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All You Need To Know About Working in a Confined Space

 

Confined spaces refers to largely enclosed areas or spaces not designed for people, where workers can enter and perform certain jobs. Confined spaces have restricted means of entry or exit, with high risk to workers of explosion, fire, asphyxiation, loss of consciousness or drowning. Confined spaces may include pits, tunnels, duct work, equipment housings, manholes, tanks, vessels, storage bins, silos, vaults, hoppers, and pipelines. Permit-required confined spaces have one or more of the following characteristics: spaces that contain potential hazardous materials and atmosphere, presence of materials with potential to entrant or engulf, have floors that sloping downward or inward or walls converging inwards, areas that can asphyxiate or trap an entrant, and areas with other health hazard such as exposed wires, heat stress, and unguarded machinery.

 

Do you have a confined space entry? In a confined space, the possible hazards may include confined spaces include toxic atmosphere, oxygen deficiency, oxygen enrichment, flammable or explosive atmospheres, flowing liquid or free-flowing solids, and excessive heat. An area is considered to have a toxic atmosphere because of different hazardous substances caused by disturbance of sludge or other deposits, leftovers from previous storage or processing, presence of flames or fire within the space, seepage from improperly isolated plant, or formation during work operation that are carried out in space.

 

Toxic atmospheres cause acute and chronic health effects, as well as unconsciousness, impairment of judgement and death. Oxygen deficiency can be caused by air gas displacement, chemical reactions such as burning or rusting of chemicals, and steel surfaces absorb air especially for damp areas. On the other hand, oxygen enrichment or presence of excessive amount of oxygen is caused by combustible materials, resulting in increased risk of fire or explosion. A flammable atmosphere may cause explosion, which results in hot gas expulsion and structure disintegration. The presence of free-flowing liquids may cause suffocation, drowning, burns and other injuries, while free-flowing solids in powder can be distributed in a confined space causing asphyxiation. Watch this now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFHvuDnEEK0.

 

The elements you need to consider for a safe system of working in a confined space include permit-to-work procedure, training, competence, supervision and suitability, gas purging and ventilation, dangerous residues, respiratory protective equipment, mechanical, electrical and process isolation, monitoring and testing of the atmosphere, safe use of equipment, communications, access and egress, explosive or flammable atmospheres and presence of combustible materials. Safety Data Sheet (SDS) is a document containing important information about the potential hazards (fire, reactivity, environmental and health) and how to be able to work safely with the chemical product. Safety Data SDS app contains detailed information on the use, handling, storage and emergency procedures which are relevant to the hazards of a specific material, in order to have focal point for developing a complete program to help prevent health and safety issues.

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