4 Types of Confined Spaces You Might Encounter at Work

Confined spaces include, but are not limited to, tanks, vessels, silos, storage bins, hoppers, vaults, pits, manholes, tunnels, equipment housings, ductwork, pipelines, etc.

Examples of Confined Spaces

Which careers work in confined spaces?

Many professions occasionally call for workers to be in cramped areas. Construction workers may be one of the professions with the highest likelihood of requiring them to maneuver through tight spaces in order to complete their work on various parts of new structures. A rescue or recovery officer, who conducts rescue missions and occasionally needs to rescue people who are trapped in a confined space, is another profession that might work there.

Working in cramped areas to perform maintenance and installation tasks on building components like electrical wiring or plumbing systems is another common aspect of some trade careers, such as those of plumbers and electricians.

What are confined spaces?

A partially enclosed space known as a “confined space” is not meant for habitation. There is frequently only one entrance or exit in confined spaces, which may only accommodate one person at a time, due to the limited or restricted entrances that are typical.

In order to provide storage space where people can keep items out of the way for extended periods of time, many constrained spaces are present in buildings such as homes and office buildings. However, there can also be confined areas in public or commercial settings that have a particular function, such as a silo on a farm or an underground sewer in a city.

Are confined spaces regulated by the government?

Here are four different kinds of confined spaces that you might come across at work:

Crawl space

A crawl space is a small area that is frequently constructed beneath a home’s first floor. Crawl spaces are typically made of bricks or cinder blocks to support a house’s foundation, and they rarely rise higher than 3 or 4 feet. As a result, even though a person can enter a crawl space, they probably can’t stand up there.

Many homeowners use their crawl spaces to store seasonal items or as emergency safe rooms. Keeping insulation, HVAC systems, and electrical wiring out of the way while still making them accessible for repairs is another frequent practice.

Tunnel

A tunnel is a passageway that runs underground, often horizontally. The majority of tunnels are dug for transportation or excavation purposes, although some tunnels do exist naturally in places like caves or underwater environments. In the construction industry, excavation tunnels are frequently used to move materials from one place to another without interfering with activities taking place above ground, like when digging a foundation for a new building.

A subway tunnel that houses rail networks for public transportation is another instance of a tunnel that can exist in many different locations. Similar to this, a city may build tunnels beneath structures or streets to make room for additional roads that can help reduce traffic and provide more transportation options for emergency vehicles.

Tank

Large, secure containers called tanks are frequently used to store industrial materials like water, oil, gas, or chemical products. Tanks are common in the manufacturing and oil industries because they can store a lot of materials and keep them in good condition for later use. For instance, after extracting oil or other petroleum products, oil and gas companies frequently use tanks to store them. Tanks are perfect for residential areas because they can effectively store water and give residents a central location to access their water supply.

Tanks can be constructed horizontally or underground as well as standing vertically above ground, making them versatile and adaptable to almost any space.

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FAQ

What 2 types of confined spaces are there?

There are three main categories of confined spaces: those requiring permits, those requiring alternative procedures, and those requiring none. There must be warning signs posted all around a confined space that requires a permit to enter, indicating that doing so could be dangerous. This warning should be displayed for the staff before they enter the small area.

What are 3 different types of hazards in confined spaces?

Ordinarily, confined spaces are divided into two categories: Non-Permit and Permit. The most dangerous confined spaces are those that require a permit, which you or another qualified person must complete before entering the space.

What is a Class C confined space?

Lack of oxygen, toxic vapors and combustible gases, solvents, or dusts are some of the dangers that come with confined spaces. In addition to atmospheric risks, confined spaces frequently have mechanical or physical risks, such as moving parts, electricity, or materials that could swallow a person.

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