Confined Space Best Practices: Three Essential Safety Elements

Confined space accidents happen more often than you might think. And the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) says that these accidents, which often result in injuries or fatalities, usually occur because entrants encounter one or more of the following potential hazards:

• Lack of natural ventilation
• Oxygen-deficient atmosphere
• Flammable/explosive atmosphere
• Unexpected release of hazardous energy
• Limited entry and exit
• Dangerous concentrations of air contaminants
• Physical barriers or limitations to movement
• Instability of stored product

Three essential safety elements are lacking in most confined space accidents:

1.   Lack of recognition of the hazards by employees and supervisors
2.   Lack of testing and evaluation before entry and monitoring after entry
3.   Lack of effective plans and resources for successful rescue of entrants
 

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Training

Recognition of hazards is essential to safety. Training must emphasize recognition of what constitutes a confined space, the numerous hazards that may be encountered inside them, and the precautions that must be taken by confined space entrants, attendants, and supervisors to prevent accidents and injuries. Trainers should stress that death is a likely outcome in confined space accidents. That usually makes trainees sit up and take notice.

Testing

Testing, evaluation, and continuous monitoring are also essential. Over half of confined space fatalities are the result of hazardous atmospheric conditions such as toxic vapors or lack of oxygen. NIOSH says that all confined spaces should be tested by a qualified person before entry to determine whether the atmosphere is safe for entry. Tests should be made for oxygen level, flammability, and known or suspected toxic substances.

Rescue

Trained, equipped, and experienced rescue personnel must also be available in case of emergency. A significant percentage of fatalities involve would-be rescuers who rush in without proper training or equipment. NIOSH says rescue procedures should be established before entry and should be specific to the type of confined space and its hazards.

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Welcome to the BLR^®Employee Training Center

Unlike many training solutions available on the market today, BLR courses, such as its confined space safety courses, are routinely reviewed and updated to reflect changes in state or federal regulations or best practices. Each training course is developed by BLR lawyers, industry experts, and instructional designers, who have experience across a wealth of industries, topics, and compliance areas.

Courses keep participants interested with engaging audio, built-in exercises, and key points to remember. At the completion of every course, individuals take a quiz designed to test for competency in all the course material presented. Quiz results and course completion times are automatically recorded.

Every course can be tailored with supporting and custom documents. BLR provides supporting documents for courses that include complete slide show notes and the answer key for the included quiz. As the administrator, you have the option of displaying uploaded documents and requiring review before the session begins. This is especially useful for company policies or worksite-specific information. Supporting materials can be added, edited, or removed at any time.

With only a few minutes’ setup, your company will have a complete Web-based training program with professionally developed courses, employee testing capabilities, and systematic documentation of employee training sessions and scores. And remember, BLR Employee Training Centercourses can be delivered at individual employee desks, in computer centers, at training kiosks, or even in a classroom.

No wonder BLR Employee Training Centerwas named “Best Workforce Training Solution” by the Software Information Industry Association. It can help you launch a cost-effective and successful employee training program.

We urge you to sign up for a no-obligation demo by visiting the newEmployee Training Center.  

 

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