Occupational Safety and Health Risks in Confined Spaces

The study emphasizes the importance of proper training, access to protective gear, and the need for a safe system of work within confined spaces. The research aims to evaluate the impact of workplace health and safety framework on workers in confined spaces and to develop a framework to mitigate the potential risks associated with working in confined spaces.

Running head: OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH RISKS
Occupational Safety and Health Risks
Name of Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

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Abstract
Confined spaces can be described as any place that includes a cellar, chamber, bund, pit,
container, tank, vessel or any other type of space that has an enclosed nature. Such enclosed
spaces are prone to accidents and injury or harm and are a case of emergency. There are several
factors that contribute to the confined space injury such as reliance on the temporary workers in
certain cases, absence of training orientation, identification of the confined spaces. The author
has emphasized that majority of the accidents that occur in the confined spaces occur due to the
negligence from the management. The lack of training and orientation of the employees can
relatively increase the accidents and the risk factors. In several cases, it has been seen that
temporary workers are hired to perform professional work in the confined spaces. This is done
several times by the management in order to cope up with the shortage of staff. This clearly
signifies that the workers hired simply lacked the expertise in managing the tasks. The other
major barriers that are present in this scenario is the lack of awareness with respect to the
importance of the conduct of training. Also, another downside is that the lack of funds also
dilutes the importance of conducting the training procedures. conducted interview, it has been
seen that the management must emphasize on providing proper training to the workers. This
will positively impact the health, safety, working competence of the employees. The other major
factors that got highlighted is the lack of willingness of the companies and the management to
provide support and training to the workers along with the access to the proper protective gear.
The protective gear that belongs to the level 1 assists the workers and prevents them from the
incidents like the asphyxiation. The lack of the measures and the precautionary steps on the part
of management have made it hard for the workers to work in manholes. The employees are paid
less and this negatively affects the zeal and the enthusiasm of the employees. This negatively

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affects the willingness of the workers in performing better and continuing with their job and they
also feel that their efforts are not being appreciated by the management.
Keywords- Confined spaces, manhole, work permit, burnout, hazard, toxic gases, entrants,
attendants, emergency, rescue.

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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................4
Research Aim...................................................................................................................................6
Methodology....................................................................................................................................6
Results and Analysis........................................................................................................................8
Critical Review of literature..........................................................................................................16
Discussion......................................................................................................................................18
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................22
Recommendation...........................................................................................................................23
Reference.......................................................................................................................................26

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Introduction
Occupational health and safety can be designated as a separate field that encompasses
different specialised fields. The main aims of the occupational health and safety include the
maintenance and promotion of mental wellbeing and physical wellbeing, social wellbeing, at
high levels. Successful implementation of the occupational health and safety requires the proper
participation and collaboration of both the workers and the employers that are involved in the
safety and health programmes. The provision of occupational health and safety includes the
occupational psychology, ergonomics, engineering safety, education, toxicology, industrial
hygiene, occupational medicine (Burlet-Vienney, Chinniah and Bahloul 2014). Confined spaces
can be described as any place that includes a cellar, chamber, bund, pit, container, tank, vessel or
any other type of space that has an enclosed nature. Such enclosed spaces are prone to accidents
and injury or harm and are a case of emergency. Issues of injury or harm and accidents might
arise due to the presence of excessively high temperature, an excess of oxygen in the surrounding
environment, increased levels of liquid and free flowing of the solids, harmful vapour, fume and
gas, explosive atmosphere or presence of flammable substances (Riaz et al. 2014).
It has been found that the key characteristics that define a space to be a confined a space
includes: the space to be significantly enclosed; presence of at least one hazard within the
enclosed space; the presence of risk is generated due to the enclosed nature of the confined
space; the potential injury or harm has to be serious and it will require an emergency to save the
entrapped person (Garcez and De Almeida 2014). The various types of the hazards that are
associated with the confined space include excessive heat, free-flowing solids or flowing liquid,
explosive atmosphere or presence flammable substances, oxygen enrichment, oxygen deficiency,
toxic atmosphere. Proper assessment of a confined space includes the assessment of the space

