Page 15 - Occupational Health & Safety, August 2018

CONFINED SPACES
We Must Change the Statistics of Confined Space Injuries and Fatalities
The reality is permit required confined spaces are still the leading cause of multiple fatalities in the workplace.
BY CHRIS KOESTER
They say some things never change. When it comes to permit required confined space en- try (PRCS) injuries and fatalities, this old ad- age seems to hold true. Statistics, old or new, show we have not improved mitigating, or eliminat- ing, the risk of confined space injuries and fatalities.
Statistically Speaking
About 2.1 million workers enter permit confined spaces annually. According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), ap- proximately 60 percent of confined-space fatalities are rescuers, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration reported that when multiple deaths occur during a rescue, the majority of the victims are “would-be” rescuers.
Here are some findings of the NIOSH investiga- tions of confined space incidents:
■ 85% of the time a SUPERVISOR was present.
■ 29% of the dead were SUPERVISORS.
■ 31% had WRITTEN Confined Space Entry
PROCEDURES.
■ 0% used the WRITTEN PROCEDURES.
■ 15% had Confined Space TRAINING.
■ 0% had a RESCUE PLAN.
■ 60% of “WOULD-BE” RESCUERS died.
■ 95% were AUTHORIZED by supervision.
■ 0% of the spaces were TESTED prior to entry.
■ 0% were VENTILATED.
Out of 100 deaths that were investigated, the main reasons the workers entered the confined space were to perform their work functions of routine mainte- nance, repairs, and inspections of the confined space.
Out of 670 confined space deaths, the most com- mon types of hazards were atmospheric hazards and loose materials.
And out of 217 confined space deaths that were investigated, the two most common types of gases in confined spaces, hydrogen sulfide and carbon monox- ide, were the causes found.
While these NIOSH statistics may slightly differ over the years, the reality is that the hazards of con- fined space entry are the same. Too many workers to- day are still seriously injured or dying in permit re- quired confined spaces.
So the real question is to ask, “Why aren’t we elimi- nating or mitigating these risks?” Sadly, some things never change or never change enough because there is no continuous focus from the employers on realisti- cally preparing, supervising, and protecting our work- ers before entry.
Time for a Reality Check
For more than 15 years, I have been training industrial and manufacturing workers on permit required con- fined space entry and rescue. The training required for entering a confined space includes a Supervisor, Entrant, Attendant, and Rescue Team.
The reality is that in my career of emergency re- sponse services for industrial and manufacturing fa- cilities, I far too often see so many facilities that do not take permit required confined space entry prepa- ration seriously. Their confined space entry and res- cue training is inadequate, usually a short video and
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AUGUST 2018 | Occupational Health & Safety 11