EVENTS: A+A 2017
The new name for...
Mines Rescue Service
SAFE ACCESS & CONTROL OF
CONFINED SPACES
F
or a long time, there have been the problems for
employers and managers attempting to identify
confined spaces in the workplace. Although the
Confined Space Regulations have been with us for 20 years
now, confusion still remains as to what exactly is deemed a
confined space.
What is a Confined Space?
Firstly, a confined space is not necessarily somewhere
that you’d have to “squeeze” into and then crawl about on
your hands and knees whilst inside. The key here is that the
area would be enclosed and that it would be reasonably
foreseeable that it would or could contain a ‘specified risk’.
What is a Specified Risk?
• Injury caused by fire or explosion
• Loss of consciousness caused by an increase in body
temperature
• Loss of consciousness or asphyxiation caused by gas,
fume, vapour or lack of oxygen
• Drowning from an increase in the level of liquid
• Asphyxiation caused by a free flowing solid or the
inability to reach safety due to entrapment by a free
flowing solid
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HSE INTERNATIONAL
Therefore, if you have an enclosed space with a specified
risk, you must meet the requirements of the Confined
Space Regulations 1997. It should be noted that the
specified risk may not be indigenous; it may be imported by
the nature of the work, i.e. cutting, welding, grinding and
spray painting, to name a few.
A regulatory requirement to manage confined spaces is
to initially identify the enclosed/confined areas for which
they are responsible. Having an understanding of the
Confined Space Regulations is essential for managers when
identifying and understanding the differences between
an enclosed area and confined spaces; knowing the
elements that turn an enclosed area into a confined space
is fundamental to managing the hazards and risks that are
associated with working within these areas.
Developing a plan with the categorised confined space
risks can help prioritise where resources are required,
not only for conducting a specific task within the space,
but would include entry requirements such as equipment,
manpower and what detailed emergency arrangements
would be required to extract someone who had become
incapacitated.