Officer Duties for Workplace Safety Quiz with Confined Spaces Focus

To provide practical guidance on how to manage the risks associated with confined spaces in the workplace.

A person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU).

It will assist the duty holder to achieve compliance with the health and safety duties in the WHS Act and WHS Regulation.

<p>No, codes of practice deal with particular issues and may not cover all relevant hazards or risks.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The purpose of the Code of Practice Confined Spaces is to provide guidance on how to safely manage risks associated with working in confined spaces.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Anyone who has control over the workplace or the work being carried out in a confined space, as well as workers who enter or work in confined spaces, have health and safety duties in relation to confined spaces.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>This copyright work of the Code of Practice Confined Spaces is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial 3.0 Australia License.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>To provide guidance on working in confined spaces and reference legal requirements under the WHS Act and WHS Regulation.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Loss of consciousness, impairment, injury, or death from airborne contaminants, fire or explosion, difficulty in rescuing and treating, oxygen deficiency, immersion in free-flowing material, falls from a height, environmental factors, and manual handling.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>An enclosed or partially enclosed space not designed or intended for a person to occupy, with a risk to health and safety from an unsafe oxygen level, contaminants, or engulfment.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>A mine shaft or workings of a mine.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Eliminate risks arising from working in confined spaces, or if that is not reasonably practicable, minimise the risks so far as is reasonably practicable.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Designers, manufacturers, importers, suppliers, installers and constructors of plant, substances or structures.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the plant, substance or structure they design, manufacture, import, supply or install is without risks to health and safety.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Exercise due diligence to ensure the PCBU complies with the WHS Act and WHS Regulation.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Workers have a duty to take reasonable care for their own health and safety and to not adversely affect the health and safety of other persons.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Other persons at the workplace, like visitors, must take reasonable care for their own health and safety and must take care not to adversely affect other people’s health and safety.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Managing risks associated with working in confined spaces involves identifying hazards, assessing risks, implementing controls to eliminate or minimise risks, reviewing control measures, and communicating information and training to workers and other persons at the workplace.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>No, some requirements for entry permits and signage do not apply to entry into a confined space by an emergency service worker if the worker is rescuing or providing first aid to a person in a confined space, at the direction of the emergency service organisation.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Managing health and safety risks associated with a confined space, including risks when entering, working in, on or near a confined space, and the risk of inadvertent entry, in accordance with requirements for managing risks to health and safety set out in Part 3.1 of the WHS Regulation. Ensuring a risk assessment is conducted, reviewed and as necessary revised by a competent person not directing a worker to enter a confined space unless the worker has an entry permit. Erecting signs next to each entry to the confined space. Ensuring, so far as is reasonably practicable, that a worker does not enter a confined space until all the duties in relation to the confined space have been complied with, for example meeting entry permit requirements. Establishing first aid and rescue procedures to be followed in the event of an emergency in the confined space and ensuring these procedures are practised as necessary, and providing suitable and adequate information, training, and instruction to workers.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The WHS Regulation sets out requirements for specific control measures within the confined space including communication and safety monitoring, signs, isolation of connected plant and services, and controls to maintain a safe atmosphere.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Further guidance on the risk management process is available in the Code of Practice: How to manage work health and safety risks.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Workplaces that are intended for human occupancy and have adequate ventilation, lighting, and safe means of entry and exit, such as offices and workshops. Enclosed or partially enclosed spaces that are designed for a person to occupy at particular times with harmful airborne contaminants but have safe means of entry and exit, such as abrasive blasting or spray painting booths, and enclosed or partially enclosed spaces designed to be occasionally occupied by a person with readily accessible means of entry and exit via a doorway at ground level, such as a fumigated shipping container with a large ground-level opening.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Entry to a confined space is considered to have occurred when a person's head or upper body enters the space.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Temporary control measures such as providing temporary ventilation or achieving a satisfactory pre-entry gas test will not cause a confined space to be declassified. For a confined space to be declassified as a non-confined space, it needs to have undergone sufficient changes in structure and use to eliminate all inherent hazards that define a confined space.