Where Confined Spaces are Found
Confined spaces are found not only in industrial settings but also in public places such as shopping malls and large facilities that have pump vaults or valve pits.
Some swimming pool pumps are in vaults below ground. There have been reports of maintenance employees entering these areas and losing consciousness.
Examples of Confined Spaces
Condenser Pits
Because of their large size, they are often overlooked as potentially hazardous confined spaces. These below-grade areas create large containment areas for the accumulation of toxic fumes, gases, and so forth, or for the creation of oxygen-deficient atmospheres when purging with argon, freon, and other inert gases. Other hazards will be created by workers above dropping equipment, tools, and materials into the pit.
Manholes
As means of entry into and exit from vaults, tanks, pits, and so forth, manholes perform a necessary function. However, these confined spaces may present serious hazards which could cause injuries and fatalities. A variety of hazards are associated with manholes. To begin with, the manhole could be a dangerous trap into which the worker could fall. Often covers are removed and not replaced, or else they are not provided in the first place.
Pipe Assemblies
One of the most frequently unrecognized types of confined spaces encountered throughout the construction site is the pipe assembly. Piping of sixteen to thirty-six inches in diameter is commonly used for a variety of purposes. Once inside, workers are faced with potential oxygen-deficient atmospheres, often caused by purging with argon or another inert gas. Welding fumes generated by the worker in the pipe, or by other workers operating outside the pipe at either end, subject the worker to toxic atmospheres. The generally restricted dimensions of the pipe provide little room for the workers to move about and gain any degree of comfort while performing their tasks. Communication is extremely difficult. In situations where the pipe bends, communication and extrication become even more difficult. Electrical shock is another problem to which the worker is exposed. Ungrounded tools and equipment or inadequate line cords are some of the causes. As well, heat within the pipe run may cause the worker to suffer heat prostration.
Ventilation Ducts
Ventilation ducts, like pipe runs, are very common at the construction site. These sheet metal enclosures create a complex network which moves heated and cooled air and exhaust fumes to desired locations in the plant. Ventilation ducts may require that workers enter them to cut out access holes, install essential parts of the duct, etc. Depending on where these ducts are located, oxygen deficiency could exist. They usually possess many bends, which create difficult entry and exit and which also make it difficult for workers inside the duct to communicate with those outside it. Electrical shock hazards and heat stress are other problems associated with work inside ventilation ducts.
Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.
1-3. Which is one of the most frequently unrecognized types of confined spaces encountered on worksites?
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