When performing confined space work, you should always use the buddy-system.  A worker or workers enter the confined space to perform their duties while their “buddy”, the stand-by/rescue person stays outside.

The Duties of a Standby/Rescue Person

A standby/rescue person’s only duty is to stand outside the confined space while other workers are inside. They should remain in constant contact with the workers (either through sight or sound) and know who to notify in the event of an emergency. If there is an emergency such as  a cave-in or if the workers are overcome by fumes, the standby/rescue person should never enter the confined space until help arrives. To do so runs the risk of the standby/rescue person becoming a victim themselves.

Rescuers Who Become Victims

It’s estimated that as many as 50% of confined space deaths are those of the standby/rescue workers who instinctively rush in to try to help their endangered co-workers. Without thinking, they enter dangerous confined spaces without the proper equipment like lifelines or respirators, putting themselves in danger of injury or death.

Proper Planning and Training Lessens the Risks

A plan for safe rescue procedures should be written and reviewed by all workers before any confined space work begins. Training and frequent practice drills also prepare workers to think wisely and clearly in the event of a confined space emergency.

Seton offers confined space warning signs and confined space training materials to help keep confined space workers informed and safe on the job.

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The atmosphere in a confined space can be extremely hazardous due to the lack of air circulation. Because fresh air can’t move freely in and out of a confined space like storage tanks, pipes, silos and manholes, a variety of hazardous conditions can be created. Deadly gases may be trapped inside, especially if the confined space is used to store or process chemicals. There may not be enough oxygen in the space to support life, or the air could be so oxygen rich that it could cause a fire or explosion if ignited. There are three types of hazardous atmospheres that confined space workers should be aware of:

1. Toxic Atmospheres: The product found in a confined space can be absorbed into the walls and floors of the confined space and give off toxic gases. For example, sludge cleaned out of the inside of a tank can give off deadly hydrogen sulfide gas. Also, the work being performed in the confined space can also generate toxic fumes. Welding, cutting, sanding, scraping and cleaning can all give off toxic vapors.
2. Oxygen-Deficient Atmospheres: An oxygen-deficient atmosphere has less than 19.5% available oxygen. Any confined space with less than 19.5% oxygen should not be entered without wearing a self-contained breathing apparatus. Oxygen can be removed from the atmosphere by work such as welding, cutting or brazing. Oxygen levels can also be decreased if replaced with other gases like carbon dioxide or nitrogen, or by chemical reactions inside the confined space like rusting or fermentation.
3. Flammable Atmospheres: Two things make the atmosphere flammable, oxygen in the air and a flammable gas, vapor or dust in the right mixture. If a source of ignition like a spark from a tool occurs an explosion will result. An oxygen-enriched atmosphere (over 21% oxygen) will cause flammable materials like clothing and hair to burn violently. Therefore, don’t use pure oxygen to vent a confined space. Ventilate with normal air.

Never trust your senses to determine if the air in a confined space is hazardous. Many toxic gases and vapors can’t be seen or smelled. Be sure to test the atmosphere with a properly calibrated testing instrument. If testing reveals a hazardous atmosphere, be sure to take precautions like ventilating the space or ensuring workers have the proper respiratory protection. Posting Confined Space Signs will also remind workers to take proper precautions and wear the appropriate protective equipment before entering any confined space.

Source: “A Guide to Safety in Confined Spaces” by Tom Pettit and Herb Linn

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Often, when confined space accidents happen, it’s not carelessness or a blatant disregard for safety that is the cause. In many instances, confined space accidents happen simply because the site supervisor didn’t recognize the space as a hazardous one that could cause injury or death.

Before working in any space, it’s essential to evaluate the scene and determine if any confined space hazards exist. There are three criteria that must be met for a work scene to be considered a confined space:

1. The space is fully or partially enclosed
2. The space is not designed and constructed for continuous human occupancy
3. The space has atmospheric hazards because of its location, contents or the type of work done in it

Again, all three criteria have to be met before a space is recognized as a confined space.

The Construction Safety Association of Ontario has defined these criteria as follows:

Partially or fully enclosed spaces

Because air can’t move freely in and out of a partially or fully enclosed space, there is a potential for a hazardous atmosphere to be generated inside. This is especially true for spaces such as vaults, tanks, pits, trenches, or manholes.

Spaces not designed and constructed for continuous human occupancy

Confined spaces are not designed or constructed for people to work in them on an ongoing basis. They are usually designed and constructed to store material, transport products, or enclose a process. But occasionally, some work must be done inside the space.

Atmospheric hazards

A hazardous atmosphere is one which contains any of the following:

• An accumulation of flammable, combustible, or explosive agents
• Less than 19.5% or more than 23% oxygen
• An accumulation of atmospheric contaminants that could result in acute (short-term) health effects which pose an immediate threat to life, or interfere with a person’s ability to escape unaided from a confined space

For more information on confined space hazards visit the Construction Safety Association of Ontario.

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Farming is one of the most dangerous occupations in the United States. More than 700 farmers die in work-related accidents yearly.

Some of the most common accidents involve confined spaces inside grain bins. When grain bins are emptied, they can cause serious injuries to workers from crushing, to electrocution to suffocation.

The University of Illinois Extension offers the following safety suggestions when working in or near grain bins:

• Whenever possible, do not enter a grain bin.
• Break up crusted grain on the outside with a long pole, while making sure the pole does not come in contact with electric lines.
• Wear a safety harness attached to a properly secured rope.
• Stay near the outer wall and keep walking if the grain starts to flow, then get to a bin ladder or safety rope as soon as possible.
• Use confined space procedures [including posting confined space signs] and have someone who knows confined space rescue procedures outside the bin in case you are entrapped.
• Wear a dust filter – grain fines and dust can cause breathing difficulty.
• Use lockout procedures [including lockout tags] to shut off power to augers and fans when entering grain bins.
• Children should not be allowed to play in or around grain bins, wagons, or trucks.
• Ladders, brightly painted for easy identification, should be installed inside grain bins for emergency exit.

Seton offers a variety of products to help make grain bin work safer. From lockout tags that help prevent accidental power ups to confined space safety signs to remind workers of hazards to safety harnesses and dust masks to prevent injuries while working in the bins.

Source: Nathan Winter, Extension educator – agricultural productions systems, McLeod/Meeker County

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According to OSHA, many workplaces contain spaces that are considered “confined” because their configurations hinder the activities of employees who must enter, work in, and exit them. A confined space has limited or restricted means for entry or exit, and it is not designed for continuous employee occupancy. Confined spaces include, but are not limited to underground vaults, tanks, storage bins, manholes, pits, silos, process vessels, and pipelines.

OSHA uses the term “permit-required confined space” (permit space) to describe a confined space that has one or more of the following characteristics: contains or has the potential to contain a hazardous atmosphere; contains a material that has the potential to engulf an entrant; has walls that converge inward or floors that slope downward and taper into a smaller area which could trap or asphyxiate an entrant; or contains any other recognized safety or health hazard, such as unguarded machinery, exposed live wires, or heat stress.

Help protect employees from confined space accidents by posting safety signs to remind them to take proper confined space safety precautions. Seton offers a variety of confined space signs designed to warn workers about potential confined space hazards and to remind them to wear any required PPE. Visit seton.com to see a variety of confined space signs.

To learn more about OSHA confined space standards and  training  visit OSHA.

Source: OSHA.gov

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