Plan, manage and review legislative and safety compliance for work in confined spaces

This standard is about managing legislative and safety compliance for work in confined spaces.  A confined space is any place, including any chamber, tank, vat, silo, pit, trench, pipe, sewer, flue, well or other similar space in which, by virtue of its enclosed nature, there arises a reasonably foreseeable specified risk.  Risks could lead to serious injury or death through fire, explosion, gas, fumes, vapour, lack of oxygen, rising levels of liquid, asphyxiation or entrapment by free flowing solids. 

It involves planning, organising and managing work safely in confined spaces including legislative roles and responsibilities, health and safety considerations and equipment requirements.  It includes:

• applying relevant legislative and industry confined spaces requirements 
• developing risk assessments 
• determining suitable control measures 
• developing safe systems of work
• establishing effective procedures for using permits to work
• developing  effective emergency arrangements
• implementing and maintaining effective arrangements for document storage, review and audit.

This standard is for managers that are responsible for organizing, planning and managing legislative and safety compliance for work in confined spaces. The manager may or may not supervise the actual job.

1. identify work activities that involve confined spaces

2. determine the classification of confined spaces from their description and work tasks when relevant

3. identify competences required to develop effective safe systems of work to control work activities in confined spaces

4. ascertain legislative and organisational requirements for work activities being undertaken in confined spaces

5. determine the minimum numbers of persons required to undertake work activities in confined spaces

6. develop and implement suitable and sufficient safe systems of work for confined spaces

7. identify the competencies of people required to work within each identified confined space

8. determine when and how permits to work are to be used to control work in confined spaces

9. confirm all relevant people understand their roles and responsibilities

10. monitor, audit and review safe systems of work as and when required

11. identify hazards associated with working in confined spaces including who might be harmed and how

12. evaluate risks and identify control measures required to mitigate them

13. record the findings of risk assessments in appropriate documentation

14. review and update risk assessments as required to maintain health and safety for work in confined spaces

15. use risk assessments to determine the type and number of control measures for given hazards at confined spaces to ensure health and safety is maintained

16. determine the necessary tests required to verify the effectiveness of control measures for the hazards at confined spaces

17. identify the procedures required for safe working at confined spaces

18. determine the records associated with the control measures and the frequency of their renewal and review

19. determine the composition, competences and physical capabilities and numbers of work teams to accomplish work at confined spaces using identified controls

20. identify the specialised equipment to control found and anticipated hazards

21. determine and communicate the order in which control of hazards is established, verified and maintained to the work team

22. establish effective arrangements for dealing with emergency situations that may arise

23. determine the scope of work requiring the permits to work at confined spaces

24. identify the personnel necessary to operate control provided by permits to work

25. complete necessary records and documents required by permits to work

26. establish procedure to ensure work teams are briefed on their role(s) and duties under permits to work

27. determine emergency responses required for given risk assessed tasks at confined spaces

28. determine suitable and sufficient first aid arrangements

29. ensure all personnel involved have relevant competency and authorization for their role

30. ensure that emergency response procedures and first aid arrangements are understood by work teams and any third party assistance

31. complete confined spaces documentation and retain according to legislative and organisational requirements

32. review documents used for work activities in confined spaces to ensure accurate records are maintained

33. undertake audits of the management system used to control work activities in confined spaces to ensure that statutory compliance is maintained

34. maintain qualifications and ongoing training for this role in line with legislative requirements

1. the main principles of current confined spaces, health and safety and environmental legislation and regulations

2. approved codes of practice, guidance and standards for working safely in confined spaces

3. the range of risk assessments that may need to be produced to comply with work activities being undertaken in a confined space

4. the legislative duty placed upon employer, manager, supervisor and operator associated with confined space work activities

5. organisational requirements relevant to confined space work activities

6. the 5 step process to producing risk assessments

7. the hazards indigenous to confined space when undertaking work activities

8. the hazards imported to confined space when undertaking work activities

9. the hierarchy of hazard control required by statutes

10. classification schemes for the complexity of entry

11. how to determine severity of hazards and levels of risk

12. groups of people likely to be affected by work activities associated with confined spaces

13. the competencies required for personnel involved in confined space work activities including medical exclusions, human factors, ergonomic issues

14. types of ventilation systems including circumstances in which their use would be most effective

15. environmental monitoring equipment available for confined space work activities

16. environmental monitoring regimes required to enable work to be undertaken safely

17. equipment available for accessing confined spaces

18. the equipment and tools compatible for environment being worked in

19. how to check that equipment and tools are fit-for-purpose

20. the respiratory protective equipment available for confined space work activities

21. the personal Protective Equipment available for confined space work activities

22. relevant measures for effectively controlling “specified risks” associated with confined space work activities

23. how to evaluate effectiveness of existing and proposed control measures

24. decontamination procedures

25. the elements needed for a safe system and methods of work

26. information sources available to assist in developing a safe method of work

27. sequence in which confined space work activities are to be carried out

28. plant and equipment required to undertake work activities in confined spaces

29. roles and responsibilities of those involved in confined space work activities

30. communication methods suitable for confined space work activity

31. when permits to work should be issued

32. how to issue permits to work

33. relevance of permits to work for confined space activities

34. the elements needed for permits to work

35. roles and responsibilities of personnel involved in confined space activities under a permit to work system

36. how emergency situations can arise in a confined space

37. roles and responsibilities of personnel involved in confined space work activities should an emergency arise

38. communications and reporting systems for emergency situations

39. procedures for dealing with emergencies

40. the rescue equipment that may be used in confined spaces 

41. the first aid measures that may be used in confined spaces 

42. procedures for dealing with the aftermath of an emergency

43. reporting systems for routine work activities and resolving problems

44. processes used to determine the frequency of reviewing risk assessments

45. required frequency of ongoing training for this role and how and where to access it