A Definitive Guide To Confined Space Audit

February 20, 2023 |

A confined space audit guarantees your personnel’s security when working in confined or tightly bound environments. Any employment can require a confined space, whether above or below ground.

Rescue Solutions provides audit services for confined spaces they can tailor to meet your company and workplace’s specific requirements. To discover more about our audits, keep reading.

Main Advantages of Performing a Space Audit

The main advantage of carrying out a space audit is ensuring that your employees can carry out their assigned tasks in a secure workplace while abiding by local laws. Following the audit, your business will receive a thorough report outlining the suggestions made by our experts to enhance job site safety.

Your employees can count on you to maintain the highest level of safety without breaking any laws that could get your business into trouble.

Key Concerns in an Audit for Confined Safety

Working in small, cramped areas is risky and could have serious repercussions. Hence, your business should have the necessary safety measures to successfully limit or eliminate the risk—as long as these are feasible and reasonable measures.

Although each audit is unique, the following are some of the most typical target areas:

Risk evaluation
Entrance permit for a confined space
Flammable sources
Monitoring
Isolation
Communication and safety monitoring
Emergency response
Risk assessment

What a Risk Assessment Should Cover

Reviewing the paperwork supporting the entrance preparation is the first step in every Rescue Solutions audit for confined spaces. This step involves making sure a risk assessment is completed. At the very least, your risk assessment should cover the following:

Points of entry and exit
Layout of the confined space
Airborne pollutants
Risk of being exposed to dangers, such as O2 concentration
The type of work being done in the area
Entry permit for the confined space

We generally base our audits on the confined space entry permit and the competency of the person who issued the permit. The permit should specify these items:

The names of those who enter the room
The work’s nature and completion date
The steps taken to reduce risk

We’ll attest that the risk assessment forms the basis for every control indicated.

What Happens When an Ignition Source Is Determined

If there is a risk of ignition, our auditors will ensure that the space has safeguards to prevent or reduce the introduction of an ignition source.

Guidelines for Proper Signage

Having the correct signage to notify those occupying the area is crucial. Every sign should inform the crew working of the following:

Be ready before work begins
Define the confined space precisely
Include a reminder that entrance permits are needed for workers
Be conspicuously displayed next to each entryway

Monitoring and Communication for safety

Safety monitoring and communication are other parts of the audit that deserves attention. A standby employee or a foreman who can see the work inside the confined space should always be present. Additionally, your company has to ensure that everyone using the space or entering it has constant access to communication devices.

Emergency Response

Emergency rescue tactics and first aid must be readily employed in an emergency. We will look for proof that the procedures are or have been in place during the audit. Our examination of emergency procedures occasionally also includes:

Assessing the size of departure and entry ports for emergency access
Ensuring that there are no blockages at the entry and exit points
Examining the quality and type of personal protective equipment provided

Inventory and Classification of Confined Spaces

Your employees may be required to perform tasks in cramped areas that weren’t originally designed to be occupied by humans. Regardless, we follow a similar process in our audit process. We will identify the potential hazards as well as classify the space.

Get in Touch with Rescue Solutions for Audits for Confined Spaces

Safety is something we prioritize above all else at Rescue Solutions. We have the knowledge and resources needed to assist organizations in securely navigating a range of projects and scenarios, thanks to our decades of experience across various sectors.

We offer audits for confined spaces, confined space training, and the creation of procedural guides to assist you in correctly labeling spaces in accordance with applicable regulatory requirements.

The professionals at Rescue Solutions will support your facility, building project, or business in operating as safely and effectively as possible, regardless of your demands or industry.

For other audits, confined space training, and relevant health and safety services, get in touch with Rescue Solutions today!