Ensuring safety in confined spaces

Confined spaces are the backbone of a building's operation. These are the boiler rooms, the septic tanks, the cisterns, the reserved water tanks, and many others storing a large amount of liquid, chemicals, and gases that help support a building's day-to-day activities. Unless otherwise permitted due to technical difficulties, specially trained and certified personnel can access confined spaces to monitor and check where the problem is.

For Captain Martin Lloyd Sanders, such a scenario calls for a high level of safety for workers that would go in and out of such dangerous places. Here are some ways in which these could be observed. First, each personnel must wear their own Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) when performing their work. Second, there must be enough ventilation wherever they would be going into. Third, isolate other utilities that might affect their work, such as gas, electricity, and water.

Those were just some of the most important things to observed. Rescuers must be at the premises, especially when the task involves a high risk for personnel who came in for the job. Furthermore, a stand-by emergency rescue must be put in place in case any untoward incident might occur.

Captain Martin Lloyd Sanders has more than a decade of experience in the field of occupational health and safety. He was the Director of Safety, Environmental Compliance and Emergency Management of the Federal Occupational Health, Program Support Center, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration. He was also the acting Chief of Safety for the Department of Health and Human Safety (DHHS). For similar updates, click here.

Disclaimer: This site was prepared by Martin Sanders in his personal capacity. The opinions expressed are the author's own and do not reflect the views of the USPHS, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Homeland Security, or the United States Government.