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and look for any contamination, layout and structure, residues, oxygen enrichment, previous
contents, oxygen deficiency, contents. While working in a confined space, is there any
requirement of the flammable substance and the sources of ignition. The assessment procedure
will include the presence of the inadequate isolation, nearby activities and operation of a plant
inadvertently (Smith et al. 2015). The key elements that are considered to be the safe systems of
work within a confined space include the combustible materials, explosive atmosphere or
presence of flammable substances, egress and access, communications, safe use of the work
equipment, personal protective equipment, respiratory protective equipment, electrical,
mechanical and process isolation, monitoring and testing of the atmosphere, dangerous residues,
ventilation and gas purging, permit to work procedure, suitability, supervision, training and
competence (Hendrick et al. 2016).
Working safely in a confined space involves an entry permit into the confined space. To
enter into a confined space, a formal check is required and this ensures that all the systems are
working properly before entering into the confined space. No person will be allowed to enter into
a confined space if that person does not have an entry permit. It is thus recommended that the
entry permit has a clear mention of the responsibilities and the roles of the persons involved with
the job. This entry permit will not include the permit of a person to work on the hazardous work
or hot work. A separate type of permit will be required to carry out the hazardous works (Burlet-
Vienney et al. 2015). This study is based on the on the health risks that affect the workers in a
confined place and the importance of reducing the various health risks existing within the
working environment. Working in an underground environment like manholes leads to more
risks and makes them pronounced. This assignment discusses the health risks that affect the
workers working in confined spaces, and along with it increases the probability of occurrence of

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health risks. There is a significant number of studies and researches in this field which also
places the importance of such incidents. However, there are gaps in the process such as the
improper availability of the finances, lack of support from the government and gaps in the safety
measures. This study emphasises on the various types of the health risks associated with the
management of the health risks in confined spaces that stresses on the occupation therapy.
Research Aim
The broader aim of the research work is to evaluate the impact of workplace health and
safety framework over the workers in a confined place.
The objectives of the research can be summarized as follows,
 To develop a crystal-clear idea about the workplace health and safety framework
 To develop a better understanding of the confined space
 To determine how and to what extent the workplace and safety framework affects the
workers of a confined environment
 To understand the potential risk factors associated with working in the confined
workplace.
 To develop a proper framework through which these risks could be mitigated.
Methodology
10 workers in a company were sampled group to fill in the survey questions and an in-
depth interview was carried out as well. Workers were chosen as they were exposed to confined
space (manhole) hazards. All the 10 workers have attended the “WSQ Work in Confined Space
Operation” as mandated by WSH Council. The 10 employees are aged in between 30 to 50 years

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and are all male. The yearly income of the workers is within the range of 25,000 SGD to 29,800
SGD.
The questions that are selected to be self-completed by the participants and the in-depth
questions are mentioned as below:
Sample Survey Questionnaires for self-completing by participants:
1) What is your age now?
2) How many years of working experience do you have in a confined space environment?
3) Does your company conduct accident and incident investigations?
4) What is your role in a confined space environment?
5) Does your company have a safety policy?
Sample In-depth Interview questionnaire:
1. What is your current understanding of your company’s procedures under WSH (Confined
Space) Regulation 2009 relating to safe confined space environment?
2. Describe the process for working inside a confined space environment?
3. What type of training can be provided to prevent accident, incident and near-miss?
4. What are the pro-active measures to influence good safety awareness?
5. Describe the confined space hazard assessment and control program?
To achieve the desired outcomes, the research techniques adopted can involve different
techniques. The two entirely basic research techniques employed are the interpretivism and
positivism. However, this study will consider a pragmatic approach and will help in the
investigation of each and every fact associated with the confined spaces and its effect on the

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workers. Thus, in other words, this research will include the pragmatic approach and the mixed
techniques to arrive at the desired results. This study considers the various health risks that
impact the workers working in confined environments. The two basic approaches that are
considered for this study includes interpretivism and positivism. In one hand, the aspect of
positivism will utilize the charts, graphs, data that are available in relation to the topic.
Interpretivism will be used the emotional responses of the participants that are included in the
study. Especially for this study, the respondents or the participants of this study are the ones that
will be working in a confined environment. The workers will also be asked few questions and
will be evaluated on basis of the knowledge that the respondents possess on the regulations and
working rules of working in confined spaces. The confined spaces regulations and rules are
specified by the health and safety frameworks of the specific governments of the country.
Results and Analysis
10 workers were selected for the study and the data were collected from the self-reported
questionnaires and after that, an in-depth interview was conducted.
Table 1: Age of the workers
Option Response frequency (%) Number of responses Total responses
30- 35 20% 2 10
35-40 20% 2 10
40-45 20% 2 10
45-50 40% 4 10

