Confined Space Awareness
Confined spaces can be found in almost all industry sectors.
However, due to the wide variety of potential hazards faced, no two spaces are the same, and nor should they be treated as such.
Even with the amount of Confined Space legislation and the advanced technology available, fatal accidents are still occurring. On average there are 15 deaths a year in the UK alone, making Confined Space entry a real issue for industry. 60% of these are workers trying to effect a rescue without the appropriate knowledge, skills and equipment!!
About this Course
To train people in the skills and knowledge required to enable them to enter, work safely, and to operate in a confined space environment.
Confined Space Awareness Course Learning Outcomes
To provide delegates with the knowledge and practical experience to:
- Enable them to safely set up and enter a Confined Space.
- Be able to safely use escape breathing apparatus in the event of an emergency.
- Be able to use airline-fed breathing apparatus to safely work within a confined space.
Confined Space Awareness Course Contents
This training course is broken down into 7 sections
Understanding Confined Spaces
To begin, we need to be able to identify a confined space – we look at the definition, where it applies, and where it often doesn’t apply!
Hazards and Risks associated with Confined Spaces
In this section, we look at the hazards and risks associated with typical confined spaces. Many of these are inherent, but a large amount are introduced, often as part of the work process, which can be easily overlooked.
Understanding Gas Monitors & Bump Testing
Many of the potential hazards are atmosphere related, such as low oxygen, high oxygen, toxic gases, and flammable gases. Most have no smell or taste associated with them so the human body cannot detect if they are present. The gas monitor, if correctly chosen and correctly used, becomes the vital emergency warning system for any changes in the atmosphere. We cover their use, calibration, and bump testing.
Forced Air Ventilation
For environments where there is an atmospheric issue, forced air ventilation is often used, so we look at the different types available, and where they should be employed.
- RPE
If there is a change in the atmosphere whilst we are in the confined space, then RPE is a crucial piece of equipment to enable us to exit that space safely. This course covers Short Duration Breathing Apparatus often referred to as Escape Sets, but the course can also be structured to cover Airline Sets, Airfed Masks, and Working Sets if the Client requests.
- Access & Egress
In this section, we look at access and egress equipment typically used, such as tripod, man-riding winch, inertia blocks, full-body harnesses etc.
- Practical Exercise.
We finish off the course with some practical exercises to give the delegate the confidence to be able to enter and exit a confined space safely, in an emergency situation.
Duration and Pre-requisites
This is a full-day course, and there are no pre-requisites.