Everyday on the job in Canada, the failure to recognize a workspace as a confined space, or understand its related hazards, has the potential to lead to significant injury or death for workers and first responders. Last spring, the Canada Standards Association (CSA), announced CSA Z1006 Management of Work in Confined Spaces, a new standard that specifies requirements and guidelines for managing work in confined spaces and coordinating rescues.

Workers in confined spaces can be at risk of serious injury or death resulting from asphyxiation, engulfment, electric shock, falls, and heat, fire, explosion, or long-term illness. In addition, more than 60 percent of confined space fatalities are would-be rescuers.(1) Confined spaces can be found in almost all industries in Canada and in places such as hydro vaults, underground tunnels, shipping compartments, pump stations, boilers, and chemical tanks.

“Even the most skilled workers can become trapped, injured, or overcome by toxins in a confined space,” says Suzanne Kiraly, president, CSA Standards. “This new CSA standard, the first of its kind in Canada, defines what a confined space is and provides guidelines to managers, workers and rescuers for identifying and avoiding potential risks while not becoming victims themselves.”

Injuries and fatalities that occur as a result of confined space work in Canada are typically identified based on the actual cause (such as asphyxia from gas, fatal burns, amputation, and crushing) and can be difficult to track across provinces. BC alone recorded 18 deaths related to confined spaces entry between 1989 and 2004 – five of whom died trying to rescue the original victims.(2)

A confined space is defined as a workspace that is fully or partially enclosed, is not designed or intended for continuous human occupancy, and has limited or restricted access, exiting, or internal configuration that can complicate provisions of first aid, evacuation, rescue or other emergency response services. Every confined space is considered to be hazardous unless deemed not so by a competent person through a hazard identification and risk assessment.

The CSA Z1006 Management of Work in Confined Spaces standard is pending approval as a national Standard of Canada. The standard was developed specifically to ensure that it does not conflict with existing regulations but rather works in combination with them to help ensure a high level of safety.

The definition of a confined space within the CSA Z1006 Management of Work in Confined Spaces standard focuses on the characteristics of the space and the ability of a worker or rescuer to enter and exit the space without injury, illness, or death. Hazard identification and risk assessment by a trained worker are required to determine the appropriate controls to address the specific hazards of the space, including those that can cause acute or chronic harm to a worker. The standard provides detailed guidance on roles required for safe entry, training requirements for the entry team and the rescue team, and qualification requirements for training providers. It also addresses the competency for individuals to work in a confined space related to their ability to perform specific roles.

CSA Standards Z1006 Management of Work in Confined Spaces standard is available for pre-order in English by contacting CSA Standards Sales at 800.463.6727, or by e-mail at <sales@csa.ca>.

1 National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety (NIOSH)
2 Worksafe BC report: Hazards of Confined Spaces