Confined Spaces

September 6, 2010. NY: Two workers were killed from a possible fall and/or oxygen deficiency while entering a permit required confined space.

The hazards of confined spaces are underestimated on a regular basis as we do not see the gases that drift in a manhole or in a tunnel. The failure to recognize a confined space as such, as well as the failure to recognize the invisible but deadly hazards, almost always results in asphyxiation.

Why is it so difficult to make workers understand the incredible risk they are taking when they enter a Permit Required Confined Space? Is it complacency or the attitude that “it’ll take only a few minutes to get the job done”, do they think that simply opening the cover of a manhole or the door to a crawlspace under a building is sufficient to flush out the “bad air”?

What can we safety professionals do better? How can we change our own approach to training and make people understand that they risk their lives? And if supervisors and management do not comprehend the severity of the situation, how can we expect the workers to follow standards, regulations and safe work practices? Even if comprehensive classroom and/or hands-on training has been provided, there will still be people who will do all the wrong things a few weeks later when a PRCS is encountered. What is management’s role come in such a situation? If management does not fully understand the need to enforce the rules, and, if necessary, to draw the consequences (disciplinary actions), procedures and training will only sporadically be followed. It always comes down to management commitment and support. The grassroots approach is certainly an important building block, but it can only take you that far.

PRCS come in all sizes and shapes and the hazards are numerous. Constant training sessions are not always the solutions. Workers may over time resent being trained and guided, because they have heard it many times before. One approach may be to seek individual one-on-one communication. It is important that safety professionals have at least a basic knowledge of psychology, because at times he or she will have to “manipulate minds” – ya’know, like the clever wife who manipulates the husband and lets him think it was all his idea… Get a worker’s input. Make sure he or she understands that you really, really want to hear his opinion and how he would approach this particular hazard. Talk to the guys in the field and in the plants, make training more personal.

And never be satisfied with what you achieve. OSHA standards are only minimum requirements and we can do better than that. OSHA is not only about safety and health but also about politics (what an eye-opening statement…), which that means that safety professionals often have to be the forerunners and trailblazers and do more than just what OSHA requires in order to keep folks safe.

Meike Patten, MPSafetyTraining