Mark Winfield explores some of the challenges associated
with training staff to work safely in a confined space
Working in confined spaces may
initially seem like quite a
specific area of health and
safety provision,Mark Winfield explores some of the challenges associated
with training staff to work safely in a confined space
Working in confined spaces may
initially seem like quite a
specific area of health and
safety provision, but it is surprising how
many industries encounter such
situations. One of the most common
misconceptions is that a confined space
will be easily identifiable as a small,
cramped space but even the largest of
working areas could fall within the official
classification of a 'confined space'.
According to the 1997 Confined Space
Regulations, a confined space can actually
be a place of any size with limited or
restricted access where, due to its enclosed
nature, there is specific risk to the health
of the person working within it.
However, confined spaces aren't always
obvious or easy to identify. The more
obvious confined working environments
that often come to mind include tanks,
silos, sewers, flues and wells however,
confined spaces could also include opentopped
chambers, containers or storage
vessels, poorly ventilated rooms and
ductwork.
But whether easily identifiable or not,
confined spaces pose a risk to the safety of
the people working within them.
According to the HSE, an average of 15
people are seriously injured each year as a
result of working within or attempting to
rescue a colleague from within a confined
working space.
Why? Well, a confined space may
contain hazardous substances; it may have
poor ventilation, free-flowing liquids and
solids or other peculiar working
conditions either inside the space or
nearby. It is possible that the area is full of
water or completely dry but either way
filled with toxic gases. Or it might just be
a tunnel with restricted visibility and poor
ventilation. What makes a confined space
dangerous is not generic and will vary
from working space to working space;
there is no one size fits all risk
identification approach which means
there is also no one size fits all approach
to managing those risks.
The best way to equip your workforce
to first identify the confined space itself,
then the associated risks and how to
manage them is simple - it's training,
training and more training with a big
element of practical experience. All
companies whose employees are required
to work within restricted environments
should be asking how they can manage
and reduce confined space-associated
risks through training - under UK law it is
a legal requirement for any company
whose employees work within these
environments to comply with health and
safety standards of the Confined Spaces
Regulations Act.
The right training will help employees
more readily identify a working
environment as confined and provide
them with the knowledge and skills to
operate within them safely. It will help
them understand the risks posed to them
and their colleagues and how best to
manage and respond to them. And it will
structure a safe system of work that
includes assessment of the area and
surrounding environment and having the
correct equipment, training and
contingency plans in place.
Practical application
Any good confined space awareness training
course should also include practical
application of the theoretical elements,
enabling delegates to apply the knowledge
and skills they have gained, practice how
they would operate within the confined
space and consider how they would
respond to the various risks that may
occur. By experiencing the opportunity to
respond to real-life confined space-related
risks but in controlled surroundings,
delegates should be fully prepared for
working within such environments.
At HSS, we felt it was essential to give
confined space workers the opportunity
to put theory into practice so we invested
in a custom-made confined space tanks
to add an invaluable practical element to
our confined space training.
These tanks enable the simulation of
various confined space scenarios
including gushing floods, rising water
levels, gas leaks and reduced visibility.
From the man-hole sized entry point,
delegates are trained firstly on the safe
access to a confined space. Once inside, a
range of hazardous environments are
simulated.
Working within confined spaces is
forever going to be integral to various
jobs, but with a combination of
theoretical and practical based training to
help educate people on correct and safe
practice, the risks posed to employees of
working in restricted environments can
be both managed and reduced. Adequate
training in preparation for working
within confined spaces will help to ensure
a competent, safe, compliant and efficient
workforce.
Mark Winfield is director of HSS Training
