Confined Spaces

Why it matters

Pits, tanks, sewers, and pump wells kill people who never planned to enter them, and then kill the mates who go in to help. A confined space can hold an atmosphere with no oxygen or full of gas, and you cannot see or smell it. Never enter one on a hunch. Confined space entry needs a permit and it needs a plan for getting you back out.

Hazards

• ⚠ Oxygen deficiency or an atmosphere full of gas or vapour
• ⚠ Entering to rescue a mate and becoming the second casualty
• ⚠ Engulfment by liquids or free-flowing solids
• ⚠ No monitoring of the atmosphere before and during entry
• ⚠ No standby person and no rescue plan

Controls and safe practices

• ✓ Confirm the space is a confined space and work through the entry permit and controls in the confined space provisions (reg 66, reg 67).
• ✓ Apply the hierarchy of controls (reg 36): do the work from outside the space wherever possible.
• ✓ Test and continuously monitor the atmosphere before and during entry.
• ✓ Ventilate the space and isolate any inflows of liquid, gas, or energy.
• ✓ Post a trained standby person outside with a rescue plan; never enter to rescue without equipment.
• ✓ Only trained and authorised workers enter, and only under a current permit.

Crew discussion questions

1. Which spaces on this site count as confined spaces?
2. Who tests the atmosphere, and with what?
3. If someone goes down inside, what is our rescue plan?
4. Who is the standby person, and are they staying put?

Applicable WHS citations

reg 66, reg 67, reg 36

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• Hazardous Chemicals on Site
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• The SWMS You Just Signed
• PPE: The Last Line, Not the First

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