How Crucial Is A Confined Space Training Course for You?

Workers in the mining and construction industry often have to work in highly challenging, tricky and narrow areas. Most often, they have trouble breathing, difficulty in movement, and the added pressure of completing tasks successfully. This often leads to accidents, mishaps, and falls from great heights. However, with proper confined space training, workers can learn the technicalities and best practices to achieve maximum workplace productivity without hiccups.

What is a confined space?

A confined space is an area with too much constraint of space that is either enclosed or primarily enclosed and has a potentially foreseeable risk of fire, explosion, fall, loss of consciousness, asphyxiation or drowning. These areas often have poor ventilation, making them very hazardous, especially if the area considered is small. It can sometimes be life-threatening due to many factors like lack of oxygen or situations that might lead to an explosion or airborne contaminants. Incidents can also occur if a worker becomes stuck in flood waters, low visibility, sewerage, smoke or dirt.

Why is it dangerous to work in confined spaces?

It is incredibly essential to get proper training before working in confined spaces because employees like construction workers, miners, sewage workers, transport workers, agricultural workers, maintenance workers and utility workers plunge into such spaces every day to accomplish tasks. They face several hazards when they do this.

These hazards comprise:

• Physical hazards: There is a high risk of falling from heights, getting struck by falling objects and electrocution when working within confined spaces.

• Narrow passages: Such areas have very little room for them to walk or even move their heads, sometimes making it difficult for them to use machines and complete the tasks.

• Toxic atmosphere: Low levels of oxygen can cause asphyxiation. Oxygen gets replaced by other gases such as nitrogen and carbon dioxide, which can be dangerous. The inhalation of toxic gasses, fumes, vapours, and dust can make rescuers lose consciousness, creating a risky situation for all. Well-designed confined space training modules cover these vital aspects in detail.

• Flammable atmosphere: There is a risk of fires or explosions breaking out, causing injury to workers or rescuers, due to the quantity of flammable or explosive gasses within confined spaces.

• Drowning: Often, workers need to go down to pipes and tunnels full of liquids and fluids such as oil and water. This can also lead to potential drowning. Engulfment in such cases can also be caused by free-flowing solids like rocks or dirt, where workers get stuck underneath and can’t move.

Identifying risks involved is a priority

Even before starting to work in a confined space, it is essential to identify the risks involved. It will help them understand what strategy to adopt and avoid while working. They can also learn to manoeuvre equipment without killing productive hours trying to move in these highly restrictive locations and avoiding mishaps.