What is a Confined Space?
The Confined Space Regulations 1997 tell us:
A confined space means any place, including any chamber, tank, vat, silo, pit, trench, pipe, sewer, flue, well, or other similar space in which, by virtue of its enclosed nature, there arises a reasonably foreseeable specified risk.
What does that mean to us?
We should be assessing any space that we think falls into this definition and a good starting point is how enclosed it is. Some are easy to define some not so easy then to look at what a specified risk is and how foreseeable it is. The ACOP L101 put this into a very handy flow chart to help us to make these decisions.
In the video below, Steve Wood, the Eurosafe trainer, explains what constitutes a “confined space” in safety terms.
A confined space is any area that, due to its enclosed nature, presents hazards such as restricted access, poor ventilation, or potential exposure to dangerous substances. It typically involves spaces like tanks, silos, and pipes. The video emphasises that such environments may increase risks for workers, including the danger of suffocation, poisoning, or physical injury, and discusses legal and safety requirements for managing confined spaces to prevent accidents.
