FEATURE • •
Isolation of gases, liquids and other flowing materials;
Is there quick and unobstructed access in and out for egress?
• Do the workers need personal protective equipment (PPE) and respiratory protective equipment (RPE)?
The above list is not exhaustive, and as alluded to previously, each space can differ, and as such will require different controls to ensure work can be carried out safely.
FIRST HAND EXPERTISE To get a ‘real world’ sense of how the risks can be best managed, I spoke to Robert Williams, Health, Safety & Environmental Manager (Operations) at Wales & West Utilities and holder of three NEBOSH Certificates.
England. For Robert, the key to managing confined spaces risks is a strict permitry regime and regular formal and informal training. “As a gas distribution network, we carry out a lot of excavation work to identify where any leaks are coming from and repair them. Our people are fully trained and competent in gas detection and everyone is issued with personal gas monitors and advanced atmosphere testing equipment.
“As well as that, they have breathing apparatus and are fully trained in the use of all equipment and how to operate in a gaseous environment and confined space environment. Our teams will also work on the bigger, higher pressure regimes. Here they encounter more of your traditional confined spaces and again the SCO (Safe Control of Operations) permitry, procedures and guidance are all in place and regular training is provided.”
Robert firmly believes that fine-tuning the procedures is an ongoing process, stating: “One of the things we’ve identified is that there can be a danger in the operatives simply trying their best to get the job done. If there is something in our safety procedures that is perceived as a ‘blocker’ and which makes it too onerous for them to work, then we have to review it. You have to make it workable as well as safe, but with the training we provide and the constant reminder of the risks the operatives understand that safety in confined spaces is paramount.
Robert Williams, Health, Safety & Environmental Manager
The company employs around 1,300 skilled people and supplies gas to approximately 7.5m homes and businesses throughout Wales and the south west of
“There is always a risk that someone might not put on their breathing apparatus, because they think the job will only take two seconds and they can simply hold their breath. However, through our repeat training programme, reminding the team of what can go wrong, they all understand that it is not worth taking chances.”
BEING SAFER That final comment from Robert perfectly illustrates how many people feel about working in confined spaces. It is often a case of, ‘I’ll be quick’, ‘it isn’t too bad in there’, and this needs to stop.
We only need to consider one real life example to see why. In 1983, four workers died due to asphyxiation after entering an inspection chamber on the Carsington Reservoir site in Derbyshire. The high concentration of carbon dioxide from the limestone had depleted the oxygen concentration, however the contractor had not been made fully aware of this danger.
With the right competencies, systems and monitoring in place, this incident, and others like it, could have been avoided.
At NEBOSH we offer a National and International Certificate in Construction Health and Safety that analyses control measures for evacuation at work and looks in more detail at the hazards and risks of working in confined spaces.
www.nebosh.org.uk twitter.com/TomorrowsHS 23
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