A confined space is one which is both enclosed or largely enclosed and has a reasonably foreseeable specified risk to workers of:
- fire
- explosion
- loss of consciousness
- asphyxiation
- drowning.
It may be small and restrictive for the worker, or it could be far larger such as a grain storage silo with hundreds of cubic meter capacity.
Working in a confined space is dangerous because of the risks from noxious fumes, reduced oxygen levels, or the risk of fire.
Other dangers may include flooding, drowning or asphyxiation from some other source such as dust, grain, or other contaminants.
Access to the effluent plant treatment tanks at the tannery would lead to exposure to oxygen deficient atmospheres and the risk of suffocation and death.
There is also a homepage that lists the range of health and safety risks identified as relevant to the University's activities and facilities, together with information on the University's policies and arrangements on how these risks are to be managed and controlled.
