Confined Spaces in Oil and Gas Industry
In the UK, a number of people suffer fatal or severe injuries in confined spaces every year. These can happen in a variety of industries, from those involving complex machinery to those involving simple storage vessels.
The oil and gas industry can be broken down into three different areas:
- Upstream – Exploration, extraction and production of crude oil and natural gas
- Midstream – Transportation and storage of crude oil and natural gas
- Downstream – Refining of petroleum crude oil, processing and purification of natural gas, sales and marketing of finished products
Confined spaces are usually found in the production, transportation, and storage of oil and gas products and materials.
Examples of Confined Spaces in the Oil & Gas Industry
- Pipelines
- Storage and transportation tanks
- Coke storage silos
- Distillation towers
- Reactor vessels
- Alkylation units
- Furnaces
- Boilers
- Flues
- Towers and stacks
- Filtration units
- Water treatment vessels
Associated Hazards
- Flammable or explosive atmosphere
- Excessive heat
- Oxygen deficiency
- Toxic atmosphere
- Liquid or solids
- Slips, trips and falls
Working in Confined Spaces Training
The oil and gas industry is a complex industry and correct confined spaces training is vital to worker safety. Industry specific risks and hazards require specialist training and dedicated consideration before work in confined spaces commences. Lack of correct training on confined space risk assessments, working and rescuing procedures can create an unsafe working environment. Eurosafe Solutions can provide a full range of confined space training courses to meet your specific requirements.
