Working safely in confined space
Confined spaces, from storage tanks, silos and drains to vats, can pose risks to workers industries such as agriculture, installation and telecommunications.
Confined spaces can pose certain health and safety risks for workers.
What is a confined space?
A confined space has two defining features:
- it is a place that is substantially (though not always entirely) enclosed
- serious injury can occur from hazardous substances or conditions within the space or nearby, eg a lack of oxygen
Confined spaces can include:
- areas with limited openings such as storage tanks, silos, reaction vessels, enclosed drains, sewers
- open-topped chambers such as vats, combustion chambers in furnaces, ductwork
- closed, unventilated or poorly ventilated rooms
Industries that work in confined spaces
There are many types of industry which typically require employees to work in confined spaces. For example:
- agricultural workers may have to work in silos
- surveyors working on building sites or in domestic settings may have to crawl underneath floorboards or in cellars
- telecommunications engineers may have to work in enclosed drains
- workers cleaning out and maintaining storage vessels and vats
- workers maintaining or installing equipment, service cables and pipes
Confined space safety law
You must ensure that any work carried out in a confined space, where there is a risk of serious injury, complies with the .
See assess the risks of confined spaces and manage the risks posed by confined spaces.
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