Confined Space

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.