Each situation needs to be appraised and assessed independently in advance to effectively manage the risk.
Work in high or medium risk confined space areas can be dangerous and therefore any work carried out has to be expertly prepared before an individual enters the space. Being aware of the risks involved with working in confined spaces ensures you are compliant and demonstrates to your staff that their safety is critically important.
We offer a range of confined space services designed to keep your staff safe before, during and after working in confined spaces. Our confined space services include:
Due to the high risk of working in confined spaces, we have worked hard to make sure we’re ISO 45001 accredited. We are also part of the SafeContractor scheme and a UVDB Silver Plus member.
“Around 15 people in the UK are killed in confined spaces incidents each year.” – IOSH.
How adequate are your confined space risk assessment method statements and Safe Systems of Work?
Our professional team has a wealth of knowledge and experience working in high pressure, life-threatening situations and our confined space rescue teams are on standby to provide the latest up to date expertise and knowledge. Our confined space teams are highly qualified and they have passed a range of qualifications approved by City and Guilds, FAIB and ECITB. We care about keeping your colleagues safe.
Our rescue teams are supplied with the latest equipment and all of the equipment required is included within your rescue quote. We can supply all equipment required including:
We support a wide range of businesses with standby rescue teams. These include global businesses such as P&G and Shell, and British businesses including Anglian Water, IWJS and Waitrose. We also work with smaller businesses and we have supported Tier 1 and Tier 2 contractors with confined space rescue services.
Our rescue teams are based across the UK so wherever you need support with confined spaces, we can help. They are on standby and generally, we can provide you with a confined space rescue team within 24 hours. At FIT our rescue teams don’t just work 9-5, they are available to work 24/7 which means that you don’t have to plan any site shutdowns around our availability, we work around your plans.
As a business, all of our specialists have been working together for many years and this means we can easily combine a range of our services alongside our confined space rescue teams. Our other support services include:
First Intervention Team offer a full range of Confined Space Training and Confined Space Rescue Training.
We provide a wide range of FAIB and ECITB approved training courses. Confined Space Rescue Courses are suitable for all personnel who are required to enter any confined space to assist or rescue an entrant in distress acting as part of a Confined Space Rescue Team.
Our courses are highly practical – and include conditions that replicate what a person may encounter when working in real confined spaces.
A confined space can be any space of an enclosed nature where there is a risk of death or serious injury from hazardous substances or dangerous conditions (e.g. lack of oxygen).
Some examples of confined spaces include:
Working in a confined space has many foreseeable risks and adequate training on how to enter a confined space and work in a confined space is a requirement of the confined spaces regulations 1997. There is a difference between confined space health and safety awareness training and skills training of how to work in a substantially enclosed space that may have lack of oxygen, free flowing solids and other hazardous substances.
An employer as a minimum MUST make employees aware of the dangers of working in a confined space and provide adequate training of the foreseeable risks and carry out a risk assessment that details a safe system of work. There are no regulations or legislation that states how often confined space training is required or expiry dates of any training or certificates.
All health and safety training should be refreshed when ever it is felt necessary.
There are many hazards associated with confined space working. Some of the conditions may already be present but some may arise from the work being carried out, e.g. dust from a portable grinder, welding fumes and fumes from solvents or adhesives and other hazardous substances.
Some examples of the hazards faced in confined spaces include:
A lack of oxygen – this can occur when reactions occur in a confined space such as the formation of rust in steel tanks and the reaction of soil with the atmosphere in a trench.
Poisonous gas, fume or vapour – for example, a build-up in sewers and manholes or residues left in tanks, vessels etc, or remaining on internal surfaces, which can give off gas, fumes or vapour.
Liquids and solids – which can suddenly fill the space for example a burst mains water pipe or free-flowing solids such as grain in a silo.
Fire and explosions – for example from flammable vapours, excess oxygen or high concentrations of dust e.g. in flour silos.
Hot conditions – leading to a dangerous increase in body temperature.
Oxygen Enriched Atmospheres – when oxygen levels start to exceed what is commonly found in the atmosphere (21%) it can become a danger. Higher oxygen levels make it easier for fires to start and once started they will burn hotter and more fiercely than they would in the open air. At high-pressure oxygen can violently react with common materials such as oils and grease increasing the danger.
Normal industrial hazards – normal industrial hazards such as noise can be intensified when working in confined spaces as the sound continues to bounce around the enclosed space.
How many confined spaces deaths are there per year? It averages around 15 in the UK and 92 in the USA. So working in a confined space is a very real hazard and adequate training for working in a confined space or to enter a confined space should always be carried out.
A detailed confined space rescue plan must be in place for all confined space works, this plan can be outsourced to an external specialist company like First intervention Team, with over 20 years’ experience our confined space officers will visit your site a safety documentation folder to include but not limited to the following:
Due to the many variations of a rescue team a number of factors will contribute to the price of a rescue team the factors that will to considered by First Intervention Team will be as follows:
A competent top man must always be in place when conducting confined space works. A top man provides line of sight, support, and cover for the confined space entrants, a top mans role is often understated it is important the top men used on to support confined space entries are trained and competent in the follow areas:
First intervention team can supply fully trained experienced top men to support confined space works, for high risk projects or multiple entry we can supply a confined space controller, a confined space controller has all the training of a top man including a level of experience and expertise to manage your confined space works safely.
A confined space register is detailed report of each individual confined space located at your premises; the register will act a safety bible for all confined space works. First Intervention Team Rescue officers have vast experience producing confined space registers, we have produced these registers for a number of blue chip customers, our officers will visit your premises, locate all confined spaces, provide an asset number system, and provide a detailed report highlighting the following for each confined space:
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