Health, Safety and Environment - International Labour Organization

Manual 4:HEALTH, SAFETY & ENVIRONMENT FACT SHEETSFact Sheet 8: Enclosed and confined spaces BackgroundHazardsWhere areconfinedspaces found?A confined space is anywhere that, because it is enclosed, gives rise to arisk of serious injury or death. Some places only become ‘confined spaces’when they are being built, maintained or renovated or when workers arecarrying out some other form of hazardous process.Dangers can arise because of: a lack of oxygen poisonous fumes, welding fumes, gas or vapour drowning liquids and solids (for example, grain) which can suddenly fill the spaceor release gases into it fire or explosion residues in tanks or vessels or impregnating internal surfaces dust heatThere have been incidents with confined spaces on farms where more thanone death has occurred. One worker has got into difficulty, and a secondworker tries to rescue the first worker and is also overcome in the confinedspace.Confined spaces on farms are found: in produce stores such as grain/forage silos and bins in controlled atmosphere fruit and vegetable stores during well cleaning in chemical stores and tanks in pits such as grain elevator pits, slurry pits and chambers or vehicleinspection pits151 Health, Safety and EnvironmentA Series of Trade Union EducationManuals for Agricultural Workers