Page 58 - OHS, September 2022

CONFINED SPACES
and strategies from when they are just an idea to implementation within operations and the team. For example, employees working
policy. Another example is a workplace violence prevention policy
to protect employees from violence both within the company and externally with the public.9
Legal Requirements for Confined Worker Safety
There is currently no federal legislation for this issue, however, OSHA has addressed confined work safety in its specific safety standards for general industry, maritime and construction. While some are specific to certain industries, they are predominately applicable to the safety of all confined workers. For example, Standard 1915.12(a)(1) Precautions and the order of testing before entering confined and enclosed spaces and other dangerous atmospheres states that “The employer shall ensure that the following spaces are visually inspected and tested by a competent person to determine the atmosphere’s oxygen content prior to initial entry into the space by an employee.”10
These standards provide proven guidance on how to protect people working in these environments. And even though there is no confined work-safety legislation, by abiding by OSHA’s safety standards and conducting hazard assessments and providing safety technology, the employer can prove that the due diligence was performed in the case of an audit or investigation.11
Not Alone
Confined work can be isolating and stressful, in addition to dangerous for the people doing the work. Be that as it may, there is work that can be done now to prevent loss and tragedy in the future. It’s impossible to see what lies ahead, but knowing the environment now and what the workers are facing will help you be better prepared and help you anticipate the hurdles that work throws at you down the road.
Gen Handley is the Marketing and Growth Coordinator Tsunami Solution Ltd.
REFERENCES
1. https://www.osha.gov/confined-spaces
2. https://safetylineloneworker.com/blog/maintaining-your-lone-worker-
safety-and-osha-regulations
3. https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshwc/cfoi/confined-spaces-2011-18.htm
4. https://ohsonline.com/Articles/2020/08/04/Lone-Workers-Are-More- Vulnerable-Than-Ever.aspx
5. https://ohsonline.com/articles/2021/10/07/comm-and-connection. aspx
6. https://safetylineloneworker.com/blog/can-a-healthy-employee- communication-culture-increase-worker-safety
7. https://safetylineloneworker.com/blog/motion-features-are-here
8. https://safetylineloneworker.com/blog/hazard-assessment-questions
9. https://safetylineloneworker.com/blog/how-to-create-lone-worker-safety- policy-for-your-organization
10. https://www.osha.gov/confined-spaces/standards
11. https://safetylineloneworker.com/blog/maintaining-your-lone-worker- safety-and-osha-regulations
Knowing the environment will help you be better prepared and help you anticipate the hurdles of confined spaces.
Safety Tips for Employers to Protect These Workers
With a stretching span of safety hazards threatening these confined workers, it can be daunting for the employer to tackle such differing, dangerous risks. However, with enough planning, coordination and consultation, companies can proactively protect their people working in restricted work spaces.
Leverage Safety Technologies
Because of the tight circumstances in which movement of their limbs is limited, access to communication devices can be very difficult. Communication, of any kind, is fundamental to fast, efficient emergency response when seconds and minutes can determine if a worker lives or dies.
Thankfully, wearable technologies are becoming increasingly compact and easy to use, becoming particularly useful in worker health and safety. Unobtrusive detectors will alert the worker and monitor if toxic gases are present in the work space, or motion features will signal an emergency if the worker has collapsed and is unable to request urgent help themselves.7
Regularly Test and Assess
When people are putting their well-being on the line to work in a potentially dangerous, restricted space, it is up to the employer to regularly test the air quality, provide necessary ventilation, and test the surrounding infrastructure that will confine the employee.
These tests should be part of a greater hazard assessment of the entire workspace, exhaustively identifying all existing and potential safety hazards in the workspace. Hazard assessments must be performed consistently or as needed such as when there are changes to the staff or physical changes to the structure and work environment. Once the employer has identified all of the safety hazards, they can explore ways to mitigate the hazards and proactively reduce the risk of incidents from occurring.8
Proper PPE
It is imperative that employers invest in and provide the best personal protective equipment (PPE) available. Depending on the work and industry, confined-work PPE can include face shields and masks, protective gloves, hearing protection, fire- and chemical-resistant clothing and respirator devices.
Safety Policies
The backbone of any successful safety program and its protocols is the family of safety policies, which help guide new protocols
y accommodations outlined and planned within a working alone
in confififined spaces oftftften work alone and require special safety
y
54 Occupational Health & Safety | SEPTEMBER 2022 www.ohsonline.com