Working in a confined space be fatal, because of a lack of oxygen, an explosion or airbourne contaminants. Incidents can occur when someone becomes swallowed up in flood waters, sewerage, smoke or dirt.

Regulations

There are specific laws about working safely in confined spaces and each State/Territory has slightly different legislation that applies to these environments.

The legal requirements for work in confined spaces applies to designers, manufacturers, importers, suppliers, installers and constructors of plant and structures, while others are more general.

Manage the risk

It is always preferable to ensure there is no need or way for anyone to enter a confined space, either on purpose or by accident. On the hierarchy of controls, eliminating the risk will deliver the safest outcome for everyone. If there are limited options in eliminating these risks, it is then best to then minimise the need for people to enter the space and only then if they really have to, that you ensure it has safe entry and exit points.