The Many Benefits of Educational Courses

If you are one of the many Australians who go to work in confined spaces, you need training to ensure you do your job under the safest conditions possible.

What is a confined space?

You might come into contact with confined spaces in many places on the job. Confined spaces include:

• Pits and trenches

• Tunnels, pipes and sewers

• Ducts

• Tanks, vats and wells

• Chimneys and silos

• Pressure vessels and containers

Who needs confined space training?

Confined space training is legally required for anyone who works in confined spaces and the team members supervising them. The workers that typically require confined space training include:

• Construction workers

• Oil workers

• Gas field workers

• Many tradespeople, such as tradies in the electrics and air conditioning industries.

Why do you need confined space training?

Confined spaces are unique environments. Sealed or even partly enclosed spaces often have poor airflow, small sizes and limited maneuverability, so if the air quality becomes compromised, workers can quickly be knocked out or even killed.

Without the right training, it's not always possible to identify the risks you might be facing at work. Some of these risks include:

• A lack of oxygen or dangerous impurities in the air.

• Fires and explosions caused by flammable materials.

• Liquids and granular materials that can suffocate or drown workers.

What will you learn during confined space training?

Confined space training will ensure you know how to keep safe on the job. The training includes:

• Identifying equipment and materials that are used in confined spaces.

• Distinguishing the diverse range of tasks completed in confined environments.

• How to safely enter and leave confined spaces.

• The safest practices for confined work, including the use of safety equipment.

• Procedures for minimising the risks associated with working in a confined space, such as appropriate pre-work checks and ongoing monitoring.

• Understanding the legal obligations faced by workers in confined spaces and anyone supervising them.

Because confined spaces are restricted, it is also often difficult reaching and treating a worker who is injured, and team members need to understand how to behave in an emergency and how to safely respond to anyone who is harmed on the job.

Whether you need to start your training from scratch or just need to refresh your knowledge, staying up to date with your confined space training could mean the difference between a bad day at work, and your last day. Stay on top of your health and safety obligations, and book your training today.