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Persons conducting a business or undertaking (PCBUs), designers, manufacturers, importers, suppliers, installers, and constructors of plant, substances or structures, and officers. Workers and other persons at the workplace also have duties under the WHS Act.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The NSW Government Gazette is where the approval of this code of practice was published on Friday 16 December 2011.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The purpose of the Code of Practice Confined Spaces is to provide practical guidance on how to meet the requirements for managing health and safety risks associated with confined spaces under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>This copyright work of the Code of Practice Confined Spaces is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial 3.0 Australia License.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>To provide practical guidance on how to manage health and safety risks associated with work carried out in confined spaces.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>A person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU).</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Identifying the hazards, assessing the risks, and controlling the risks.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Eliminating the need to enter a confined space is preferred, but if it cannot be done, the risks associated with entering it should be minimised.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Eliminate risks to health and safety so far as is reasonably practicable, control risks, and review control measures to ensure they are working as planned.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Communication and safety monitoring, signs, isolation of connected plant and services, and controls to maintain a safe atmosphere.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Ensure a risk assessment is conducted, reviewed and as necessary revised by a competent person, not direct a worker to enter a confined space unless the worker has an entry permit, erect signs next to each entry to the confined space, and provide suitable and adequate information, training and instruction to workers.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>To eliminate or minimise risks arising from working in confined spaces.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The WHS Regulation includes more specific requirements for PCBUs to manage the risks of hazardous chemicals, airborne contaminants and plant, as well as other hazards associated with confined spaces.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>They must ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the plant, substance or structure they design, manufacture, import, supply or install is without risks to health and safety.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>They have a duty to exercise due diligence to ensure the PCBU complies with the WHS Act and WHS Regulation.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The structure and a specific set of circumstances determine whether a space is a confined space.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>No, temporary control measures such as providing temporary ventilation or achieving a satisfactory pre-entry gas test will not cause a confined space to be declassified.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The duty holders who have a role in managing the risks of working in confined spaces include persons conducting a business or undertaking (PCBUs), designers, manufacturers, importers, suppliers, installers and constructors of plant, substances or structures, and officers.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>For a confined space to be declassified as a non-confined space, it needs to have undergone sufficient changes in structure and use to eliminate all inherent hazards that define a confined space.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The legal requirements referred to in the Code of Practice are under the WHS Act and WHS Regulation.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The risks of working in confined spaces include loss of consciousness, impairment, injury or death from various hazards such as airborne contaminants, fire or explosion, difficulty rescuing and treating an injured or unconscious person, oxygen deficiency, engulfment, falls from a height, environmental factors, and manual handling.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>A confined space is an enclosed or partially enclosed space that is not designed or intended to be occupied by a person, is or is designed or intended to be, at normal atmospheric pressure while any person is in the space, and is or is likely to be a risk to health and safety from various hazards.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Confined spaces are commonly found in vats, tanks, pits, pipes, ducts, flues, chimneys, silos, containers, pressure vessels, underground sewers, wet or dry wells, shafts, trenches, tunnels or other similar enclosed or partially enclosed structures, when these examples meet the definition of a confined space in the WHS Regulation.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>To provide practical guidance on managing the risks associated with confined spaces in the workplace and achieving compliance with health and safety duties under the WHS Act and WHS Regulation.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>A person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU).</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Identifying the hazards, assessing the risks, and controlling the risks.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Following an approved code of practice can assist in achieving compliance with health and safety duties, and may be admissible in court proceedings as evidence of what is known about a hazard, risk, risk assessment or risk control.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>PCBUs must eliminate risks arising from working in confined spaces, or if that is not reasonably practicable, minimise the risks so far as is reasonably practicable.