Improving Employee Safety with Confined Space Training

According to OSHA (Occupational Safety & Health Administration) standards, a confined space is that "has limited or restricted means for entry or exit" & "is not designed for continuous worker occupancy." These types of spaces are so restrictive that employees trying to get in or out of them will struggle to conduct their jobs properly. Confined space accidents are of special concern to OSHA because they often involve multiple fatalities or injuries which occur when untrained rescuers suffer to the same fate as the preliminary victim.

Confined Space Training in Essex equips workers with the skills & knowledge necessary to make sure safe entry to confined spaces, including such precautions as testing of air quality, forced ventilation, proper observation & monitoring of workers in the space, & a rescue procedures using appropriate safety harnesses & other equipment. Among those the spaces that are thought about confined spaces are storage bins, tanks, manholes, vaults, pits, & pipelines. A "permit-required confined space" (permit space) is characterized by OSHA as a space with the following:

·         Dangerous or potentially-hazardous surroundings.

·         Substances that can consume the person in the area (engulfment).

·         Walls that cave inwards or sloping floors that lead to a smaller space that can trap the entrant.

·         Other safety hazards such as machines, live wires, or heat.

Many companies have these spaces in their workplaces. Management may find it hard to decipher which safety standards they ought to follow, and what requirements must be met to adhere to OSHA standards for worker safety training. Companies must follow OSHA requirements for occupational safety contained in 29 CFR 1910.146, which sets forth the training, documentation, and procedure requirements necessary to protect employees working in permit spaces. It is imperative that employees and employers are knowledgeable regarding the hazards of confined spaces, as well as the safety precautions necessary to protect them from danger. Hazards such as environmental toxins and engulfment can be avoided when everyone is properly trained on the latest safety standards.

Getting trained in a classroom setting or online are both acceptable to meet OSHA requirements. Online training is convenient because it is obtainable to everyone without having to travel, & facilitates the completion of the work when the employee's schedule allows. Classroom-based training may even be beneficial because the training can be custom-made according to the company's operational hazards & specific needs, although scheduling the actual training may be difficult. Whichever option a company chooses, it ought to make positive that employees undergo Confined Space Training to make positive safety at job sites & to keep away from being penalized by OSHA for non-adherence to regulations.

For over 15 years, First Intervention Training Ltd. has been offering Confined Space Training in Essex & London.

Follow On: Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest