Confined Space

Work in confined spaces can kill or cause injuries in any industries, ranging from those involving complex plant through to simple storage. Those victims include not only people working in the confined space but also those who try to rescue them without proper training and equipment.
 
"Confined space" means any place in which, by virtue of its enclosed nature, there arises a reasonably foreseeable "specified risk", and without limiting the generality of the foregoing, includes any chamber, tank, vat, pit, well, sewer, tunnel, pipe, flue, boiler, pressure receiver, hatch, caisson, shaft or silo in which such risk arises. For example, workers engaged in work inside underground tunnels or pipes may be exposed to various specified risks related to confined spaces such as in-rush of mud or water and atmospheric hazards.
 
In order to ensure the safety of workers/ employees undertaking work inside the confined space, the contractors/ employer should have different safety precautions for confined space work. For details, please refer to the work safety alert (Work Safety Alert - Gas Poisoning in Drainage Work; Work Safety Alert - Drowning in Hand-dug Tunnel) issued by Labour Department.
 
OSHC’s “OSH Star Enterprise – Confined Space Safety Accreditation Scheme” aims to provide enterprises, which specialize in confined space work with customized OSH consultancy service, training courses and subsidies for purchasing safety equipment. It also aims to certify enterprises who achieve high levels of OSH standard. For details, please refer to the application form (Chinese version only) of the scheme.

There is an OSH Enhancement Scheme for SMEs for Safe Work at Confined Space. The Council offers subsidies for SME to purchase gas testing equipment and conduct risk assessment. For details, please refer to the application form (Chinese version only) of the scheme.