diff --git a/tools/bufr_dump.c b/tools/bufr_dump.c
index 41d83fafd..740433f96 100644
--- a/tools/bufr_dump.c
+++ b/tools/bufr_dump.c
@@ -368,7 +368,6 @@ int grib_tool_new_handle_action(grib_runtime_options* options, grib_handle* h)
 {
     long length=0;
     int i,err=0;
-    long subsetNumber=0;
     grib_accessor* a=NULL;
     grib_accessors_list* al=NULL;
     if (grib_get_long(h,"totalLength",&length) != GRIB_SUCCESS)
@@ -384,49 +383,36 @@ int grib_tool_new_handle_action(grib_runtime_options* options, grib_handle* h)
         grib_set_flag(h,options->print_keys[i].name,GRIB_ACCESSOR_FLAG_DUMP);
 
     if (grib_options_on("S:")) {
-        long val=0, numberOfSubsets=0;
-        char *endptr, *str;
-        errno = 0;    /* To distinguish success/failure after call */
-        str = grib_options_get_option("S:");
-        val = strtol(str, &endptr, 10);
-        if ((errno == ERANGE && (val == LONG_MAX || val == LONG_MIN)) || (errno != 0 && val == 0)) {
-            perror("strtol");
-            exit(1);
-        }
-        if (endptr == str) {
-            fprintf(stderr, "ERROR: -S option: No digits were found. Please specify a positive integer.\n");
-            exit(1);
-        }
-        subsetNumber = val;
+        long numberOfSubsets=0, subsetNumber=0;
+        char *str = grib_options_get_option("S:");
         err = grib_get_long(h,"numberOfSubsets",&numberOfSubsets);
         if (err) {
-            fprintf(stderr, "ERROR: Failed to get numberOfSubsets\n");
-            exit(1);
-        }
-        if (subsetNumber < 1 || subsetNumber > numberOfSubsets) {
-            fprintf(stderr, "ERROR: -S option: Please specify a subset number > 0 and < %ld\n", numberOfSubsets+1);
+            fprintf(stderr, "ERROR: Failed to get numberOfSubsets.\n");
             exit(1);
         }
 
-        if (subsetNumber) {
+        if (check_subset_number(str, numberOfSubsets, &subsetNumber) == GRIB_SUCCESS) {
             grib_handle* new_handle = 0;
             grib_handle *h2;
             size_t size = 0;
             const void *buffer = NULL;
 
-            /*Clone, unpack and extract that particular subset*/
+            /* Clone, unpack and extract that particular subset */
             h2 = grib_handle_clone(h);
             Assert(h2);
             GRIB_CHECK_NOLINE(grib_set_long(h2,"unpack", 1), 0);
             GRIB_CHECK_NOLINE(grib_set_long(h2,"extractSubset", subsetNumber), 0);
             GRIB_CHECK_NOLINE(grib_set_long(h2,"doExtractSubsets",1), 0);
 
-            /*Put result into buffer then form new handle from it*/
+            /* Put result into buffer then form new handle from it */
             GRIB_CHECK_NOLINE(grib_get_message(h2, &buffer, &size),0);
             new_handle = grib_handle_new_from_message(0, buffer, size);
             Assert(new_handle);
-            /*TODO: possible leak!*/
-            h = new_handle;
+            /* Replace handle with the new one which has only one subset */
+            h = new_handle; /*TODO: possible leak!*/
+        } else {
+            fprintf(stderr, "ERROR: -S option: Please specify a subset number > 0 and < %ld\n", numberOfSubsets+1);
+            exit(1);
         }
     }