Businesses and employers can easily overlook the dangers of confined spaces. They can be found in virtually every industry, and workers need to take the proper precautions to protect themselves before entering. Everyone on the team should be aware of the latest ventilation requirements for confined spaces as outlined by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), but implementing these guidelines in the workplace can be a challenge. Companies can use this guide to calculate how much ventilation is necessary for their respective confined spaces.
It starts with learning how to recognize confined spaces in the workplace. A confined space is any area that’s large enough to enter and perform work but not fit for prolonged human occupancy. It usually has a limited number of exits, entryways, or windows, with few to no options of ventilation. Common confined spaces include basements, crawl spaces, attics, sewers, tunnels, pits, manholes, and pipelines. They also include large storage containers such as silos, grain hoppers, and metal shipping containers.