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Let us consider a whole range of all the hazards that might be affected with a confined space entry. You may have additional ones on top. But the first one to look at is that of that an excavation. You imagine now, some work is being done, we are digging away, and we have now exposed a gas pipe. Has it been damaged? That in itself might constitute a confined space because of the presence of that leaking gas. It may be this plant machine and working by an open trench where fumes could leak in. Then we think about the actual physical dimensions. Some places are very tight and difficult to work in. That could be viewed as a potential hazard. Just as energy risks. We could have stored energy in moving parts. We could find that the processes on the site itself are hazardous. Questions could be raised about, "What has been isolated? What goes inside this confined space I can't see?"
Even noise levels would be viewed as a potential hazard. Acoustics change inside a still vessel. "Can I warn someone if there is a problem? Will they hear me?" Falling objects as well. Imagine you are working away, and a piece of kit you want is not available. You shout up to your safety lieutenant, and rather than putting it in a container, seal it up and lower it down, he throws it down. That is not what we want. Another example is animal hazards. Now, what we are thinking of in particular is that of rats. Rats carry disease. Weil's disease, leptospirosis. These are very serious conditions. People can even die from this. How do we avoid it? Well, that is down to good hygiene. Being careful where we remove clothing, washing our hands, making sure we do not eat or drink in places where rats have been present. Even employees have the potential to be a hazard. One, in poor physical condition. Maybe they are claustrophobic. Perhaps they are on medication; drugs or even alcohol will affect someone. And perhaps they are not even trained to do the job. So that is just a whole range of different hazards that you may well consider.
