Confined Spaces - Workplace Safety and Health Council

6.4 Other Confined Space HazardsWhile the most likely hazards in confined spaces are explained in sections 6.1 to 6.3, many otherhazards can occur. Other than oxygen deficiency, flammable substances and toxic substances,many of these other hazards have the potential to cause death or serious injury/illness. It isimportant to give careful consideration to these other hazards when carrying out the riskassessment for working inside confined spaces. Examples of these other hazards, the situationswhere they can occur and their harmful effects are given in Table 3.Hazard How it can happen What the danger isOxygen enrichmentCombustibleparticulatesSkin contact withchemicals/absorptionLeaking oxygen from gascutting equipment, e.g., cuttingtorch• Flour mills → airborne flourdust• Pharmaceutical powders,e.g., during transferPainting, cleaning → solvent/acid exposureHeat • Poor mechanical ventilation• Crowded space• Hot work• Heat generating machinery• Thick/heavy protectiveclothing/equipment• Strenuous activityNoiseErgonomic hazards• Jack hammering• Cutting• Ventilation fans• Hydro-jetting• Grit/shot blasting• Limited space• Awkward working position,e.g., manual handling/liftingFlammable materials catchesfire more easilyFire/explosion• Skin irritation, dryness,swelling• Skin burns• Systemic effects, e.g., liverpoisoning, blood disorders,if absorbed through skininto bloodstreamHeat cramps, heat exhaustion,heat stroke• Short term or long termhearing loss (noiseinduced-deafness)• Poor communication →accidents• Musculoskeletal effects,e.g., backache, musclecramps/strainsErgonomic hazards• Awkward workingposition, e.g., manualhandling/liftingPoor lighting Insufficient artificial lighting Slips, trips, fallsRoad trafficRoad manhole work withoutproper cordoning or trafficdiversionInjury, deathEngulfment • Collapsing loosely packedparticles, e.g., flour, catalyst• Stepping on loosely packedparticles• Inadvertent opening offeed lines to confined spaceEntrapmentTapering or inwardly slopingand smooth walls, e.g., cyclonesMechanical hazards Moving or rotating parts, e.g.,belts, gearsElectrical hazards • Improper electrical wiring• Poor housekeeping ofelectrical cables• No provision of grounding• Wet spaces• Humid environment →decreased electricalresistanceFalling from height • Improperly barricadedopenings, e.g., tower trays• Scaffolding without properguardrails• Working at height withoutproper use of safety harnessFalling objects • Limited storage andworking space• Poor housekeepingpractices• Inadequate securing oftools, structural materialsRadiation • Ultraviolet and Infraredradiation from welding• Non-destructive testing (X ray)• Maintenance of levelinstrumentation usingradioactive isotopese.g., backache, musclecramps/strainsTrapped inside material →breathing difficulty → suffocationTrapped at bottom end,breathing difficulty →asphyxiationInjury, deathElectrocution → burns, deathSevere injury, drowning, deathInjury, death• Skin burns, cataract, arc eye,genetic changes, cancer• Insufficient artificial• Slips, trips, fallsAsbestos • Removal of partition walls • Asbestosis, mesothelioma,16 Poor lighting17lightingin shipslung cancer