Ways to Work Safely in Confined Spaces

Tips to help you reduce your risk of injury or illness when working in a confined space.

According to OSHA, the Occupational Safety & Health Administration, confined spaces are areas that are not necessarily designed for people, but they’re large enough for workers to enter and perform work. Confined space has limited or restricted openings for entry/exit, unfavorable natural ventilation and is not intended for continuous occupancy. These spaces include, but are not limited to: tanks, silos, storage bins, hoppers, pits, tunnels, equipment housings and ductwork.

You may find yourself in a confined space at work or at home – and the first step in preventing any issues when working in this type of area is recognizing that it is indeed a confined space. Then, follow these tips from Advanced Consulting & Training to reduce your risk:

• Before entering the space, be sure you can eliminate or control hazardous elements in the environment.
• Pay attention to the atmosphere using an instrument that can monitor the space for hazardous gases that can’t be detected by the nose.
• Make sure the area is well-ventilated.
• Use personal protective equipment.
• Reduce the likelihood of additional hazards by isolating the confined space.
• Be sure there is an outside attendant who is there, ready and able to monitor safety conditions and able to assist in the event of an emergency.
• Always be prepared for a rescue, in case an emergency situation arises.
• Ensure that the lighting in the confined space is adequate.
• Keep in contact with the outside attendant so you can immediately notify them of problems.

At Olympic Steel and all of our subsidiaries, we DO NOT perform work inside “Permit Required Confined Spaces”. If we cannot reclassify a confined space to a “Non-Permit Required Confined Space”, we should only use qualified contractors to perform the work in these areas.

If work must be done in a confined space, we have an established Confined Space Program that outlines written practices and procedures for the safe entry into a confined space. The program applies to maintenance employees and any individuals or outside contractors who may enter a confined space. The program document can be found on OSSIE.

Questions?

For questions, additional information or support with local safety programs, please contact your local Safety Contact or Tony Dominic, VP – Safety, Health & Environment, at Tony.Dominic@olysteel.com.

Safety First. Always. And, it starts with me.