Confined Spaces

Working in confined spaces is potentially hazardous. Around 15 people per year die in confined spaces at work. About 50% of those killed are ‘would be’ rescuers.

What is a Confined Space?
Any place, including any chamber, tank, vat, silo, pit, trench, pipe, sewer, flue, well, or other similar space – which by virtue of its enclosed nature – there arises a reasonable foreseeable specified risk.
Confined spaces can be relatively large. Other features of confined spaces are that access and egress can be difficult. Generally confined spaces were not designed for human occupancy.

Dangers associated with Confined Spaces:

• Lack of oxygen / too much oxygen
• Fire and explosion
• Gases, fumes, vapours (toxic and/or flammable)
• Liquids, free flowing solids suddenly filling the space
• Painting through heat exhaustion
• Contact with moving machinery

Confined Spaces
The starting point of effective risk control is that people must not enter and work in confined spaces unless:
The work can’t be done any other way, and a safe system of work is in place before entry.
The safe system of work includes the provision of emergency arrangements that can be put into operation immediately if something goes wrong. This includes the provision and maintenance of resuscitation equipment.

Risk Assessment
Risk control must be risk assessment based and hierarchy of risk controls is as follows:

• Possible design /re-design
• Can designers try to avoid confined spaces by design means ?
• Where a confined space exists can access / egress be improved by re-design?
• Can the work be done without entry ?
• Can the time in the space be reduced – by withdrawing a competent and working on it outside the confined space ?
• If entry is unavoidable then a safe system of work must be adopted. This could include pre-entry  atmosphere testing, permit to work system, competent trained people, rescue equipment etc.