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Personal
protective equipment (PPE)
Confined space means a place to or from which the means of access are restricted because of location, design, construction or contents, and in which a hazardous accumulation of vapour may be present. (General Safety Regulations 1986/164, 38)
A worker must not be required to enter a confined space unless there is a means of egress. (General Safety Regulations 1986/164, 38)
Access routes to work areas where workers may be exposed to oxygen-deficient atmospheres or harmful concentrations of air contaminants must be posted with signs specifying the areas and hazards involved, and the required personal protective equipment. (General Safety Regulations 1986/164, 12)
A competent person must record the results of atmosphere testing in a permanent record, and certify in writing that a hazard does not exist in the confined space and there is not a likelihood of a hazard developing while any person is in the confined space having regard for the nature and duration of the work to be performed. (General Safety Regulations 1986/164, 38)
Lockout and isolation
A worker must not be required to enter a confined space unless mechanical equipment installed in the confined space is disconnected from its power source and locked out and pipes and other supply lines are blanked off. (General Safety Regulations 1986/164, 38)
A worker must not be required to enter a confined space unless the atmosphere has been tested by a competent person. The results of each test must be recorded in a permanent record. (General Safety Regulations 1986/164, 38)
When workers may be exposed to an oxygen-deficient atmosphere or to harmful concentrations of air contaminants, mechanical means or engineering design must be used to prevent or eliminate those hazardous conditions. (General Safety Regulations 1986/164, 12)
Air supplied by mechanical ventilation devices must be free of dust, oil, vapours, and toxic or noxious fumes or gases. (General Safety Regulations 1986/164, 13)
Where a confined space contains a gas that is toxic or hazardous or is likely to have an oxygen content less than 18 percent or greater than 23 percent, the space must be purged and ventilated to provide and maintain a safe atmosphere. (General Safety Regulations 1986/164, 38)
The employer must ensure that sufficient workers who are trained in rescue procedures are immediately available whenever workers are working in areas where an oxygen-deficient atmosphere exists or harmful concentrations of air contaminants exist or those conditions are likely to develop. The rescue workers must have immediate access to appropriate breathing apparatus or other aids to affect a rescue. (General Safety Regulations 1986/164, 12)
Where a confined space has contained a gas that is toxic or hazardous or had an oxygen content less than 18 percent or greater than 23 percent, and the space has been purged and ventilated, a competent person must be in attendance outside the confined space and rescue equipment be readily available. (General Safety Regulations 1986/164, 38)
Personal
protective equipment (PPE)
Where the prevention or elimination of an oxygen-deficient atmosphere or a harmful concentration of air contaminants is not reasonably practicable, every worker exposed to the hazard must wear respiratory protective equipment. (General Safety Regulations 1986/164, 12)
When workers must be lifted through a small opening necessitating lifting in a vertical manner, workers must wear a harness. Lifelines and safety straps must be independently secured to firm structures having adequate strength to bear them. (General Safety Regulations 1986/164, 16)
Where a confined space cannot be purged and ventilated to provide and maintain a safe atmosphere, the worker entering the confined space must use a self-contained breathing apparatus and a safety harness.
Where a gas in a confined space is explosive or flammable, the confined space must not be entered unless the concentration of the gas does not exceed 50 percent of the lower explosive limit, only cleaning or inspection is to performed, and explosion-proof equipment is used.
Cold work may be performed in a space that contains less than 10 percent of the lower explosive limit. (General Safety Regulations 1986/164, 38)
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