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20%
20%
20%
40%
Age of the workers
30- 35
35-40
40-45
45-50
Figure 1: Age of the workers
Table 2: Years of experience
Option Response frequency (%) Number of responses Total responses
less than 2 years 10% 1 10
2-4 years 30% 3 10
5-9 years 20% 2 10
10-17 years 40% 4 10

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10%
30%
20%
40%
Years of experience
less than 2 years
2-4 years
5-9 years
10-17 years
Figure 2: Years of experience
Table 3: Investigations are conducted by the company
Option Response frequency (%) Number of responses Total responses
Yes 100% 10 10
No 0% 0 10
Table 4: Role of the employees in the confined space environment
Option Response frequency (%) Number of responses Total responses
entrant 60% 6 10
attendant 30% 3 10
entrant supervisor 20% 2 10

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60%
30%
20%
Role of the employees in the confined space
environment
entrant
attendant
entrant supervisor
Figure 3: Role of the employees in the confined space environment
Table 5: Company safety policy
Option Response frequency (%) Number of responses Total responses
Yes 0% 0 10
NO 100% 10 10
All the ten workers are from a single company, that’s why they all have similar kinds of
information to be shared in the first question. The first question especially deals with the current
understanding of the procedures of the company under the WSH (Confined Space) Regulation

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2009 that relates to the safe confined space (Sso.agc.gov.sg 2018). All the 10 employees have
similar kind of opinions and they have shared the following information.
 The company does not keep a record and description of the various locations of
confined spaces. The workers have said that although they know that it is the duty
of the company to keep a record and description of the confined spaces, the
company haven't taken any forward step towards that. The in-depth interview has
provided the information that the company does not inform the person that are
most likely to get exposed from the hazards of the confined spaces and also the
hazards that are existing in the confined spaces.
 According to the interviews conducted, it has been found that although it is the
duty of the company to take practical and realistic measures in order to ensure that
the entry into the confined and egress is without any risk to the health. Also,
during leaving the confined space, no worker is facing the risk.
 According to the WSH (confined spaces) regulation 2009, it is the duty and
responsibility of the person that is entering a confined space must ensure that the
confined space does not contain any substance under pressure which will be
greater than the atmospheric pressure. The workers have said that entrance to the
confined space remains covered unless it is safe for opening or is depressurized
before opening. However, one major information sourced from the workers point
towards one major fact that when the entrance cover to the confined space is
removed then the entrance is left unguarded, un-barricaded, and un-railed. No
precaution is taken with respect to preventing any person or object falling into the
confined space.

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 Workers have said that the company have well lighting conditions in and around
the entry to the confined spaces.
 Ventilation with the confined space is a must for and thus, after the interviewing
the workers, it has been found that there is a there is improper ventilation within
the confined spaces. There is improper ventilation within which is not free from
contaminants and is directed within the area that is directed towards the confined
space. However, it has been seen that there is an exhaust ventilation which is
partially blocked
 The company has provision of persons that are responsible for the persons that are
entering the confined spaces and such responsible people are the authorized
manager that permit the entry into the confined space. A person is appointed who
manages entry into the confined space and is responsible for the safety of the
workers. The manager is also held responsible for the gas testing into the confined
space and the validity of the period. As per the interview carried out, entry into
the confined space is managed by both the entry supervisor and attendant. Thus,
workers have mentioned that no worker is allowed to enter the confined spaces
without proper permission of the entry supervisor and the attendant. Entry into the
confined area is allowed only after a proper permit and it is provided by the entry
supervisor. The attendant as the interview has revealed that he checks whether the
entrants into the confined space is wearing proper breathing masks.
 While the entry permit does not have elaborate information regarding entry into
the confined space. The company has no assessor that will assess the

