Work in confined spaces: risks for the worker

In recent years, serious fatal accident cases, often collective, have highlighted the critical issues.

What is a confined environment?

According to the OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) definition, a confined environment is defined as a space that can be accessed with a special access permit, and which identifies possible hazardous conditions:

  • risk of a hazardous atmosphere;

  • risk of burial;

  • risk of entrapment;

  • serious risk of another nature.

The classification identifies three types of confined spaces:

High and immediate risk to the health/life of the worker (lack of oxygen, flammable or explosive atmospheres, concentration of toxic substances.

Injury risk not immediately hazardous to health/life.

Negligible risk that does not affect work.

In confined spaces, the ratio between the volume of the space and the opening for air exchange with the outside is small, which makes the environments particularly risky in terms of pollution.


Which areas of work are most at risk?

The Consolidation Act on Safety in the Workplace (Legislative Decree 81/2008) specifies the prohibition of access to confined spaces suspected of pollution after verification of the absence of dangers that could endanger the integrity and life of workers.

If there is any doubt, or if a real danger arises, workers must be provided with all protective and safety equipment, they must be supervised throughout the work, and provision must be made for easy recovery in the event of unconsciousness.

In recent years, serious cases of fatal accidents, often collective, have populated the news and highlighted critical issues.

INAIL data on fatal accidents in confined spaces in the period 2002-2014 highlight the sectors most at risk:

  • 20,5% costruction

  • 19,5% agriculture-forestry

  • 12,6% metal industry

  • 9.2% waste/waste water disposal

  • 5.7% food industry (mainly wine production)

  • 12% other (handling/storage

The companies most affected by accidents were found to be those in the following sectors:

  • companies in the food industry;

  • maintenance of tanks, reservoirs and holds;

  • wineries, in the cleaning of tanks and barrels;

  • construction, in activities such as work in tunnels, excavations and pits, underground passages;

  • remediation activities in closed locations;

  • operation and maintenance of aqueducts;

  • operation and maintenance of sewage treatment plants, aerobic digesters and anaerobic digesters;

  • operation and maintenance of sewerage networks;

  • chemical industries and manufacturing activities where there are sewage treatment plants to treat their effluents;

  • waste management companies where there are landfills and temporary storage of waste in pits;

  • metalworking activities in confined spaces, such as welding inside tanks;

  • iron and steel industry, for environments with oxygen-deficient combustion and carbon monoxide formation (catalytic stoves, braziers);

  • gas production and distribution environments (gasometers);

  • companies in the food industry;