Confined space accidents occur in very common places -- sewers, pipelines, tanks, silos, vaults -- where something uncommon happens. The uncommon thing might be a valve leaking toxins or electrical circuits energized while being worked on. Or it might be a combination of things -- workers using a new solvent to clean a space without ventilation or the proper cartridges in their respirators.

If we know the hazards and characteristics of a confined space, we can predict with virtual certainty whether that space can be dangerous and therefore subject to the provisions of the confined space regulations.

And it isn't the initial victims we need to be concerned about. This is because most people who die in confined space accidents are would-be rescuers. In a typical confined space accident that results in death of an entrant, two or three rescuers die while attempting to save the initial victim. Many others are injured.

We cannot overstate the fact that this process is useful only for identifying common hazards in confined spaces. The modern industrial world contains a staggering number of possible hazards in millions of different work environments. It would be impossible to provide information on every possible hazard. For example, one telecommunications company in Oregon has a problem with rattlesnakes in the vaults. No section of these materials deals with chasing off rattlers.

Return to the Adanac College Homepage