Health Safety and

Environment
Topics

1.
2.

Confined Space
Permit to Work (PTW)
By
Engr. M. Osama Khalil
osamakhalil045@gmail.com

Confined Space
Aconfined spaceis a place which is
substantially enclosed, and where serious injury
can occur from hazardous substances or
conditions within thespace(e.g. lack of oxygen)
A"Confined Space"means a space that:
Is large enough that an employee can bodily
enter and perform assigned work.
Has limited or restricted means for entry or exit
(for example, ship compartments, tanks, vessels,
silos, storage bins, hoppers, vaults, and pits).
Is not designed for continuous employee
occupancy

Some Confined Spaces

Confined Space

Confined Space

Confined space ventilation

WORKING IN CONFINED SPACES

If you are one of the 1.6 million Americans
who work in confined spaces each year,
you know your job is dangerous.
Each year, hundreds of workers die from
accidents in confined spaces. Many of
these deaths occur when co-workers
attempt to rescue a victim.
The Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA) believes 85 percent
of these accidents can be prevented if you
learn about the hazards you face on the
job.

Why dangerous
flammable or explosive
atmospheres
harmful gas, fume or vapour
free flowing solid or an increasing level
of liquid
excessively high temperature
the lack or reasonably foreseeable lack
of oxygen

Confined Space

Hazards associated with

confined spaces
1. Toxic Atmosphere

A toxic atmosphere may cause various acute

effects, including impairment of judgment,
unconsciousness and death. A toxic atmosphere
may occur due to the presence of hazardous
substances. These substances may be present in
the Confined Space for various reasons such as:
- remaining from previous processing or storage
- arising from the disturbance of sludge and other
deposits
- the presence of a fire or flames within the space
- seepage from improperly isolated adjoining plant

Cont
2. Oxygen Deficiency

Oxygen can be lacking a confined space for the following reasons:

- displacement of air by another gas
- various biological processes or chemical reactions (such as
rotting of organic matter, rusting of metals, burning, etc)
- absorption of air onto steel surfaces, especially where these are
damp

3.Oxygen Enrichment

An excess of oxygen, in the presence of combustible materials,

results in an increased risk of fire and explosion. Some materials,
which do not burn in air, may burn vigorously or even spontaneously
in an enriched oxygen atmosphere.
Flammable or Explosive Atmospheres
If a flammable atmosphere inside a confined space ignites, an
explosion may occur, resulting in the expulsion of hot gases and the
disintegration of the structure

Cont..
4. Flowing Liquid or Free Flowing Solids
Liquids or solids can flow into the confined space
causing drowning, suffocation, burns and other
injuries. Solids in powder form may also be
disturbed in a confined space resulting in an
asphyxiating atmosphere.
5. Excessive Heat

The enclosed nature of a confined space can

increase the risk of heat stroke or collapse from heat
stress, if conditions are excessively hot. The risk
may be exacerbated by the wearing of personal
protective equipment or by lack of ventilation.

What are the key elements of a safe

system of work for a confined space?
The key elements to be considered when drawing up a safe system of
work are:

Competence, training, supervision and suitability

Permit-to-work procedure
Gas removal and ventilation
Dangerous residues
Testing and monitoring of the atmosphere
Mechanical, electrical and process isolation
Respiratory protective equipment
Other personal protective equipment
Safe use of work equipment
Proper Communications
Remove Flammable or explosive atmospheres
Remove Combustible materials

Use Proper PPE for work at

Confined-Space

Confined Space Safety

Safe Work at confined Space

common Rules

These general rules are the distilled wisdom of confined space operations,
consolidated from many sources, and with the exception of the first rule, they
are not in any particular order.

1. Monitor the Atmosphere:

Atmospheric monitoring is the first and most critical rule, as
most fatalities in confined spaces are the result of atmospheric
problems. Remember, your nose is not a gas detector some
hazards have characteristic odors and others do not. Even when
you can detect the presence of a hazard, you cannot determine
the extent of that hazard. Some materials may even deaden your
sense of smell after short exposure,.
The only reliable method for accurate detection of atmospheric
problems is instrument monitoring. Basic confined space
atmospheric monitoring should routinely include oxygen
concentration and flammable gases and vapors. OSHA
regulations require the oxygen concentration to be between
19.5 and 23.5 percent and flammable vapors or gases to be

Cont..
For monitoring toxic-atmospheric conditions Following
devices may be used

Electrochemical sensorsmeasure carbon monoxide, hydrogen

sulfide, sulfur dioxide, ammonia, chlorine, and several other
materials.
Infrared sensorsmeasure carbon dioxide and several other
materials.
Photo ionization and flame ionization detectorswill measure
volatile organic compounds (VOCs) at the parts per million (ppm)
level. This may be required if solvent vapors are present.
Colorimetric tubescan be used to determine if a toxic contaminant
is present in situations where no digital instrument is available.

A thorough assessment of the atmospheric conditions in the

space must be completed before entering the space, and
should be continued during the entire entry.

Colorimetric tubes

Rules
2. Eliminate or control hazards
All hazards identified during the hazard assessment must
be eliminated or controlled prior to entering the space.
Elimination, the preferred method for dealing with
hazards, means that a hazard has been handled in a way
that it cannot possibly have an impact on the operation.
Control implies that the measures in place contain a
hazard. If these measures were to fail, the hazard could
have an impact on the operation.

Rules
3. Ventilate the space:

Your approach to atmospheric problems should be to correct the

condition prior to entry, and ventilation and related activities are
the best options for correcting these problems. Forced-air
ventilation is generally the most effective approach for confined
space entry operations. This technique dilutes and displaces the
atmospheric contaminants in the space. Exhaust ventilation works
best when a single-point source, such as welding, is the cause of
the atmospheric contaminant.
4. Use proper personal protective equipment:

Proper personal protective equipment (PPE) should be the last line

of defense. Elimination and control of hazards should be done
whenever possible. PPE that meets the specific hazard must be
readily available to the work crew. And personnel must be trained
and competent in the proper use of the equipment. It is equally
important that supervisors insist on proper use.

