CONFINED SPACES
Hello … welcome to our Ministry of Labour health and safety podcast. Today, we are going to present an overview of confined spaces.
As of July 1, 2011, the confined space requirements that were in four sector-specific regulations under the Occupational Health and Safety Act are now covered by one single regulation.
Under the act and the regulation, a "confined space" means a fully or partially enclosed space, that:
• First, is not both designed and constructed for continuous human occupancy, and
• in which atmospheric hazards may occur because of its construction, location or contents or because of work that is done in it.
If you have a space that is fully or partially enclosed, these two conditions must both apply before the space can be considered a "confined space" for the purposes of the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
You can find a list of examples of spaces that would not be considered "designed and constructed for continuous human occupancy" on our website. We'll give you the co-ordinates at the end of this podcast.
Some of the biggest hazards in confined spaces are atmospheric hazards. These hazards may include:
• Previous contents of the space. An example would be a tank with a residual amount of organic solvent in it, such as perchloroethylene.
• Atmospheric hazards generated from chemical reactions of materials present in the space. An example would be the decomposition of organic materials that would cause the formation of methane, a flammable gas, and hydrogen sulphide, a toxic atmospheric contaminant. Another example would be rusting, or oxidation, within a confined space that would consume oxygen and cause an oxygen deficiency.
• Atmospheric hazards can also come from activities performed in or about the space. Examples include welding, which generates welding fumes, and solvent cleaning, which generates solvent vapours.
Hazardous contaminants may inadvertently enter into the space from adjacent processes or locations. An example would be carbon monoxide from vehicle exhaust entering street manholes or a trench.
There are two major steps an employer must take to determine, first, if there are confined spaces in the workplace, and, second, how work will proceed in the confined spaces.
The program sets out the methods by which an employer intends to comply with the regulation. A confined space program is a written document that includes:
• a method for recognizing each confined space to which the program applies;
• a method for assessing the hazards to which workers may be exposed;
• a method for the development of confined space entry plans;
• a method for training workers;
• and, an entry permit system.
A plan is a specific set of measures and procedures to control hazards identified by the assessment for a confined space. Once the hazards are identified and controlled, workers may be allowed to enter and work in the specific confined space safely.
The plan must outline, among other things:
• the duties of workers;
• on-site rescue procedures;
• rescue equipment and methods of communication;
• personal protective equipment, clothing and devices;
The plan must also provide for the isolation of energy and control of materials movement.
It must outline the duties and procedures for attendants - workers who are trained in the hazards of confined spaces and whose primary responsibility is to monitor and assist the workers in the confined space.
The plan must call for adequate means for entering and exiting; and atmospheric testing;
As well, the plan should outline adequate procedures for working in the presence of explosive or flammable substances; and ventilation and purging.
One of the most important elements in working in confined spaces is having adequate on-site rescue procedures. The regulation stipulates that no worker enters or remains in a confined space unless adequate written on-site rescue procedures have been developed and are ready for immediate implementation.
As well, properly trained rescuers are to be available for immediate response. Their training must include on-site rescue procedures, first aid and cardio-pulmonary resuscitation; and the use of the rescue equipment required in accordance with the relevant plan.
Confined spaces are extremely hazardous places to work. You can find very detailed information on the requirements for work in confined spaces on our website.
Go to Ontario.ca - forward slash - labour - that's l-a-b-o-u-r. That's Ontario.ca - forward slash - labour - that's l-a-b-o-u-r.
Go to the health and safety section. There, on the left side of the monitor you will find "Topics and Publications". On the topics and publications page you will find a link to our Confined Spaces Guideline. It should give you all of the information you need.
And that's it for this Ministry of Labour podcast.
Thank you for listening.