Confined Space Awareness Training
Purpose and legal basis
The course is designed to help learners understand the risks of confined space entry and working safely around such spaces. Such courses are pitched as awareness level, helping learners grasp the legal requirements of the Confined Spaces Regulations 1997. The legal framework usually includes the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the HSE’s Approved Code of Practice, L101. L101 was last published in its third edition in December 2014. Many courses also cover the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.
Who it’s for?
It suits people who need to recognise confined spaces and understand the dangers without entering them. Examples include managers, supervisors, duty holders and staff working near confined spaces. Hydro-X, for instance, lists duty holders, site managers and health and safety managers as its audience.
Typical content
Definition and identification: what counts as a confined space, with common examples such as storage tanks, silos, reaction vessels, enclosed drains and sewers. Under the regulations, a space is confined if it is substantially enclosed and one or more of the “specified risks” is present or reasonably foreseeable.
Specified risks and hazards: oxygen deficiency, toxic atmospheres and engulfment, and how conditions can deteriorate rapidly. Flammable atmospheres are also covered.
arcoservices
Legal duties: the primary duty is to avoid entry where reasonably practicable, with specific arrangements required when entry can’t be avoided.