Confined Spaces Regulations 1997 — Marine, Utilities and Industrial Environments
Confined Spaces Regulations 1997
The Confined Spaces Regulations 1997 apply to any work carried out in a confined space — defined as any place that is substantially enclosed and where there is a reasonably foreseeable risk of serious injury from hazardous substances or conditions, or from loss of consciousness arising from an increase in body temperature. In industrial cleaning and dust extraction contexts, confined spaces generate specific requirements for equipment, atmospheric testing, communications and emergency arrangements that overlay the general COSHH, DSEAR and working practice requirements.
Confined spaces are encountered across the full range of industries V-TUF serves — bilges, fuel tanks, void spaces and engine rooms on vessels; manholes, chambers and culverts in utilities; silos, vessels and enclosed plant in food and chemical manufacturing; underground infrastructure and service tunnels in construction; and enclosed plant rooms and ductwork in facilities management.
What a confined space is — and what it isn’t
The Health and Safety Executive defines a confined space by two criteria that must both be present:
- Substantially enclosed — the space must be substantially (though not necessarily entirely) enclosed. This includes spaces with restricted entry and exit as well as fully enclosed spaces.
- Foreseeable risk — there must be a reasonably foreseeable risk of serious injury from: flammable substances and/or oxygen enrichment (fire or explosion), oxygen deficiency, toxic substances, ingress of liquids, excessive heat causing loss of consciousness, or free-flowing solids.
Common examples in the industries V-TUF serves:
- Marine — bilge spaces, fuel and ballast tanks, void spaces, engine rooms with restricted access, cofferdams, chain lockers. Vessels built before 2000 frequently contain asbestos in thermal insulation, fire protection panels, pipe lagging and gaskets within these confined spaces — CAR 2012 compliance and H-Class extraction are required before any work that may disturb these materials. See Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 →
- Utilities — manholes, inspection chambers, culverts, water treatment tanks, sewer systems, underground cable vaults
- Food and chemical manufacturing — process vessels, silos, hoppers, mixing tanks, fermentation vessels, storage tanks
- Construction — excavations deeper than 1.2m, tunnels, basements under construction, below-ground service chambers
- Industrial plant — boilers, heat exchangers, ductwork, enclosed plant rooms, pressure vessels. Pre-2000 industrial plant frequently contains asbestos in pipe lagging, boiler insulation and structural fire protection — R&D surveys are required before confined space entry in these environments.
What the Confined Spaces Regulations require
Regulation 3 — Avoid entry if possible
The primary duty is to avoid entry into a confined space if the work can be done another way. This is the first question to ask before any confined space entry — can the cleaning, inspection or maintenance task be completed without entry?
Regulation 4 — Safe system of work
Where entry is unavoidable, a safe system of work must be in place before anyone enters. The safe system must address atmospheric testing before entry, continuous monitoring during entry where appropriate, isolation of services, communications, emergency and rescue arrangements, and the equipment requirements for the work to be carried out safely inside the space.
Regulation 5 — Emergency arrangements
Suitable and sufficient arrangements for rescue must be in place before anyone enters. This includes trained rescue personnel, rescue equipment and a clear rescue plan. The rescue arrangements must not rely on the emergency services as the primary rescue response.
Confined spaces and DSEAR — the explosive atmosphere crossover
Many confined spaces also contain or may contain explosive atmospheres — fuel vapour in marine tanks, solvent vapour in chemical process vessels, combustible dust in grain silos and food processing vessels, and hydrogen sulphide in sewer environments. Where a confined space also contains an explosive atmosphere, both the Confined Spaces Regulations 1997 and DSEAR 2002 apply simultaneously.
In practice this means that cleaning equipment used inside a confined space that contains an explosive atmosphere must be both suitable for confined space use and ATEX-rated for the zone classification of the space. Standard M-Class and H-Class dust extractors are not ATEX-rated and cannot be used in classified explosive atmosphere zones regardless of whether they are confined spaces or not.
V-TUF equipment for confined space cleaning
Equipment selection for confined space cleaning must take account of the specific hazards in the space — atmospheric, biological, physical and thermal — as well as the electrical safety requirements (110V or air-powered tools are typically specified for confined space entry where electrical equipment is required), and whether the space contains or may contain an explosive atmosphere requiring ATEX-rated equipment.
Standard confined space cleaning — no explosive atmosphere
Where the confined space is free of explosive atmosphere risk (atmospheric testing confirmed), standard V-TUF industrial vacuums and pressure washers can be used, subject to cable management, equipment positioning outside the space where possible, and 110V supply where required. The MAMMOTH 240V or 110V Stainless is the standard wet/dry specification for bilge, tank and chamber cleaning.
View MAMMOTH 240V stainless vacuum →
View MAMMOTH 110V stainless vacuum →
Classified explosive atmosphere confined spaces — ATEX required
Where atmospheric testing identifies a flammable or explosive atmosphere in the confined space, ATEX-rated equipment is required for all electrical equipment used inside the classified zone. Standard industrial vacuums and pressure washers must not be used inside a Zone 0, 1, 2, 20, 21 or 22 classified space.
Industries where confined space regulations most apply
Marine — bilges, tanks, engine rooms, void spaces on vessels →
Manufacturing — process vessels, silos, enclosed plant in food and chemical production →
Construction — below-ground excavations, tunnels, service chambers →
Agriculture — grain silos, slurry tanks, underground stores →
Compliance blog — further reading
Asbestos in construction: CAR 2012, pre-2000 buildings and what H-Class extraction is required →
GRP and carbon fibre dust in boat building: COSHH and H-Class extraction →
Related legislation
DSEAR 2002 and ATEX — explosive atmospheres in confined spaces →
COSHH Regulations 2002 — hazardous substances in confined spaces →
PUWER 1998 — equipment suitability for confined space environments →
Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 — asbestos in enclosed vessel and building spaces →
Trade accounts
V-TUF operates trade account terms for utilities contractors, marine operators, industrial maintenance teams and construction contractors working in confined space environments. UK warehouse, next-day delivery on stocked items, UK technical support and spares for every machine in current production.
Telephone: 01522 787978. Email through the contact page. Mention confined space or ATEX at first contact.