eLearning Login
What are Confined Spaces?
Confined spaces are tight areas or containers that aren’t necessarily designed for people to enter but are possible for people to enter. Entries and exits of confined spaces are small and difficult to maintain. Regardless, it is sometimes necessary for employees to work within confined spaces depending on their occupation.
An average of 92 fatal injuries occur in confined spaces each year, making them a dangerous space to work in. Working in confined spaces requires specific training, and in some cases, a permit for entry.
Are Confined Spaces a Hazard?
While confined spaces themselves aren’t necessarily a hazard, they can be hazardous. For this reason not just anyone can work in a confined space. Generally, confined spaces contain engulfment and entrapment hazards such as cave-ins or getting stuck. There are other conditions that may render confined spaces hazardous, such as exposure to fumes, dust, or harmful particles.
Because they aren’t intended primarily for human entry, confined spaces are not usually safe or easy to enter and work in.
When is Confined Space Entry Allowed?
OSHA standards dictate that a competent person or supervisor of the workplace must determine if the confined space should be permit-required or non-permit required. Certain characteristics dictate whether or not a confined space permit is required and who is allowed to enter. Permit-required confined spaces will have one or more of the following characteristics:
- A hazardous atmosphere
- Potential to engulf an employee
- Potential to trap an employee
- Contains hazardous substances
Simply put, a non-permit confined space then has a non hazardous atmosphere (19.5%-23.5% oxygen levels). It will also not contain any potential for engulfment or entrapment, and no hazardous substances. Basically, for a confined space to not require a permit, there has to be little to no possibility of death or serious injury.
Regardless of whether a confined space requires a permit, all employees must receive proper training before they enter the confined space.
An employee will then be designated as an authorized entrant, meaning they are authorized by the competent person or supervisor to work in a confined space. They will need to be monitored by an attendant, someone who stays outside the confined space and watches as the authorized person performs their duties in the confined space. Attendants must also be trained to enter confined spaces in case they need to rescue the authorized entrant
Visit our website for more information on our confined spaces training courses. Our training is OSHA Aligned and is extremely comprehensive and thorough for anyone seeking confined spaces training.
Understanding Engulfment and Entrapment
Perhaps the most serious and dangerous risks employees face when they enter confined spaces are engulfment and entrapment. Unfortunately, these hazards are all too common when working in confined spaces; a better understanding of them is needed for those preparing to work there.
Engulfment refers to becoming surrounded by a granular substance such as dirt, gravel, sand, or mud. It is not unheard of to be engulfed by grain or flour as well when working in confined spaces such as silos. Engulfment can lead to strangulation, asphyxiation, and crushing. The force and size of the engulfment will determine the survival of an employee working in the confined space. Places that are more likely to be at risk of engulfment are trenches, excavation pits, silos, vats, tanks, bunkers, and hoppers.
Entrapment refers to becoming trapped or asphyxiated by walls that close in on the employee or walls that taper downward. While asphyxiation is a serious concern for employees that become entrapped, it is not the only potential cause of injury or death. It is possible to also suffer dehydration, starvation, or bleeding.
If either of these situations occur, a supervisor or attendant needs to contact emergency services immediately to rescue the trapped employee.
Other Associated Hazards in Confined Spaces
Engulfment and entrapment are both serious hazards associated with confined spaces, but they are not the only ones that an employee needs to look out for. A supervisor or a competent person needs to assess the confined space beforehand to determine what other hazards may exist in the space. Depending on what they find in their assessment, the competent person or supervisor will then decide if a permit should be required to enter the confined space.
Some of the other hazards associated with confined spaces include but are not limited to:
- Exposed live wires
- Unguarded machinery
- Heat or cold stress
- Combustible liquids or gasses
- Fumigated spaces
- Air tight spaces with low oxygen content or no ventilation
- Hazardous vapors
These hazards need to be dealt with appropriately as determined by the supervisor before an employee enters. The hierarchy of controls for hazards is a good way to determine how to deal with these hazards. Some can be eliminated; in an airtight confined space, for example, keep the hatch or entrance open while working.Other hazards are not so easily avoided, so use of personal protective equipment (PPE) may be the only way for employees to stay safe in the confined space.
Toxic chemicals, fumes, and vapors can cause certain immediate or long-term illnesses. Those who are trained to work in confined spaces should be familiar with signs and symptoms of illnesses associated with these toxic elements. If employees working around these toxic elements are affected, have them seek medical attention immediately.
Rescue from Confined Spaces
In the event that an employee becomes engulfed, entrapped, or otherwise injured within a confined space, it may be necessary for rescue services to retrieve them. The attendant should be familiar with the signs and symptoms associated with any toxic or air constricting hazards that the authorized entrant may face. They will also need to know where the nearest rescue services are located.
If rescue services cannot arrive on time, the employer may permit attendants to perform an entry rescue. Because of this possibility, the attendant should already have a rescue plan in place to either give to rescue services or to conduct themselves in the event of an emergency. Under no circumstances should an attendant attempt a rescue without the proper equipment, otherwise they may suffer the same injury or death of the authorized entrant.
Here at Safety Provisions, we also offer a course for confined space rescue training online. For all your safety certification and training needs check out Safety Provision, Inc.