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Is confined space entry really the 21st Century solution to utility access?


written by Ian Clarke ian@nodigmedia.co.uk


For decades, no let’s make that centuries, the use of humans to enter tight spaces such as pipelines and tanks has been a mainstay of the utilities and materials storage sectors. For this article we will refer to the utilities/pipeline sector only as this is the main magazine remit.


Over those years and basically since the invention of the pipe, people have been used to inspect, maintain and repair pipelines from within, accessing the work areas through shafts, manholes and access pits. Until well into the 20th century the idea of health and safety in these circumstances was something of an aside and if an accident occurred it was often simply put down as the fault


4 drain TRADER | May 2018 | of the worker involved.


Of course, many accidents occurred and various guidelines, rules and regulations have been introduced to ensure that these are minimised. In what is now commonly known as Confined Space works there are significant rules that need to be followed before access can be gained, with the full force of Law behind them to ensure that anyone not meeting these regulations will suffer the consequences of breaking them.


Without going into the minutiae of the regulations the basics are that under The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 a risk assessment must be completed to identify the risks of the work activity and the measures that need to be implemented to ensure a safe working environment and try to eliminate entry in to the confined space by reviewing a different approach. The end of the last sentence is an area that we will cover later.


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