Work In or Near a Confined Space
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Work in or near a confined space, a tank, pit, sewer, silo, or similar enclosed space not designed for continuous occupancy, is high risk construction work. It needs a SWMS and, for entry, a confined space entry permit and atmospheric testing.
Why this is high risk construction work
Confined spaces kill through atmospheres you cannot see: oxygen deficiency, toxic gas, or flammable vapour. Would-be rescuers are frequent victims, so entry is tightly controlled.
Because it is one of the 18 high risk construction work categories, a SWMS is legally required before the work starts (your state's WHS Regulations, provision 299; s 299 in NSW), not a nice-to-have.
The controls a SWMS should set out
In hierarchy of controls order, highest first:
- ✓ Entry permit and atmospheric testing before and during entry
- ✓ Continuous ventilation and gas monitoring
- ✓ A trained standby person outside and a rescue plan that never sends a rescuer in unprotected
- ✓ Isolation of anything that could enter the space (energy, liquids, gases)
- ✓ RPE and retrieval equipment where required
The SWMS for this work
This category has a dedicated guide and generator: Confined space SWMS. It covers the specific hazards and controls above and produces a site-specific document in minutes.
Trades that do this work
These trades commonly need a SWMS for this category. Each has a trade-specific SWMS:
Get a SWMS for this work in minutes
Answer a few questions and the generator writes a site-specific SWMS covering this high risk work, checked against our library of current state WHS citations, for A$39.
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with a Risk of Falling More Than 2 Metreson a Telecommunication TowerDemolition of a Load-Bearing StructureLikely to Disturb AsbestosStructural Alterations Requiring Temporary Supportin a Trench or Shaft Deeper Than 1.5 mAll 18 categories