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>They must ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the plant, substance or structure they design, manufacture, import, supply or install is without risks to health and safety, including carrying out testing and analysis as well as providing specific information about the plant, substance or structure.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Officers have a duty to exercise due diligence to ensure the PCBU complies with the WHS Act and WHS Regulation.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The WHS Regulation includes more specific requirements for managing the risks of hazardous chemicals, airborne contaminants and plant, as well as other hazards associated with confined spaces.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>A confined space is determined by the structure and a specific set of circumstances. The same structure may or may not be a confined space depending on the circumstances when the space is entered.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Duty holders who have a role in managing the risks of working in confined spaces include PCBUs, designers, manufacturers, importers, suppliers, installers and constructors of plant, substances or structures, and officers.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Places that are intended for human occupancy and have adequate ventilation, lighting and safe means of entry and exit, such as offices and workshops. Some enclosed or partially enclosed spaces that at particular times have harmful airborne contaminants but are designed for a person to occupy, for example abrasive blasting or spray painting booths, and enclosed or partially enclosed spaces that are designed to be occasionally occupied by a person.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>For a confined space to be declassified as a non-confined space, it needs to have undergone sufficient changes in structure and use to eliminate all inherent hazards that define a confined space.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Workers have a duty to take reasonable care for their own health and safety and to not adversely affect the health and safety of other persons. They must comply with reasonable instructions and cooperate with reasonable health and safety policies or procedures that have been notified to workers.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The systematic process involves identifying hazards, assessing risks, controlling risks, reviewing control measures, and communicating information and training to relevant people.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Some requirements for entry permits and signage do not apply to entry into a confined space by an emergency service worker if the worker is rescuing or providing first aid to a person in a confined space, at the direction of the emergency service organisation.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Other persons at the workplace, like visitors, must take reasonable care for their own health and safety and must take care not to adversely affect other people’s health and safety. They must comply, so far as they are reasonably able, with reasonable instructions given by the PCBU to allow that person to comply with the WHS Act.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>A competent person must conduct a risk assessment, review it, and revise it as necessary.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Eliminate risks to health and safety so far as is reasonably practicable and implement the most effective control measures that are reasonably practicable in the circumstances in accordance with the hierarchy of control measures.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Communication and safety monitoring, signs, isolation of connected plant and services, and controls to maintain a safe atmosphere.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The hazards that can cause injury or death when working in confined spaces include loss of consciousness, impairment, injury or death from airborne contaminants, fire or explosion from the ignition of flammable contaminants, difficulty rescuing and treating an injured or unconscious person, oxygen deficiency or immersion in a free-flowing material, such as grain, sand, fertiliser, water or other liquids, falls from a height, environmental factors, for example, extremes in temperature, poor lighting, and manual handling.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>A ‘confined space’ means an enclosed or partially enclosed space that is not designed or intended to be occupied by a person, is, or is designed or intended to be, at normal atmospheric pressure while any person is in the space; and is or is likely to be a risk to health and safety from an atmosphere that does not have a safe oxygen level, or contaminants, including airborne gases, vapours and dusts, that may cause injury from fire or explosion, or harmful concentrations of any airborne contaminants, or engulfment.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Confined spaces are commonly found in vats, tanks, pits, pipes, ducts, flues, chimneys, silos, containers, pressure vessels, underground sewers, wet or dry wells, shafts, trenches, tunnels or other similar enclosed or partially enclosed structures, when these examples meet the definition of a confined space in the WHS Regulation.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The words ‘must’, ‘requires’ or ‘mandatory’ indicate a legal requirement exists that must be complied with.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>To obtain an entry permit for a confined space, the PCBU must ensure that a competent person tests the atmosphere and assesses any other hazards in the space, and then completes the entry permit. The entry permit must contain information about the location and nature of the confined space, the work to be done, the hazards identified and the controls in place, and the names of the workers who are authorized to enter the space.