As a safety professional, you already understand that confined spaces present significant risks for workers. Yet despite increased awareness, regulations, and advances in technology, confined space injuries and fatalities persist. In fact, according to a 2020 National Safety Council survey, 13% of workers reported that a confined space entry had caused or contributed to a serious workplace injury at their facility.
So what can you do to better protect your team?
The Hazards of Confined Spaces
Confined spaces aren’t intended for continuous human occupancy, but they are large enough for workers to enter when necessary. Because they aren’t designed with people in mind, they often have limited entry and exit points and may contain hazards—such as dangerous atmospheres or converging walls—that classify them as permit-required confined spaces. Click here for confined space training and tips
Limited ventilation increases the likelihood of atmospheric risks, the four most common being:
- Oxygen-deficient air
- Oxygen-enriched air
- Combustible gases
- Toxic gases
Before exploring a real-world scenario, let’s look at foundational steps for managing these risks.
Developing a Confined Space Entry Plan
A comprehensive entry plan—including selecting the proper confined space gas monitor—is essential for reducing hazards.
Since no two confined spaces are identical, each one must be evaluated before entry. This includes conducting a hazard assessment, selecting the right monitoring equipment, and ensuring all personnel are properly trained.
Best Practices for Confined Space Atmospheric Testing
Regulations typically require atmospheric testing with a direct-reading instrument before anyone enters the space. A confined space monitor with a remote sampling pump helps workers determine not just whether the space is safe, but how safe.
Although retesting is only required before re-entry, continuous monitoring is the safer approach. Conditions can change unexpectedly, leaving workers exposed without warning. Area monitors provide long battery life and quick deployment—turn them on, place them in the space, and maintain continuous visibility of gas readings.
Ensure Fast Communication of Working Conditions
Communication is critical for confined space safety. Attendants must track both the environment and the workers inside it, but this can be challenging in noisy or rapidly changing conditions.
Connected gas monitors solve this issue by instantly sharing alarms—whether for hazardous gases, immobility, or other emergencies—with attendants and nearby personnel. This enables fast, informed action.
Confined Space Safety Plan in Action
Here’s how a well-executed plan can prevent a serious incident:
Jason is preparing to re-enter a confined space following lunch. In an effort to stay on schedule, he rushes back to the task. But just before break, a crew member unknowingly left an argon valve open. Argon has since filled the space, displacing oxygen to dangerously low levels.
Thankfully, the site’s continuous gas monitoring system detects the drop in oxygen before anyone re-enters.
As Jason approaches the area, Industrial Scientific monitoring equipment automatically sends alerts to the entire team. Radius BZ1 area monitors inside and outside the space relay gas readings to nearby Ventis Pro5 personal monitors as well as other Radius BZ1 units.
The whole team receives real-time updates, can identify exactly which monitor is alarming, and takes immediate action—avoiding the type of secondary “would-be rescuer” incidents that often occur in confined spaces.
Because the safety team had a thorough entry plan, followed proper testing procedures, and used connected monitors for wireless communication, they dramatically improved site safety and maintained real-time visibility into gas hazards, man-down situations, and panic alarms.
