan, see what to do after your DHA.

When you do not need us

Some insurer requests are better handled another way.

• You already have a current DHA. If it is less than five years old and still matches your process, send it. You do not need a new one.
• You have a qualified person on staff. NFPA 660 lets the owner complete the DHA when a qualified person leads it.
• Your insurer wants something other than a DHA. Lab testing of your dust, stamped engineering drawings, or the design of a protection system each call for a different kind of firm. We do not stamp drawings or provide a PE stamp. Your own PE can review our report.
• Your insurer requires a site visit by a firm it names. Use that firm. It will save you a second round.

Questions about an insurer’s DHA request

Why is my insurer asking for a dust hazard analysis?

Your plant handles a material that can burn as a dust, and NFPA 660 expects the owner or operator to have a DHA for it. Insurers refer to NFPA standards when they write loss control recommendations.

How long do I have to respond to my insurer?

That depends on your insurer, so ask for the dates in writing. Many will take an acknowledgement and a plan first, with the finished DHA to follow.

Will my insurer accept a remote DHA?

Many do, but ask your insurer before you collect quotes. Most of our DHAs are done remotely from drawings, photos, and process information.

Do I need dust test results before I respond to my insurer?

Not always. A DHA can treat a dust as combustible without testing, and it can point out where test data would be needed later.

Can a DHA be finished by my insurer’s date?

Most of ours finish in 3 to 5 weeks from retainer and complete documents, depending on complexity. Expedited studies are available.