Canadian Occupational Safety

18 Canadian Occupational Safety www.cos-mag.com I n 2004, owners of a waste dump at a former mine in Kimberley, B.C., began work to redesign the site in preparation for re-vegetation and erosion control. As a result of the work, which included extending the toe of the dump closer to a water sampling shed and covering a drainage ditch, oxygen-depleted effl uent began fl owing into a water collection sump under the shed, and air in the shed became directly connected to hazardous air in the dump. Two years later, in May 2006, four people, including two ambulance paramedics, were killed by lack of oxygen when they entered the shed. A 2011 report on the Sullivan Mine accident concluded the redesign work, which had, in effect, created a confi ned space in the shed, contributed to the accident. "It was a failure to recognize it was a confi ned space, so the precautions weren't taken," says Peter Gilmour, owner of Nanaimo, B.C.-based Advanced OHS Solutions. Confi ned spaces can be found in most workplaces, yet the task of recognizing any particular work space as a confi ned space can be diffi cult. HOW IS A CONFINED SPACE DEFINED? The CSA Z1006 Management of Work in Confi ned Spaces standard, published in 2010, provides a com- prehensive national guideline for determining what is considered a confi ned space. The standard defi nes a confi ned space as a work space that: • is fully or partially enclosed • is not designed or intended for continuous human occupancy • has limited or restricted access or egress, or an internal confi guration that can complicate fi rst aid, evacuation, rescue or other emergency response services. Federal legislation on confi ned spaces, which governs industries that operate interprovincially such as pipelines, railways and grain companies, uses the same defi nition as the CSA standard, saying a confi ned space is also one that "may become hazardous to any person entering it." New Brunswick OHS legislation lists four characteristics of confi ned spaces, says Jesse Martell, OHS consultant and professor at the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton. In addition to the three criteria of the CSA defi nition, it says the space "is or may become hazardous to anyone entering because of its design, construction, location, atmosphere, materials or substances therein, work performed therein or other conditions." British Columbia's OHS regulation includes the three criteria of the CSA defi nition, too, but also requires the space be "large enough and so confi gured that a worker could enter to perform assigned work." In Ontario, a confi ned space is a fully or partially enclosed space that is both not designed for human occupancy and one "in which atmospheric hazards may occur because of its construction, location or contents or because of work that is done in it." Some confi ned spaces are commonly recognized. These include silos, vats, hoppers, utility vaults, tanks, sewers, pipes, access shafts, truck or rail tank cars, aircraft wings, boilers, manholes, manure pits and storage bins. Other kinds of confi ned spaces, however, are more diffi cult to identify. "Spaces like sump pumps and barges that might be obvious to a qualifi ed person are missed by someone not familiar with confi ned space," says Gilmour. Pits, trenches and ditches conform to the defi ni- tion of a confi ned space when access or egress is limited, but they are often overlooked. According to the Ontario Ministry of Labour, these work sites can also be dangerous when there is a potential for a hazardous atmosphere or, if improperly maintained, may be subject to collapse, which can lead to engulf- ment and entrapment. A frac water pond may also be a confi ned space for the divers who are entering to do repairs and surveying, but it's up to the employer to determine that, according to Budd Phillips, regional prevention manager at WorkSafeBC. "It depends upon the risks and the hazards and rather than coming to us and saying 'Tell us if it's a confi ned space,' we're going to say to you 'You tell us. You go back, you do the proper assessment and you come back to us with the proper procedures to follow,'" he says. IS THAT REALLY A CONFINED SPACE? Erin Bishop, training co-ordinator at Vaughan, Ont.- based Safetyscope, says she starts her analysis of possible confi ned space work sites by considering the confi guration and size of the entrance. Confi ned space openings, often hatches or manholes, are usually small. However, the opening of a confi ned space can also be wide, like that of an open pit. "You must ask yourself 'If something happens when I'm in here, how do I get out?' If you have to work to get in or out — you have to climb or crawl — then chances are you're looking at a confi ned space," she says. Next, Bishop considers the purpose a space is designed for. To determine whether a space is intended for continued human occupancy, it's often useful to refer to provincial building codes. Offi ces and classrooms, for example, have features — proper oxygen when they entered the shed. A 2011 report on the Sullivan Mine accident concluded the redesign CONFINED CONFUSED By Linda Johnson Despite applicable legislation, questions remain around confi ned spaces Visit www.hrreporter.com/hr-vendors-guide HR VENDORS GUIDE HR VENDORS GUIDE Are you looking to reach occupational health and safety professionals across the country? Get your listing in the Health and Safety section of HR Vendors Guide online and in print. Attention OHS vendors and suppliers Visit www.hrreporter.com/hr-vendors-guide to enter your firm's information.

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