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UK News - Breaking news in the field of health and safety
Confined space incident claims life
Yet another industrial accident has illustrated how easily the highly hazardous activity of confined space working can end in death. Thursday's fatal industrial accident at Forsyth Group's premises in Rothes, Morayshire, claimed the life of a worker in his 50's and came perilously close to claiming the lives of another two persons who attempted the rescue of the man who was overcome in a confined space.
It is reported that a colleague entered the tank and was overcome also, the second rescuer, although affected, was able to alert others to their predicament. The joint efforts of emergency services and employees recovered all three from the tank, sadly an employee died later in hospital.
There has been speculation that argon gas being used in welding work in the 5m deep tank may have rendered the atmosphere dangerously anoxic.
CSR 97
There have been a number of industrial confined space deaths during the last year, in Hereford 2 employees died due to lack of oxygen whilst working in a 'pit' associated with a high-pressure special atmosphere furnace, and a worker in West Thurrock died whilst welding the inside of a petrol tanker.
Before that, 3 employees on a farm near Thetford were asphyxiated in a slurry tank, overcome by carbon dioxide compounded by a lack of oxygen, resulting in drowning.
The Confined Spaces Regulations 1997 require employers to first try to avoid the need to enter a confined space. Where this is not possible, they must:
carry out an assessment of the risks associated with entering a confined space and draw up a safe system of work;
limit entry to the confined space to employees who are competent for confined space work and who have received suitable training;
verify, prior to entry, that the atmosphere in the confined space is safe to breathe;
provide any necessary ventilation; and
make sure suitable rescue arrangements are in place before anyone goes in to the confined space. These rescue arrangements should not involve risks to the safety of the people intended to carry out the rescue.
