Just owning the safety equipment is not enough to save you

People are injured and killed when working in confined spaces, despite all of the warning, detection and protection equipment available. Safety regulators all around the world can accurately pinpoint how people are injured or die and the most common environments in which injuries and deaths occur. So with all those statistics about working in confined spaces and control measures, why do injuries and deaths still occur?

A confined space is one of the most dangerous places people can work in. The risks are high, with the consequences of an incident being life-threatening. But confined space workers are generally well prepared for them. After all, people have been working in confined spaces for centuries; and we’ve learned a great deal about safety in these environments from industries like coal mining, petrochemical and shipping.

Or so we would think.

“Complacency is a big factor in why people still die or are injured in confined spaces,” Paul Haigh, National Training Manager at Draeger Safety Pacific, emphatically stated. “People appreciate why they need respiratory protective equipment (RPE) - gas analysers, rescue equipment and protective suits - so they do typically take it with them and are prepared to use it. But even more important is the need to appreciate the actual environment they’re about to work in and understand what their PPE will actually do for them; and most importantly, how to use the personal protective equipment (PPE) provided by the employer.

All persons who are supplied PPE, from a pair of safety glasses through to compressed air breathing apparatus, should be given suitable and sufficient training to enable safe exposure in the workplace.

Haigh has considerable experience in confined space entry, having worked and trained in OHS in the UK, New Zealand and Australia for many years, so his views are based on insight from a broad range of applications and regulatory frameworks.

What are the hazards?

According to Dräger’s training material, people are injured or die in confined spaces because they:

• Don’t recognise a confined space when they see one;
• Trust their senses - not realising you can’t see, taste or smell many of the toxic atmospheres present in confined spaces;
• Underestimate the dangers - they don’t realise how quickly they can be overcome by a deadly atmosphere;
• Don’t stay alert; and
• Try to rescue others.

These aren’t just bold opinions. They are supported by a number of factual statistics from around the world:

• 95% of fatalities are caused by oxygen, toxic or combustible gases;
• In 25% of these cases, the atmosphere was monitored before entry, but conditions deteriorated thereafter;
• In 80% of the fatalities, the same procedure had been conducted before;
• 60% of fatalities come from unplanned rescue attempts;
• Only 27% were equipped with procedures for entry;
• In 64% of cases, work could have been completed from outside; and
• Only 3% of victims had received confined spaces training.

The common thread that seems to run through these sobering statistics is a lack of awareness of either the degree of danger that was present in the confined space or some element of complacency. Many of these deaths could have been avoided if both the workers and employers were in a more prepared state. Having the right equipment is just the start. Knowing how to use the PPE correctly and why it has been made available is the cornerstone to a successful confined space entry.

Helpful tips

The Draeger confined spaces training manual recommends that employers should adopt the following activities:

• Identify all confined spaces and sign-post them;
• Develop a confined-space register;
• Complete a risk assessment of all confined spaces;
• Develop procedures including emergencies and rescue;
• Make sure that you have a clear and suitable work permit for any works in confined spaces;
• Select (purchase) all equipment needed - both for standard use and for emergencies;
• Train all staff that are involved; and
• Retain permits for one month and risk assessments for five years.

Adding to these points, Haigh comments: “Just having or owning the right safety equipment - gas detectors, respirators, rescue equipment and protective suits - is not enough. People who work in these hazardous areas, or manage those who do, need to understand how to use them, what they’re supposed to do and why they’re being used. You can’t assume that the equipment will be appropriately used every time without suitable and sufficient training of staff.

“In our training classes, we often relate working in confined spaces to driving. It’s an analogy most people can relate to and hopefully the message gets through. When learners are doing their driving test with the instructor and tester, they do everything by the book - make sure the seatbelt is on, check both mirrors before taking off, have both hands on the steering wheel, indicate to change lanes, etc. But as soon as they have their licence and they’re on their own, many of those proper steps are quickly forgotten. They know what they should be doing, but they lapse into bad habits. And it’s those bad habits that usually cause accidents and injury.

“The same often happens with workers in confined spaces. They are supplied with safety equipment and initial training on using them, but then they lapse into bad habits. How many times have people using gas detectors complained that their equipment is faulty because it keeps going off? Maybe it’s because they don’t fully appreciate how to use it. Maybe it has false-alarmed on them a few times and now they don’t trust it. The problem is often that some training isn’t deep enough to ensure workers fully understand what the equipment is supposed to do for them. They may be trained how to use it - which buttons to push to turn it on and off, what sounds it should make and what to do if the alarm goes off. The key issue though is for the worker to understand its operation - what it’s supposed to do and why, what it’s supposed to detect, what it can’t detect, what its limitations are, how to validate that it is indeed protecting their life while they’re in that hazardous environment. That’s where training and periodic updating are critical.

“I can’t emphasise enough the importance of trust - if you don’t trust your equipment, don’t use it. Better still, don’t go into a confined or hazardous space until you have equipment that you can trust explicitly. It’s your life that’s at stake.

Training

Safety training must be delivered by safety professionals who not only understand the regulations, safe work practices and PPE, but who can also communicate the rationale behind the regulations, safe work practices and PPE, and instil that same understanding into their students. Ideally, a trainer should have experience in this field to ensure the level of education given to the student is at a high level. Haigh feels it is impossible to deliver high-quality training in a short time frame and without a practical element, as is often experienced from some training providers. Industry standard sets out what should be achieved by a student and these guidelines should not be watered down or underplayed in anyway.

Conclusion

Dräger offers a short, but effective final piece of advice for anyone selecting PPE and training that should be easy to remember as an acronym: “Just remember BATNEEC - best available technology not entailing excessive cost.

“This essentially encourages people to have the goal of having the safest possible work environment and this is achieved by knowledge of the equipment’s express purpose, scope, capabilities and limitations and suitable and sufficient training.”

Having good quality protective equipment, robust policies and procedures for hazardous work, industry standard training and experience will all help to ensure that injuries caused in confined space entry work will be hazard and risk assessed to the safest degree, thus reducing possible injuries and death in this extremely hazardous environment. One fantastic saying Haigh once read on a safety induction card that stuck is:

Home Without Harm, Everyone, Every Day!