WET News

10 WET NEWS FEBRUARY 2017 TECHKNOW • Advancedtripodscanbeadjustedtodifferentconfinedspacework situationsandenhanceworkersafety • Wirelessgasdetectionsystemscouldcombineportablegasdetectors withlocationtracking • Combinedspacesafetyequipmentmanufacturersaredesigning productsthattakeintoaccounttherescueraswellastheworker • Thetripodshavearetrievalwinchforliftingamaximumweightload of300kg NEED TO KNOW 1 Employers have a legal duty to carry out a risk assessment to identify the relevant measures needed for confined space working 2 Around 15 people are killed and more are seriously injured across UK industries involving confined spaces 3 Confined spaces require special attention because ventilation can be poor 4 No one should enter a confined space unless emergency arrangements are in place that are appropriate to the level of risk THE VERDICT "Technologicalsolutionsthatbuildonandenhancethefoundationsof effectiveplanning,managementandcontrolcanhelptomaintainand furtherimprovethesafetyofworkers" Corentin Barbieux and Mahesh Joshi, both of Honeywell Industrial Safety Effective planning key to safe working in confined spaces • Working in confined spaces is a common, high-risk activity in the water treatment and wastewater industry. As such it requires effective planning, management and control to safeguard workers. Honeywell Industrial Safety's Corentin Barbieux and Mahesh Joshi explain. pROjECT SpECS • Maintain and further improve the safety of workers in confined spaces F ront-line staff in the water industry operate across a myriad of hazardous environments, but confined space work remains one of the most risky operations. This is because the enclosed nature of the 'confined' area adds another level of complexity. Every year around 15 people are killed and more are seriously injured across a wide range of UK industries involving confined spaces [i] and therefore it is vital that employers strive for and maintain the highest standards of health and safety. Confined spaces vary in kind, but are generally characterised by two defining features. First, they must be substantially (though not always entirely) enclosed and, second, one or more of the 'specified risks' listed in the Confined Spaces Regulations 1997 must be present or reasonably foreseeable [ii]. Enclosed spaces are characterised by having limited openings for entry and exit and limited or no natural ventilation. As such, they are not designed nor intended to be occupied by the person working inside them on a continual basis. Some examples: a small pump room that is difficult to access and egress; a sha" leading from a manhole on street level down to a confined space below (for example, a sewer system); aeration basins; digesters; primary tanks; applicator machines; sampling pits and other areas. While in some cases a permit is not required to access the confined space, in more hazardous environments a permit to operate is a legal requirement (Confined Space Regulations 1997) [ii]. This is definitely the case where the confined space contains a hazardous atmosphere, a recognised safety hazard, material with the potential for engulfment or when the design of the space itself has the potential to trap or asphyxiate the operator entering the space. Identifymeasures Before committing anyone to work in a confined space, employers have a legal duty to carry out a risk assessment to identify the relevant measures needed to ensure the safety, health and wellbeing of those undertaking confined space activities. Regulation 4 (1) of the Confined Space Regulations 1997 states that the priority when carrying out a risk assess- ment is to identify measures to avoid work in confined spaces. However, once risks have been identified, and if it is not reason- ably practicable to carry out the work without entering the con- fined space, then the duty holder must secure a safe sys- tem for working inside [ii]. This will be informed by an Enclosedspacesarecharacterisedbyhavinglimited openingsforentryandexitandlimitedornonatural ventilation ONSITE HEAltH & SAFEtY

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