NOVENEX Toolbox Talk — Confined Space Entry — The Atmosphere Lies
Mining & Confined Spaces · ±8 minutes · novenex.tech/toolbox-talks
Tanks, sumps, silos and pipelines kill twice: first the entrant, then the workmate who jumps in to help. Most confined-space deaths are would-be rescuers. The atmosphere inside a vessel obeys no intuition — it must be measured.
Before entry
- •Permit signed by the authorised person, isolation locked and proved.
- •Gas test top, middle and bottom — gases layer; CO₂ sits low, methane sits high.
- •Ventilate and retest; 19.5–23% oxygen, toxics and flammables within limits.
- •Standby person stationed at the entry, with a retrieval line where feasible.
During and emergency
- •Continuous monitoring — atmospheres change with temperature, disturbance and work.
- •Any alarm = immediate exit; investigate from outside.
- •NEVER enter for rescue without breathing apparatus — raise the alarm and use retrieval equipment.
Discussion — ask the crew
- List the confined spaces in our plant — including the ones we don't usually call confined spaces.
- Where is the nearest calibrated gas detector and who bump-tests it?
- What is the standby person's exact role and equipment?
Attendance record
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Equip this talk
Requisition the gas detector and related equipment from the Supply Register.