Rules
5. Isolate the space:
Isolation of the space should eliminate the opportunity for
introducing additional hazards through external
connections. This includes lockout of all powered devices
associated with the space, such as electrical, hydraulic,
and gaseous agent fire control systems.
6. Know the attendants role:

An outside attendant must be present to monitor the

safety of the entry operation, to help during an
emergency, and to call for assistance from outside if that
becomes necessary. The attendants role is primarily to
help ensure that problems do not escalate to the point
where rescue is needed.

Rules
7. Be prepared for rescues:
Any External retrieval equipment that may be used by the
attendant must be in place when appropriate. More advanced
rescue equipment for entry-type rescues must be available to the
designated rescue
For example, if the rescue crew for your facility has self-contained
breathing apparatus (SCBA) and your spaces do not have large
enough openings for the SCBA to pass through, the rescue crew
will not be able to perform effectively. In this case, they should be
equipped with airline breathing apparatus with escape cylinders.

Rules
8. Use good lighting:
Lighting is important for two primary reasons: You cannot
safely perform in environments where you cannot see
adequately, and lighting failure can cause fear.
The entrant should always have at least one backup
source of lighting, so if cord lights are used, the entrant
should also carry a flashlight.

Rules
9. Plan for emergencies
You must assume you will have emergencies. Emergencies may not
even have anything to do with the confined space, but if the entrant
is in the space at the time of the emergency, prompt and effective
action is required. If your entry crew is prepared for this emergency,
it may be handled without a problem

10. Emphasize constant communication

Effective communications are critical to safe operation and are the
string that ties all the other activities together. Communication must
be maintained between entrants and the attendant. The attendant
must also be able to contact the entry supervisor and call for
emergency help.
None of these steps is complex or difficult, and they provide the
layout for a basic, safe approach to confined space entry. Be aware
that the next time you read about a confined space fatality, at least
one of these general rules was probably violated.

Next Topic

Permit to Work

Work Permits and Isolation of Equipment

A safe system is required for all work activities, but particularly
for hazardous maintenance activities.
A large proportion of serious and fatal accidents occur during
maintenance operations.
A permit to work system is a formal procedure to ensure that the
system of work is properly planned and implemented for jobs
which have a significant risk.
Permits are most often required for maintenance work where
normal safeguards cannot be used.
Permits to work are required whenever there is a significant risk
to safety and health during an operation, and where precise
preparation of the site or plant and clear, unambiguous
communications of procedures is needed to control the risk.

Permit to Work

An authority Document
approved by the management
Describing the work to be
carried on

Purpose of PTW
To ensure
All work activities, the hazards
involved and precautions to be
defined prior execution of work
All activities are coordinated to
provide a safe working environment
for all personnel while working at
site.

Permit to work

Importance Permit to work

Issuing a permit does not, by itself, make a task safe. That can
only be achieved by the carefulness of those preparing,
supervising and carrying out the work.
The system does, however, provide a formal procedure to
determine, systematically, what precautions are required, how
this should be communicated, recorded and monitored and how
work should be authorized.
In some high-risk situations, simple systems of work such as
isolation or locking off procedures are sufficient by themselves
to ensure safety.
Such generally appropriate when there is only a single source of
risk, which can be eliminated by, for example, removing a fuse
and locking off an electrical isolator switch.

Importance Permit to work

In more complicated cases, for example, where there are
several sources of risk or where the risk is more severe,
such as with high voltage systems, or where complex
procedures are needed before it is safe to start work, a
permit to work is usually appropriate.
The aim of the permit to work system is to ensure that the
task is carried out in accordance with the carefully
considered conditions specified in a permit drawn up and
independently verified by competent individuals.
As well as setting out the steps which must be taken
before and during the task, permits should state any
conditions to be met after the work is completed.

Types of Work Permit

hot work permits
cold work permits

Types of Work Permit

The hot work permits are provided where
there is a chance of heat, naked spark or
flame occurs in the presence of flammable,
combustible, explosive items are present.
The cold work permits are given before any
work is performed which has no possibility
of heat generation. Working on a powered
systems will come under cold work.

PTW

General principles
The following aspects should be
considered with respect to Permit to Work
Systems:
Human factors.
Management of the work permit systems.
Objectives/duties of the work permit
system.
Types of work permits required.
Contents of the work permits.

Major hazards PTW

Major hazards could arise from the following:
Wrong type of work permit used;
Wrong information about work required on the work
permit;
Failure to recognize the hazards where work is carried
out (e.g. flammable substances);
Terms of work permit not adhered to (e.g. failure to
isolate plant and/or drain lines of hazardous
substances);
Unauthorized staff performing work permit functions;
Insufficient monitoring of the work permit system.
Communication failure during the use of a work permit
system

Lockout-tagout (LOTO)
Lockout-tagout (LOTO) or
lock and tag is a safety
procedure which is used
in industry and research
settings to ensure that
dangerous machines
are properly shut off
and not started up
again before the
completion of

Lockout / Tagout

Cont.

Difference b/w tag-out and PTW

The isolation process is
also known in industry as
'lockout / Tagout' and is
used to isolate machinery
and equipment from its
energy source.
It is important to ensure
the isolation of any unsafe
machinery/equipment from
potential uncontrolled
energy sources during
repair, service or
maintenance work.

An authority
Document approved
by the
management or
Describing the work
to be carried on
Permit to work
important to carry
out any activity
work or
maintenance.