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The PCBU must ensure that emergency procedures are in place for all confined spaces, and that workers are trained in these procedures. The emergency procedures must include a means of raising the alarm, a means of evacuating the space, a means of providing first aid, and a means of communicating with emergency services. The PCBU must also ensure that the emergency procedures are regularly tested and reviewed.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Workers must cooperate with the PCBU in relation to confined spaces, attend training and follow the procedures and instructions provided. Workers must also take reasonable care for their own health and safety, and the health and safety of others who may be affected by their work. Failure to comply with these duties may lead to disciplinary action, including termination of employment, and may also result in prosecution under the WHS Act.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>To provide practical guidance on how to achieve the standards of work health and safety required under the WHS Act and the WHS Regulation, and effective ways to identify and manage risks.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Anyone who has a duty of care in the circumstances described in the code of practice.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Codes of practice.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>To provide practical guidance to PCBUs on how to manage health and safety risks associated with work carried out in a confined space.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The WHS Regulation includes more specific requirements for PCBUs to manage the risks of hazardous chemicals, airborne contaminants and plant, as well as other hazards associated with confined spaces.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>They must ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the plant, substance or structure they design, manufacture, import, supply or install is without risks to health and safety. This duty includes carrying out testing and analysis as well as providing specific information about the plant, substance or structure.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Officers have a duty to exercise due diligence to ensure the PCBU complies with the WHS Act and WHS Regulation.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Early consultation and identification of risks can allow for more options to eliminate or minimise risks and reduce the associated costs.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Eliminate risks to health and safety so far as is reasonably practicable and control risks by implementing the most effective control measures that are reasonably practicable in the circumstances in accordance with the hierarchy of control measures, and ensure they remain effective over time. Review control measures to ensure they are working as planned.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>They must ensure a risk assessment is conducted, reviewed and as necessary revised by a competent person, not direct a worker to enter a confined space unless the worker has an entry permit, erect signs next to each entry to the confined space, ensure workers do not enter a confined space until all the duties in relation to the confined space have been complied with, establish first aid and rescue procedures to be followed in the event of an emergency in the confined space and ensure these procedures are practised as necessary, and provide suitable and adequate information, training and instruction to workers.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The requirements include communication and safety monitoring, signs, isolation of connected plant and services, and controls to maintain a safe atmosphere.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The national model code of practice for confined spaces was developed by Safe Work Australia under the harmonisation of national work health and safety legislation and was approved under section 274 of the NSW Work Health and Safety Act 2011. It was published in the NSW Government Gazette on Friday 16 December 2011 as Confined spaces (page 7194) and commenced on 1 January 2012.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Except for the NSW Government logo, this copyright work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial 3.0 Australia License. The license allows users to copy, communicate, and adapt the work for non-commercial purposes, as long as they attribute the work to SafeWork NSW and abide by the other license terms.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Designers, manufacturers, importers, suppliers, installers, and constructors have a duty under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that the plant, substance, or structure they design, manufacture, import, supply, install, or construct for use in a confined space is without risks to health and safety when used properly and that they provide adequate information about the plant, substance, or structure to enable safe use in a confined space.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The term 'should' is used to indicate a recommended course of action, but it is not a legal requirement.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The hazards of working in confined spaces include loss of consciousness, impairment, injury or death from airborne contaminants, fire or explosion, difficulty rescuing and treating an injured or unconscious person, oxygen deficiency or immersion in a free-flowing material, falls from a height, environmental factors, and manual handling. These hazards are not always obvious and may change from one entry into the confined space to the next.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>A confined space is an enclosed or partially enclosed space that is not designed or intended to be occupied by a person, is or is designed to be at normal atmospheric pressure while any person is in the space, and is or is likely to be a risk to health and safety from an unsafe atmosphere, contaminants, or engulfment. A confined space is determined by the hazards associated with a set of specific circumstances and not just because work is performed in a small space.