Definition: đź“Ś
Confined space safety is the practice of ensuring safe work conditions in fully or partially enclosed areas such as manholes, pipelines, boilers, utility vaults, and storage bins. Confined space safety precautions should be undertaken accordingly to comply with health and safety regulations and prevent work-related injuries, illnesses, or even deaths.
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OSHA Confined space
According to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), a confined space is an area large enough to fully enter or perform certain jobs. A confined space also has limited or restricted means of entry or exit (e.g. portals, hatches, manholes, ladders, spiral stairways, crawl spaces or long distance to exit) and is not designed for continuous occupancy. Apart from the OSHA criteria, confined spaces are defined across countries or regions as follows:
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NIOSH Confined Space
Based on the definition of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), a confined space refers to a space which, by design, has limited openings for entry and exit, unfavorable natural ventilation which could contain or produce dangerous air contaminants, and which is not intended for continuous worker occupancy.
While OSHA enforces regulations, NIOSH provides research-based recommendations to prevent work-related injuries. -
HSE Confined Space
As the regulator of occupational health and safety legislation in the U.K, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) explains that a confined space is a place which is substantially enclosed (though not always entirely), and where serious injury can occur from substances or conditions within the space .
While OSHA and NIOSH specify that a confined space is not designed or intended for continuous worker occupancy, the HSE emphasizes that a confined space safety does not only include substances or conditions within the area, but also nearby or around it.
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CCOHS Confined Space
The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) probably offers the most detailed description of a confined space. CCOHS elaborates that a confined is a fully or partially enclosed space that is not primarily designed or intended for continuous human occupancy and has limited or restricted entrance or exit, or a configuration that can complicate first aid, rescue, evacuation, or other emergency response activities.
However, the CCOHS adds that a confined space is a fully or partially enclosed space that can represent a risk for the health and safety of anyone who enters, due to one or more of the following factors:
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- its design, construction, location, or atmosphere;
- the materials or substances in it;
- work activities being carried out in it; or
- the mechanical, process, and safety hazards present.
What is a Permit-Required Confined Space?
A permit-required confined space also known as a “permit space” contains or has the potential to contain a hazardous atmosphere or any other serious safety or health hazards. Permit-required confined spaces are characterized as a high-risk workplace, requiring regulatory permits and strict entry and safety procedures.
What are the hazards?
Working in a confined space is dangerous because of the risks from noxious fumes, reduced oxygen levels, or a risk of fire.
Other dangers may include flooding/drowning or asphyxiation from some other source such as dust, grain or other contaminant.
The main hazard when working in a confined space is the deadly atmosphere due to the presence of carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide, and methane gas that may result in oxygen deficiency or asphyxiation. Other common confined space hazards include unguarded machinery, exposed live wires, and heat stress.
What are the Oxygen Levels in Confined Spaces?
Outside the confined space, 21 percent oxygen is necessary to sustain life. Oxygen in confined spaces tends to go low. It might be used for rust, bacterial growth, and slime. Other gas may enter the confined space and displace the oxygen. Operations like heating will consume oxygen.
If oxygen is reduced to 12 to 16 percent, workers will increase pulse and respiration and experience loss of coordination. If the oxygen decreases to 6 to 10 percent, they will experience nausea, vomiting, loss of consciousness, and even death.
Examples of Confined spaces
Confined spaces include tanks, vaults, pits, manholes, tunnels, equipment housings, pipelines, boilers, furnaces, compactors, sewers, attic spaces and elevator pits. Common work performed in confined spaces include maintenance, inspection, repair, and cleaning.
OSHA Standard and Requirements
OSHA 1910.146 is the standard for confined spaces. The OSHA confined space standard explains the requirements for permit-required confined spaces in detail. Generally, listed below are some OSHA confined space requirements:
-Evaluate the workplace to determine if any spaces are permit- required confined spaces.
-Inform exposed employees if the workplace contains permit spaces.
-Take effective measures to prevent employees from entering the permit spaces if employers decide that employees will not enter permit spaces.
-Develop and implement a written permit space program if employers decide that employees will enter permit spaces.
-Use alternate procedures for entering a permit space under certain conditions.
-When there are changes in the use or configuration of a non-permit confined space that might increase the hazards to entrants, reevaluate that space and, if necessary, reclassify it as a permit-required confined space.
-A space classified by the employer as a permit-required confined space may be reclassified as a non-permit confined space under specific procedures.
-When an employer (host employer) arranges to have employees of another employer (contractor) perform work that involves permit space entry, the host employer should follow the established protocol.
-In addition to complying with the permit space requirements that apply to all employers, each contractor who is retained to perform permit space entry operations should adhere to the given process.
What is a Rescue Plan in Confined Space Safety?
A confined space rescue plan is a system of steps undertaken by designated personnel to rescue employees from permit spaces. The rescue and emergency services often use a retrieval system, or the equipment used for non-entry rescue of persons from permit spaces, among other equipment necessary for safe entry into and rescue from permit spaces. The OSHA requirements related to a confined space rescue plan is as follows:
-Develop and implement procedures for summoning rescue and emergency services, for rescuing entrants from permit spaces, for providing necessary emergency services to rescued employees, and for preventing unauthorized personnel from attempting a rescue.
-Evaluate a prospective rescuer’s ability to respond to a rescue summons in a timely manner, considering the hazard(s) identified.
-Evaluate a prospective rescue service’s ability, in terms of proficiency with rescue-related tasks and equipment, to function appropriately while rescuing entrants from the particular permit space or types of permit spaces identified.
-Select a rescue team or service from those evaluated.
-Inform each rescue team or service of the hazards they may confront when called on to perform rescue at the site.
-Provide the rescue team or service selected with access to all permit spaces from which rescue may be necessary so that the rescue service can develop appropriate rescue plans and practice rescue operations.
-Provide affected employees with the personal protective equipment (PPE) needed to conduct permit space rescues safely and train affected employees so they are proficient in the use of that PPE, at no cost to those employees.
-Train affected employees to perform assigned rescue duties.
-Train affected employees in basic first-aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
-Ensure that affected employees practice making permit space rescues at least once every 12 months.
-To facilitate non-entry rescue, retrieval systems or methods shall be used whenever an authorized entrant enters a permit space, unless the retrieval equipment would increase the overall risk of entry or would not contribute to the rescue of the entrant.
-If an injured entrant is exposed to a substance for which a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) or other similar written information is required to be kept at the worksite, that MSDS or written information shall be made available to the medical facility treating the exposed entrant.
What should employers do?
Wherever possible, they should avoid carrying out tasks in confined spaces. Where this is not possible, they must assess the risks of the particular confined space and plan how they will control those risks.
For example:
-if a confined space has noxious fumes, they should consider how these can be ventilated or removed;
-if there is a risk of liquids or gases flooding in, they should establish whether the valves can be locked shut or forecast the weather when working in rainwater drainage pipes.
-if someone is going into a confined space and there is not enough oxygen to breathe properly, employers must provide breathing apparatus or ventilate the space to increase oxygen levels before entering.
-Employers should have emergency arrangements where necessary. If someone is working in a confined space, they should think about the following:
-How will they know workers are okay and haven’t been overcome by fumes?
-How will they get them out if they are overcome? (It is not enough to rely on the emergency services.)
Dos and don’ts of working in confined spaces
Do…
be aware of the risks that may occur within a confined space;
make sure the person doing the work is capable and trained in both the work and the use of any emergency equipment.
Don’t …
work in confined spaces unless it’s essential to do so;
ignore the risks – just because a confined space is safe one day doesn’t mean it will always be;
let others enter a confined space until you are sure it’s safe to do so.
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