Gas Safety

• Gas Features
• Gas Risks
• Apparatus Safety
• Cylinder Safety
• REACH

Process Safety

• Material Process Fume
• Personal Protective Equipment
• Processes Safety
• Welding & Cutting Hazards

Workplace Safety

• Assessing Risks
• Avoiding Hazards
• Emergency Planning

Safety Services

• Safety Training Workshops
• On-line safety training modules
• On-Site Safety Checks
• bocsafety.net
• Tradefile
• Safe Under Pressure

Safety Data Sheets

Confined Spaces

Many of the everyday hazards encountered in welding can be exacerbated if the work is being carried out in a confined space. A significant number of deaths involving people working in confined spaces occur each year, with asphyxiation being a major cause of those deaths, so extra vigilance is needed.
The confined space does not have to be small and cramped, but if it is then there is likely to be restricted ventilation, which can allow the build up of a hazardous atmosphere. An example of confined spaces would be a storage tank, it may also contain, or have contained, toxic, flammable or hazardous substance, vapour or gas.

So it is clear that working in such spaces requires a greater awareness of potential hazards and safe working practices than normal.

Welders working in enclosed spaces must be properly trained, equipped and supervised. Additional protective and monitoring equipment over and above that normally necessary may be required when welding in a confined space. It is also recommended that a formal 'safe system of work' should be followed at all times.