WORKING IN CONFINED SPACES
If you are one of the 1.6 million Americans who work in confined spaces each year, you know your job is dangerous. Each year, hundreds of workers die from accidents in confined spaces. Many of these deaths occur when co-workers attempt to rescue a victim. Experts label these co-workers as "Partners in Death". Serious injury or death in a confined space can be the result of asphyxiation, engulfment, electric shock, falls and heat stress. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) believes 85 percent of these accidents can be prevented if you learn about the hazards you face on the job.
A "Confined Space" means a space that:
- Is large enough that an employee can bodily enter and perform assigned work.
- Has limited or restricted means for entry or exit (for example, ship compartments, tanks, vessels, silos, storage bins, hoppers, vaults, and pits).
- Is not designed for continuous employee occupancy
No work in a confined space should be performed without careful evaluation of the space. A trained "Competent Person" should identify the hazards and controls associated with a confined space. Controls for a confined space may include, ventilation, hot-work permits, air quality testing and respiratory protection. A trained "Hole Watch" should be posted while confined space work is being performed. Good questions to ask are - "What inside this space could cause me bodily harm or even death? What task are you performing once inside the space?" It could be that the space requires a permit.
Permit-required confined spaces have the following characteristics:
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Contains or has potential to contain a hazardous atmosphere. (Welding, paint, chemical and dust fumes)
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Contains a material that has the potential for engulfing an entrant. (Being trapped in a liquid or solid material).
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Has an internal configuration such that the entrant could become wedged into a narrow part of the space and suffocate.
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Contains any other recognized serious safety or health hazards. (Danger from unexpected movement of machinery, electrocution, heat stress and physical dangers such as falling debris or slipping ladders.)
Hazards associated with a permit-confined space:
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The air might not have enough oxygen.
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The air can be flammable or toxic.
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Because of these hazards, entry is defined as placing any part of your body into the permit space.
Each of the hazards described above is more serious in a confined space because rescuers can have a difficult time reaching you if you need help.
Don't let a confined space be your grave!
Work Hard - ActSafe®
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