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Examples of confined spaces include vats, tanks, pits, pipes, ducts, flues, chimneys, silos, containers, pressure vessels, underground sewers, wet or dry wells, shafts, trenches, tunnels or other similar enclosed or partially enclosed structures, when these examples meet the definition of a confined space in the WHS Regulation. A mine shaft or the workings of a mine are not considered confined spaces under the WHS Regulation.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>A confined space is determined by the structure and a specific set of circumstances. Entry to a confined space is considered to have occurred when a person’s head or upper body enters the space.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Trenches are not considered confined spaces based on the risk of structural collapse alone, but will be confined spaces if they potentially contain concentrations of airborne contaminants that may cause impairment, loss of consciousness or asphyxiation.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>For a confined space to be declassified as a non-confined space, it needs to have undergone sufficient changes in structure and use to eliminate all inherent hazards that define a confined space.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Duty holders who have a role in managing the risks of working in confined spaces include PCBUs, designers, manufacturers, importers, suppliers, installers and constructors of plant, substances or structures, and officers. Workers and other persons at the workplace also have duties under the WHS Act, such as the duty to take reasonable care for their own health and safety at the workplace.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Workers have a duty to take reasonable care for their own health and safety and to not adversely affect the health and safety of other persons. If PPE is provided, the worker must so far as they are reasonably able, use or wear it in accordance with the information, instructions and training provided.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Other persons at the workplace, like visitors, must take reasonable care for their own health and safety and must take care not to adversely affect other people’s health and safety. They must comply, so far as they are reasonably able, with reasonable instructions given by the PCBU to allow that person to comply with the WHS Act.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The systematic process for managing risks associated with confined spaces in the workplace involves identifying hazards, assessing risks (if necessary), controlling risks, reviewing control measures, and communicating information and training.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Some requirements for entry permits and signage do not apply to entry into a confined space by an emergency service worker if the worker is rescuing or providing first aid to a person in a confined space, at the direction of the emergency service organisation.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The purpose of the Code of Practice is to provide practical guidance to PCBUs on how to manage health and safety risks associated with work carried out in a confined space.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Regulations are legally binding and deal with specific hazards or risks, while codes of practice provide practical guidance on how to manage risks and achieve compliance with the WHS Act and WHS Regulation.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>A code of practice can be used as evidence in court proceedings under the WHS Act and WHS Regulation to determine what is reasonably practicable in the circumstances to which the code of practice relates.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The NSW Government Gazette is a publication where official notices, such as the approval of the Code of Practice Confined Spaces, are published. It is relevant because the approval of the code was published in the NSW Government Gazette.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The Code of Practice is intended to be read by PCBUs and provides practical guidance on how to manage health and safety risks associated with work carried out in a confined space.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The duty of a person managing health and safety risks associated with a confined space is to identify and assess the risks associated with the confined space, implement control measures to eliminate or minimize the risks, and regularly review and revise the risk management process.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>This copyright work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial 3.0 Australia License. The terms of the license allow for copying, communicating, and adapting the work for non-commercial purposes as long as the work is attributed to SafeWork NSW and other license terms are followed.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Identify hazards, assess risks, control risks, review and revise control measures, and communicate information and training to workers.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Workers have a duty to take reasonable care for their own health and safety and to not adversely affect the health and safety of other persons. They must comply with reasonable instructions, cooperate with reasonable health and safety policies or procedures, and use provided PPE.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Entry permit and signage requirements do not apply if the worker is rescuing or providing first aid to a person in a confined space, at the direction of the emergency service organization.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Other persons at the workplace, including visitors, must take reasonable care for their own health and safety and must not adversely affect other people's health and safety. They must comply with reasonable instructions given by the PCBU to allow them to comply with the WHS Act.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>A confined space is determined by the structure and a specific set of circumstances, and entry occurs when a person’s head or upper body enters the space. A space may become a confined space if work that is to be carried out in the space would generate harmful concentrations of airborne contaminants.