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The Confined Spaces Regulations 1997

 

These regulations concern any work which is carried on in a place which is substantially (but not always entirely) enclosed, where there is a reasonably foreseeable risk of serious injury from conditions and/or hazardous substances in the space or nearby.

Definition of Confined Spaces

This is any place, including any chamber, tank, vat, silo, pit, trench, pipe, sewer, flue, well or similar space which can be defined as an enclosed space where a reasonably foreseeable risk can be identified.

Specified Risk – this means a risk to any person at work of

• Serious injury arising from a fire or explosion
• Loss of consciousness arising from an increase in body temperature
• Loss of consciousness or asphyxiation arising from gas, fume, vapor or lack of oxygen
• Drowning arising from the increase in the level of liquid
• Asphyxiation arising from a free flowing solid or because of entrapment by it

Employers Duties – Reg 3

Employers have the following duties:

• Comply regarding any work carried out by any employees; and
• Ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that other persons (egg. Use competent contractors) comply regarding work in the employers control

The self employed also have duties to comply

Work in confined Space – Reg 4

1. No person at work shall enter a confined space for any purpose unless it is not reasonably practicable to achieve that purpose without such an entry

2. Other than in an emergency, no person shall enter, carry out work or leave a confined space otherwise than in accordance with a safe system of work, relevant to the specified risks.

Risk Assessment

Risk assessment is a vital part of complying with these regulations and must be done (under the Management of Health & Safety at Work Regs 1999) to determine a safe system of work. The risk assessment needs to follow a hierarchy of controls to comply. This should start with measures both in design and procedures that can be adopted to enable any work to be carried out outside the confined work space.

Risk assessment must be done by a competent person and will form the basis of a safe system of work.

When carrying out an assessment you should take the following into consideration:

• What has been the previous contents of the space
• Residues that have been left in the space i.e. rust and what might happen if they are disturbed.
• Contamination that might arise from adjacent plant, processes, services, pipes or surrounding land, soil or strata
• Oxygen deficiency and enrichment, normal levels are 20.8 % above this and inflammability risk occur, if it is below then impaired mental ability occurs with loss of consciousness under 16%.
• The use of cleaning chemicals and their direct effect or interaction with other substances
• Potential sources of ignition

Safe Systems of Work

The main elements of a safe system of work which form the basis of a permit to work are:

• The type and extent of supervision
• Competence and training of people doing the work
• Communications between people inside, form inside to outside and to summon help.
• Testing and monitoring the atmosphere for hazardous gas, fume, vapor, dust etc and concentration of oxygen
• Good ventilation, sometimes by mechanical means
• Careful removal of residues using equipment using equipment that does not cause any additional hazards
• Effective isolation from gases, liquids and other flowing materials by removal of pieces of pipe, blanked off pipes, locked off valves
• Effective isolation from electrical and mechanical equipment to ensure complete isolation with lock off and a tag system with key security
• Supply of gas pipes and hoses should be carefully controlled
• Fire prevention
• Prohibition of smoking
• Emergencies and rescue
• Limiting of working periods and the suitability of individuals

Emergency Arrangements

Before work is carried out in confined spaces sufficient rescue arrangements should be in place, they should entail the following:

• Reduce the risks to rescuers so far as is reasonably practicable
• Include provision and maintenance of suitable resuscitation equipment designed to meet the specified risks

Suitable & Sufficient Arrangements should cover

• Rescue & resuscitation equipment
• Raising the alarm, alerting rescue and watch keeping
• Safeguarding the rescuers
• Fire safety precautions and procedures
• Control adjacent plant
• First-aid arrangements
• Notification and consultation with emergency services
• Training of rescuers and simulations of emergencies
• Size of access openings to permit rescue with full breathing apparatus, harnesses and lifelines

Training

Training must be carried out for all people who are in contact with working with confined spaces; this training should be ongoing and refreshed on a regular basis.