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concentration of the toxic vapours and toxic gases, level of the flammable vapour,
gas and level of oxygen in the confined space.
 The company has provision of a supervisor that carries out the various works
related to expiry of a permit, revocation of a permit.
 The company has no provision for health and safety of the worker that is working
in a confined space. It has mentioned by the workers/entrants that are entering the
confined space does not take care of the necessary measure of the health and
safety of the workers.
 According to the interviews conducted, the workers have mentioned that they can
report any work or incident which is carried out in a confined space and is
incompatible with the normal procedures. The incompatible work here means that
the work is carried out in a way which compromises the health and safety of the
workers and increases the risks.
 The company does not have any specifically authorized manager that can review
and revoke any entry permit into any confined space. The workers during the
interview have mentioned that after an entry permit is issued, no authorized
manager clearly reviews whether the work is done according to the rules and
provisions of working in a confined space.
The second interview question deals with the workers that work in a confined space
environment, the workers have been questioned regarding space within which they work and
then they are asked to share their experience. The entrants that enter the confined spaces often
experience a small passage into the confined space. Thus, during operations into the confined
space involves a duct that supplies air into the confined space. However, there are other confined

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spaces that allow the entrant to enter with their artificial oxygen support systems. This helps to
minimize the health risks that arise when working in explosive environment. It has been noticed
from the interview that among the 10 workers there are 6 entrants and the remaining are the
entrant supervisors and attendants. The workers have mentioned that there are almost 10 to 13
confined that require time to time maintenance and for this reason, the workers are often stressed
out when they work in confined spaces. The worker often does not have the proper gear and
safety equipment when they move inside a confined space. A majority of the workers have said
to have done work in a confined space without proper check-up of provision for proper
ventilation. Only in certain cases, the entrants found their gear is used is by other workers when
they enter into a confined space. Majority of the time, the entrant supervisor and the attendants
check the entrants before they enter into the confined space. Whereas, only in certain
emergencies the entrants are not attended by an attendant when they enter into a confined space.
The third question is based on the types of the training that are provided in order to
prevent near-miss, incident, accident. The workers have said that company have a provision for
training the entrants, attendants and the entrant supervisors. However, they have mentioned that
the company do not have a proper number of the rescue personnel, authorized manager and the
confined space safety assessor. The key trainings that are provided to the entrants, entry
supervisors and the attendants are the legislative requirements that are vital for working in a
confined space, responsibilities and the duties of the workers that are involved in a confined
space work, recognition and identification of confined spaces, risk assessment, knowledge of the
hazards related to confined space. The workers have highlighted that fact they are not provided
with a sufficient amount of training before performing any work in confined spaces. Thus, this
has created several injuries and the incidents among the employees.

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The fourth question emphasises on the pro-active measures that influence the good safety
awareness. The interviews conducted on the workers have highlighted that there are a large
number of the pro-active measures that can influence or promote the good safety awareness. The
workers through the interviews have revealed that there are various aspects that the company
needs to consider for the health and safety of the employees. The first proactive measure
according to the employees in the identification of the hazards that are existing in the confined
spaces and they should be clearly demarcated. This will not only reduce accidents, injury but will
also help in averting the negative incidents. The second is the proper training that can help the
workers/entrants to work efficiently without making mistakes. It has been seen that the workers
are not able to perform their duties efficiently due to the improper training and the improper
gears supplied to them. Often accidents occur in the confined spaces due to the improper usage
of the safety equipment and workers are not able to avoid incidents and accidents. Secondly,
accidents occur during working in the confined spaces and thus it is mandatory for the company
to investigate the reason why a particular accident has occurred and the probable ways of
averting the same. Investigation into the cause of an accident will increase the awareness within
the company and the respective workers that are working in confined spaces. In this way, a
majority of the future occurrences of accidents can be averted.
The fifth question deals with the confined space hazard and control program. When the
workers are asked about the various confined space hazards assessment, the worker has replied
that the confined spaces are one of the hazard-prone areas. The company did not perform any
assessments on the identification of the hazard zones. However, with the assistance of the entrant
supervisor majority of the hazards are marked so that it becomes easy for the attendants and the
entrants to operate within the confined spaces. Although no control programs are conducted and