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>For a confined space to be declassified as a non-confined space, it needs to have undergone sufficient changes in structure and use to eliminate all inherent hazards that define a confined space.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The duty holders who have a role in managing the risks of working in confined spaces include persons conducting a business or undertaking (PCBUs), designers, manufacturers, importers, suppliers, installers and constructors of plant, substances or structures, and officers.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Places that are intended for human occupancy and have adequate ventilation, lighting and safe means of entry and exit, such as offices and workshops, some enclosed or partially enclosed spaces that at particular times have harmful airborne contaminants but are designed for a person to occupy, and enclosed or partially enclosed spaces that are designed to be occasionally occupied by a person if the space has a readily and conveniently accessible means of entry and exit via a doorway at ground level.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The hierarchy of control measures is a systematic approach to controlling risks, with the most effective control measures at the top of the hierarchy. Elimination of risks should be the first priority, followed by substitution, isolation, engineering controls, administrative controls, and finally, personal protective equipment. Control measures should be implemented in accordance with this hierarchy, and the most effective measures that are reasonably practicable in the circumstances should be used.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The duties of a PCBU in relation to managing health and safety risks associated with a confined space include managing risks to health and safety, conducting risk assessments, not directing a worker to enter a confined space unless the worker has an entry permit, ensuring all duties in relation to the confined space have been complied with before a worker enters, establishing first aid and rescue procedures, and providing suitable and adequate information, training, and instruction to workers. These duties should be carried out in accordance with the requirements set out in Part 3.1 of the WHS Regulation, and specific control measures within the confined space should also be implemented.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The Code of Practice: How to manage work health and safety risks provides guidance on the risk management process and how to comply with the WHS Regulation. It can be used in relation to managing risks associated with confined spaces by providing further guidance on how to conduct risk assessments, implement control measures, and review and revise control measures over time. It can also provide guidance on specific control measures required within a confined space, such as communication and safety monitoring, signs, isolation of connected plant and services, and controls to maintain a safe atmosphere.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The risks of working in confined spaces include loss of consciousness, impairment, injury or death from hazards such as airborne contaminants, fire or explosion, difficulty rescuing and treating injured personnel, oxygen deficiency, engulfment, falls from a height, environmental factors, and manual handling. These risks can be mitigated through proper identification, assessment, control, and monitoring of hazards, as well as adequate training, equipment, and emergency response plans.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>According to the WHS Regulation, a confined space is an enclosed or partially enclosed space that is not designed or intended to be occupied by a person, is or is designed to be at normal atmospheric pressure while any person is in the space, and is or is likely to be a risk to health and safety from an unsafe oxygen level, contaminants that may cause injury from fire or explosion, harmful concentrations of any airborne contaminants, or engulfment. A mine shaft or the workings of a mine are not considered confined spaces for the purposes of the WHS Regulation.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The Confined Spaces Code of Practice includes references to the legal requirements under the WHS Act and WHS Regulation. These references are included for convenience only and should not be relied on in place of the full text of the WHS Act or WHS Regulation. The words ‘must’, ‘requires’ or ‘mandatory’ indicate a legal requirement exists that must be complied with. The word ‘should’ is used in this Code to indicate a recommended course of action, while ‘may’ is used to indicate an optional course of action.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Confined spaces are commonly found in vats, tanks, pits, pipes, ducts, flues, chimneys, silos, containers, pressure vessels, underground sewers, wet or dry wells, shafts, trenches, tunnels or other similar enclosed or partially enclosed structures, when these examples meet the definition of a confined space in the WHS Regulation. A confined space is determined by the hazards associated with a set of specific circumstances and not just because work is performed in a small space.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>To eliminate risks arising from working in confined spaces, or if that is not reasonably practicable, to minimise the risks so far as is reasonably practicable.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The WHS Regulation includes more specific requirements for PCBUs to manage the risks of hazardous chemicals, airborne contaminants and plant, as well as other hazards associated with confined spaces.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>They must ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the plant, substance or structure they design, manufacture, import, supply or install is without risks to health and safety, and this duty includes carrying out testing and analysis as well as providing specific information about the plant, substance or structure.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>They have a duty to exercise due diligence to ensure the PCBU complies with the WHS Act and WHS Regulation.</p> Signup and view all the answers