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Updated Standard - AS 2865-2009 |
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At last, it has arrived! After weeks and months and years of hard work and debate, the Confined Spaces standard has been released.
AS2865 - 2009 Confined Spaces is now available for purchase from SAI Global. There are quite a few changes from the previous standard:
- Confined space definition updated (which may be adopted by all state authorities??)
- Standby Person - clarification of roles and options for "alternative means"
- Training modules and competency requirements described
As a member of the committee that re-wrote the standard, I may be a little biased, but the new standard is a big improvement on the previous edition.
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Prevent Falls AROUND Confined Spaces |
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Worker Survives 7m Fall into Water Tank (4 August 2009 - Launceston, Australia)
Incidents like this are a reminder of the importance of fall prevention around openings to tanks and pits. I often see photos in catalogues and brochures advertising the latest tripods and retrieval systems for confined space entrants, while the winch operator is leaning over an open pit without any fall prevention!
An open pit or tank also seems to draw in on-lookers. The best way to prevent on-looks and winch operators from ending up in the bottom of the pit is to install temporary edge rails. Bolt them in where possible, otherwise tie off and secure portable rails to some other fixed structure.
Maybe we could start a media watch? Send me photos of safety advertisements that also contain safety breaches!
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Refresher Training Intervals |
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I had a discussion
regarding refresher training today. Refresher training invervals is an area of confusion for many people.
Compliance Codes and Standards recommend that people trained for confined space entry are reassessed at appropriate intervals to maintain competency. Some training organisations put a 12 month expiry on their training tickets,
however it is up to the site to determine the appropriate interval based on how
frequently confined space work is done. There is the normal requirement to
consult with relevant work-groups to determine the appropriate interval. The less frequent confined space personnel are using their confined space skills, the more frequent refresher training should be.
Some of our clients
run annual refreshers, some 2 yearly, some run 3 yearly refreshers (with a
yearly breathing apparatus update).
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According to Australian Standard AS/NZS 2865 “Safe working in a confined space” 12.1 Appropriate emergency response and first aid procedure and provisions shall be planned, established and rehearsed. I often hear the response that “Yes, we practiced our emergency plan at a training venue a couple of years ago.” Does this meet the requirement? |
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There are times when the "Can Do" attitude just won't do. It is amazing how often I hear people say "Sometimes I just have to take a risk to get the job done". People will risk their lives by doing something like climbing out of an elevated work platform basket, 8m above a concrete floor, to climb into a dark slippery fragile ceiling space to repair a leaking pipe. When they are asked , "Why risk your life?" the standard response is, "I'm just getting the job done".
It takes courage to stand up and stop an unsafe process, especially if this means slowing down production in the short term. Nothing will change if people continue to cross their fingers and hope like hell nothing goes wrong. Find a way to do the job safely now. If you continue to do a job that you know is unsafe, you are putting pressure on your workmates to do the same. You might not be the one who falls.
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