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for this reason, a lot of accidents occur along with several injuries. It has been mentioned by the
workers that control programs that are conducted are only based on the safe practices.
Critical Review of literature
In order to understand the different type of risk that is associated with the entry into the
confined spaces, a review of the literature has been conducted. This will positively help in
finding the management steps related to the reduction of risks. Confined space can be defined as
the small space where a worker can bodily enter the space and perform the assigned tasks. it has
been highlighted by Lingard et al. (2015), that accidents that occur within the confined spaces
occur due to the lack of awareness among the workers regarding the confined spaces that exhibit
potential dangers. There are several factors that contribute to the confined space injury such as
reliance on the temporary workers in certain cases, absence of training orientation, identification
of the confined spaces. Author has emphasized that majority of the accidents that occur in the
confined spaces occur due to the negligence from the management. The lack of training and
orientation of the employees can relatively increase the accidents and the risk factors. In several
cases, it has been seen that temporary workers are hired to perform professional work in the
confined spaces. This is done several times by the management in order to cope up with the
shortage of staff. This clearly signifies that the workers hired simply lacked the expertise in
managing the tasks. The other major barriers that are present in this scenario is the lack of
awareness with respect to the importance of the conduct of training. Also, another downside is
that the lack of funds also dilutes the importance of conducting the training procedures (Botti et
al. 2018). Additionally, the lack of proper and positive work culture affects the implementation
of the safety measures.

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Studies have indicated that the lack of positive work culture often impacts the work
environment and this elevates the disputes and arguments between the workers and the
management. When the management is irresponsible, it often results in the in the safety gaps and
the actions of the management put the life of the employees at risk. Along with the
mismanagement, lack of sufficient funding, and staff absenteeism are some of the additional
factors. A large number of industries and factories both belonging to the government and the
private sector are often not registered and along with it fail to follow the safety measures and the
legal guidelines. It has been argued by Hamid et al. (2017), that companies that fail to secure the
registration or remain unregistered are unable to receive the government funds which negatively
impacts their safety measures and safety infrastructure. Another major point of concern is the
lack of the trained workers and a high rate of absenteeism. This gap is often filled by the
recruitment of the temporary staff that lacks the proper knowledge of working inside the
confined space environment and thus elevating the risks associated with it. This additionally
signifies that the companies lack the funds to employ permanent staff and the company is unable
to provide the workers with the proper protective gears that are necessary when working in the
confined spaces. The issues related to absenteeism also led to the increase in imbalances in the
workload and this makes the management to look for the temporary workers to fill the gap in
workforce. Thus, it has been seen that the worker that are hired often lack the experience of
working in confined spaces, do not have the proper or requisite training that is necessary for the
management of safety measures. The rationale for the high rates of absenteeism is the burnout
among the staffs and this increases with the lack of support and along with-it poor appraisal from
the management also aggravates the situation. When management lacks the funds it often results
in the employees receiving less salary and bonus. Additionally, the lack of the experienced staffs

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often compromises the safety measures taken up by the management or the company (Chinniah
and Burlet-Vienney 2013).
Discussion
After the analysis of the questions and the respective answers provided by the workers, it
can be said that the workplace or the work environment is not designed according to the
requirements and the needs of the workers. For instance, workers when entering a manhole for
the purpose of conducting any operational work, it can be said that there are increased chances of
flash hazards arising from the improper insulation of the electrical wires. Thus, to reduce the
chances of occurrence of the electrical hazards, proper insulation of the electrical wires needs to
be done. It has been highlighted by Zheng et al. (2017), that inspection works in the manholes
are not done properly if manholes are not frequently frequented by the employees. Thus, it is
obvious that a small splice in the conductor could remain unnoticed for a long period of time.
The claustrophobic environment within the confined spaces of the manholes makes it hard and
difficult for the workers to work. Furthermore, it has been seen that ground concentration of
hydrogen peroxide and carbon monoxide remains considerably high which can result into
asphyxiation of the labourers that are working in the manholes (Cheung et al. 2018). Thus, there
must be infrastructural provisions for the entry of fresh air into the manholes and prevent the
zone from oxygen depletion. It has been further seen that the workers when provided with the
personal protective gears and the help in the reduction of major accidents which occur due to the
exposure to hazardous vapours and chemicals.
It has been supported by Blau and Schwartz (2018), that wrong decision making has been
seen among the workers that lack proper or sufficient expertise. An entrant might use an
unguarded machine without the knowledge of the dangers that the machine might possess and

20OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH RISKS
this might jeopardise the whole unit that is working together. Thus, it is an obvious conclusion
that providing the workers with the proper amount of training could lead to proper decision
making. Also, internal quality checks and the regular audits can sufficiently reduce the
occurrence of accidents in the workplaces that have confined spaces like manholes. It has also
been highlighted by Boden et al. (2016), that the ineffective means of communication also affect
the safety standards and the implementation of the safety standards that are existing within the
workplaces. Studies have shown that poor and incomplete instructions often lead to improper
covey of information to the workers and this renders the workers clueless about the associated
dangers. The various causes for such an incomplete communication of information are the non-
retention of the experienced staffs, hiring of the temporary employees that lack expertise and the
irresponsible management. However, it has been argued by Cooney (2016), that old and
experienced worker and employees can be used to manage and understand the work that is
assigned. While at the same time, the inexperienced staffs are not aware of the working
conditions and along with it are also not aware of the precautions that a that needs to be applied
in the workplace. Thus, it is important to mention that the newly employed workers must be kept
under the leadership and mentorship of the experienced staffs and employees. This method can
actively reduce the chances of lethal accidents. Smith et al. (2014), has suggested that the high
amounts of employee turnover are due to the lack of appreciation by the administration, less and
insufficient salary and high work pressure. The poor or improper lines of communication can be
attributed to the lack of the positive and effective work culture. Some of the above-mentioned
factors also contribute to the further aggravating the instances that cause the risks. It has been
seen that the majority of the workers enters the confined spaces without properly identifying the
hazards that are present within the confined spaces. Studies have shown that only a very few

21OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH RISKS
percentages of the organizations had the provisions for the emergency rescue operations
(Cunningham and Sinclair 2015).
After going through the various risk associated with the working in the confined
environments, the pivotal role is to maintain the safety of the workers that are working in the
confined spaces. It has been mentioned in the interview section that the workers are issued with a
permit that allows them to work inside the confined spaces. While it is important to mention that
the workers even though are provided with a work permit, such permits lack proper evaluation
and assessment and they are not detailed. Thus, the permit to work can be enhanced and
modified to include the different aspects of working in confined spaces. It has been suggested by
Ling et al. (2015), to not to allow the workers to enter a confined space of which worker does not
have a proper permit to work. The crucial and the vital things that need to be ensured so as to
maintain the safety standards are the risk assessment report that is completed by the competent
authorities. The environment within the manhole is tested to assess the exposure to the gases like
carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. The permit to work must also be signed by the legible
person responsible for the health security of the workers working within the manhole conditions
(Hutson et al. 2015). The supervisor who is responsible for the safety of the workers must assess
the place or the area before the issuance of the first certificate. Also, it is always not possible for
the supervisor to assess the manhole conditions. Thus, he must ensure that the place is properly
checked before any further work is carried out.
Different themes got highlighted due to the literature review conducted and it pointed
towards the safety measures. Some of the highlighting factors are the high amount of the
absenteeism, absence of any framework that can mitigate the risks, lack of the proper
understanding of the confined space, risk factors that contribute to the overall working in the

22OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH RISKS
confined space. A high number of absenteeism among the members is due to the lack of support
by the management, lack of effective monetary support, risk factors that are associated with the
work, lack of interest in work. It has been seen that working in a confined space is often
considered to be a job of low self-esteem and it is a major cause of depression among the
workers. The worker often complains about the underground environment to be not suitable for
work. Furthermore, it has been that working in confined spaces leads to health disorders such as
vomiting and nausea (Abdalwhab and Yassin 2016). The constant exposure to the high amount
of toxic gases like carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and hydrogen peroxide often leads to the
development of carbon dioxide poisoning. The workers have also highlighted that they often
have been trapped in such toxic environments and have inhaled toxic gases. The other major
factors that got highlighted is the lack of willingness of the companies and the management to
provide support and training to the workers along with the access to the proper protective gear. It
has been mentioned by Stojković (2015), that the protective gear that belongs to the level 1
assists the workers and prevents them from the incidents like the asphyxiation. It has also been
argued by Cole and Fielding (2007), that the lack of the measures and the precautionary steps on
the part of management have made it hard for the workers to work in manholes. The employees
are paid less and this negatively affects the zeal and the enthusiasm of the employees. This
negatively affects the willingness of the workers in performing better and continuing with their
job and they also feel that their efforts are not being appreciated by the management.
Conclusion
From the above discussion it can be concluded that Confined spaces can be described as
any place that includes a cellar, chamber, bund, pit, container, tank, vessel or any other type of
space that has an enclosed nature. Such enclosed spaces are prone to accidents and injury or

23OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH RISKS
harm and are a case of emergency. Issues of injury or harm and accidents might arise due to the
presence of excessively high temperature, excess of oxygen in the surrounding environment,
increased levels of liquid and free flowing of the solids, harmful vapour, fume and gas, explosive
atmosphere or presence of flammable substances. The key elements that are considered to be the
safe systems of work within a confined space include the combustible materials, explosive
atmosphere or presence of flammable substances, egress and access, communications, safe use of
the work equipment, personal protective equipment, respiratory protective equipment, electrical,
mechanical and process isolation, monitoring and testing of the atmosphere, dangerous residues,
ventilation and gas purging, permit to work procedure, suitability, supervision, training and
competence. From the above-conducted interview, it has been seen that the management must
emphasize on providing proper training to the workers. This will positively impact the health,
safety, working competence of the employees.
Recommendation
The conclusion reveals that workers need access to training in order to reduce and
minimize the risks. The training should include the following aspects: Consequences and the
symptoms when exposed to the hazards, confined space entry and permit system, preventive and
the control measures regarding the minimization, elimination and the control of the hazards
occurring in confined spaces, usage of the equipment in a confined space safely, communication
with the workers that are working in a confined space, emergency evacuation plan and response
plan, limitation and the usages regarding the response to the alarms and the gas instruments,
monitoring of the instruments like gas testing instruments and the gas testing procedures,
emergency response plan (Wshc.sg 2018).

24OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH RISKS
Following are the detailed information that is being provided by the entrants, entrant
supervisors and the attendants during the interview.
 Legislative requirements that are vital for working in a confined space and it
includes the WSH legislations that are relevant for the trainees who will be
working in industries.
 Responsibilities and the duties of the workers that are involved in a confined
space work- the duties and the responsibilities are clearly demarcated and
designated to the entry supervisors, attendants and the entrants.
 Recognition and identification of confined spaces- The confined spaces are
identified to be the different types of the confined spaces that are unique in nature
and is relevant to the trainees that will work in industries.
 Knowledge of the hazards related to confined space- the various hazards that are
present in a confined space include the biological hazards, physical hazards, toxic
vapours and gases, oxygen deficiency, oxygen enrichment, flammable vapours
and gases (Wshc.sg 2018).
 Risk assessment- it includes the identification of hazards, the severity of
occurrence of a consequence, likelihood of occurrence of a risk and the risk
matrix.
 Confined space entry and permit system- this includes the procedures related to
safe work and it includes the contents of the entry permit and its interpretation.
 Preventive and the control measures regarding the minimization- this includes the
ventilation and purging for entering into confined spaces, removing the energy
sources, hazardous substances and the isolation of the tag out and lockout.

25OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH RISKS
 Communication with the workers that are working in a confined space- this
includes communication with the entrant who is working in a confined space
during the routine work and emergencies.
 Limitation and the usages regarding the response to the alarms and the gas
instruments- it includes the knowledge of operating the gas equipment at the
abnormal atmospheric conditions and the normal atmospheric conditions such as
toxic atmosphere and oxygen deficiency.
 Monitoring of the instruments like gas testing instruments and the gas testing
procedures- this includes the various limitations of the gas instruments and the
conditions under which they operate, methods of gas testing, testing of the gases
under different configurations.
 Emergency response plan- this will include the identification of the self-rescue
procedures and operations, evacuation procedures, hazardous conditions
(Wshc.sg 2018).

26OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH RISKS
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