What is a Confined Space?
A confined space is an area which has limited entry or exit and is not intended for people to be in. Some examples of confined spacers are but not limited to, vessels, silos, tanks, hoppers, vaults, manholes, ducts, pipelines, tunnels, etc...
A space that is likely to be a risk to health and safety for example, an atmosphere that does not have a safe oxygen level or contaminants that can cause injury or suffocation can also be classed as a confined space and the appropriate level of training is required to enter these spaces, depending on the level of risk, low, medium or high.
Before you enter a confined space first you must complete a risk assessment. On completion of your risk assessment it will deem the confined space low, medium or high risk. Depending on the risk outcome will depend on the level of training required to enter the confined space. INFRATEC Training offers confined space training in low, medium and high risk to cover all eventualities.
Working in High Risk Confined Spaces is extremely dangerous. Each year people are killed or seriously injured due to working in confined spaces. Poorly trained staff or incorrect safety managements could be contributing factors.
A High Risk Confined Space is a space which has risk that cannot be mitigated to acceptable levels. If breathing apparatus are required then this will also class as high risk confined space entry. These entries may have complex procedures so it is critical that the team working in or around the confined space has the appropriate training.
When working in a High Risk Confined Space it is law that you have a safety team overseeing the confined space work. This team needs to be a minium of 3 trained individuals who have completed a High Risk Confined Space Course and a Rescue & Recovery from Confined Space Course to be competent for this type of rescue. This team can be hired in or you can train your staff to be available during the entry.
The courses available at INFRATEC Training are
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