Confined Spaces
Facility and Occupational Safety
Potential Dangers and Required Trainings
Confined spaces, such as tanks, silos, vaults and pipelines, are large enough for a worker to enter but have limited means of entry or exit and are not designed for continuous occupancy.
Recognizing the hazards, following safe work practices and understanding your role are essential to preventing serious injuries and protecting everyone involved in confined space work.
Potential hazards may include:
- Hazardous or potentially hazardous atmospheres
- Materials that could cause engulfment
- Entrapment or asphyxiation hazards
- Other physical, chemical, biological or mechanical hazards
Whenever possible, the goal is to eliminate confined space hazards, not just control them, to create a safer work environment.
Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) offers the specialized training required for employees who enter confined spaces, including:
- Classroom instruction
- Air monitor training
- Fall protection training
- Rescue training
Contact
Environmental Health and Safety
facoccsafety@groups.purdue.edu
765-494-6371