Do you have a job that requires you to work in a confined space? Or do you manage a team of workers who are consistently working in confined spaces? If so, it’s vital to know the best safety practices to put in place to avoid accidents, injuries, or even death. By practicing consistent safety checks and adhering to protocols, you can make sure your workspace is not contributing to a higher risk of negative occurrences.
Here is more information on confined space examples and practices you can put in place to keep these work areas safe.
Examples of Confined Spaces
Defined as a closed space that is normally difficult to access, confined spaces can be dangerous due to the risk of flooding, communication challenges between those in the space as well as those trying to talk to those in the space, ventilation issues, and the difficulty of entering and exiting these spaces. Confined space examples include:
- Confined elevated spaces such as water towers, attic crawl spaces, and rooftops that must be reached by climbing ladders or stairs or using a lift.
- Confined mechanical spaces such as rooms or enclosures that contain turbines, boilers, HVAC units and other building systems.
- A manhole or utility hole that leads to underground utilities like telecommunications lines, electrical systems, and sewers.
- Aboveground confined space examples like trenches or pits.
- Wells that provide vertical entry and evacuation in the ground to water sources.
- Cargo holds within ships or boats.
- Any unventilated rooms in a building.
Practices to Keep You Safe
Once you know confined space examples, you can understand how much exposure you or team has to them and be able to put the proper safety procedures in place. Some safety practices to consider include:
- Perform a risk assessment that identifies all potential hazards including physical, mechanical, those related to the air quality or atmosphere, and engulfment.
- Isolate the space from potential contaminants and energy sources.
- Provide continuous ventilation such as forced-air mechanical ventilation.
- Perform atmospheric testing to see if there are toxic substances, flammable gases, or inadequate oxygen levels.
- Make sure those going into confined spaces have the proper equipment such as flashlights, protective gear, communication devices, and rescue gear.
- Have communication tools such as two-way radios that work in confined space examples and maintain constant communication with those who are in the spaces.
- Monitor the atmosphere of the confined space continually to make sure there are no changes. In addition to traditional gas monitoring systems, advanced tools like vape detectors can help detect airborne particulates or unauthorized use of electronic devices that may impact air quality in sensitive areas.
- Have a rescue plan in place and regularly rehearse it so everyone on the team knows what to do in an emergency.
- Make sure you’re able to quickly contact outside emergency personnel if you need them.
- Ensure all those who enter confined space examples are properly trained and are aware of all safety and rescue protocols.
Confined Space Examples and Best Practices
When you know the common confined space examples, you can easily determine if you or your team needs to enter and exit them on a regular basis. If you do, it’s imperative that you put safety best practice procedures in place so you can ensure everyone who is exposed to the confined spaces stays safe.
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