Confined space is a term from labor-safety regulations that refers to an area which is enclosed with limited access which make it dangerous. An example is the interior of a storage tank, which workers may enter for maintenance but which is not ordinarily an inhabitable space. Hazards in a confined space often include suffocation by unbreathable gases which may be present but not visible, or submersion in liquids or free-flowing granular solids (for example, grain bins).
Confined space accidents are of particular concern in occupational safety and health because often multiple casualties occur when untrained rescuers succumb to the same hazard as the initial victim. Confined space training outlines the skills and protocols for safe entry to confined spaces, and includes such precautions as lockout and tagout of any connecting piping, testing of breathable air quality, forced ventilation, observation of workers in the space, and a predetermined rescue plan with appropriate safety harness and other rescue equipment.
Read more about Confined Space: Description, Atmospheric Hazards, Entry Certification, Injuries and Fatalities, Rescue
Famous quotes containing the words confined and/or space:
“A well-proportioned mind is one which shows no particular bias; one of which we may safely say that it will never cause its owner to be confined as a madman, tortured as a heretic, or crucified as a blasphemer. Also, on the other hand, that it will never cause him to be applauded as a prophet, revered as a priest, or exalted as a king. Its usual blessings are happiness and mediocrity.”
—Thomas Hardy (1840–1928)
“Oh, my. I’d forgotten how much I hate space travel.”
—George Lucas (b. 1944)