Unsafe gas appliances can cause the release of a highly poisonous gas: carbon monoxide (CO). You can’t taste it, see it, or smell it – but it can kill quickly. It can also cause serious long term health problems such as brain damage.
Confined spaces tend to cause a more confusion that you would think. Everyone knows what one is, until you ask them to define ne.
A confined space is a place which is substantially enclosed (though not always entirely), and where serious injury can occur from hazardous substances or conditions within the space or nearby (e.g. lack of oxygen).
It can be any space of an enclosed nature where there is a risk of death or serious injury from hazardous substances or dangerous conditions (eg lack of oxygen). Some confined spaces are fairly obvious are are easy to identify, eg enclosures with limited openings:
However, some other confined spaces may be less obvious, such as:
It is not possible to provide a comprehensive list of confined spaces. Some places may become confined spaces when work is carried out, or during their construction, fabrication or subsequent modification.
‘Health and Safety’ often gets a bit of a bad press, with the phrase ‘health and safety gone mad!’ never too far away. In this article, we’re looking at what sensible risk management means – and perhaps more importantly, what it isn’t about.
The term ‘occupational disease’ covers a wide range of diseases that are linked with occupational exposure to specific hazards. In this spotlight article, we’re looking at some of the focus areas in occupational disease.
