Physical Hazards

There are many types of physical hazards, including crushing hazards, heat and cold stress, radiation, vibration and noise. Crawl spaces with a hazard of entrapment or engulfment and any situations requiring lockout or isolation procedures should be considered a very serious hazard. Some examples of physical hazards that may be found in Pembina Trails crawl spaces are:

Loose and Unstable Material:
Whenever there is a danger of entrapment or engulfment, do not enter unless absolutely necessary. Prior to entry consider the following:

• Inspection prior to entry
• Use of kickers or probe bars to dislodge bridges and hung-up material prior to entry
• De-energization, isolation and/or lockout prior to entry 
• Other protective equipment that may be needed, such as personal flotation devices or fall protection

Moving Parts of Machinery:
Lockout means the use of a lock or locks to render machinery or equipment inoperable or to isolate an energy source in accordance with a written procedure. Hazardous energy is any electrical, mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, chemical, thermal or other source of energy that could potentially injure a worker. For example, machinery or equipment with moving parts has mechanical energy, and steam in a pipe has thermal energy. Locks are generally used to prevent the inadvertent startup or movement of machinery and equipment. Lockout is a two-step process. The first step is isolation. Isolation is a process used to stop the flow of energy or any other hazard. Some examples of this are disconnecting a line, setting a switch in the up or down position or closing a valve. The second step is to affix a lock to the isolating device in order to prevent others from removing or changing the isolation. Affixing a personal lock is a very important step to ensure that the device controlling the energy or other hazard, remains in its set state or position.

Substances Entering Through Piping:
Adjacent piping means a device such as a pipe, line, duct or conduit which is connected to a space or is so located as to allow a substance from within the device to enter the space. Workers must be protected from harmful substances (solids, liquids and gases) that could be discharged from pipes or conduits adjacent to or leading to the space. 

Electrical Shock:
Electrical tools and equipment used in a space must be grounded or double-insulated and so marked. If wet or damp conditions exist inside the crawl space, electrical tools and equipment must be protected by an approved ground fault circuit interrupter or other acceptable means of protection. It is always better to substitute equipment that will not be hazardous inside the confined space. All equipment being worked on must also be locked/tagged out and de-energized.

Slip, Trip and Fall Hazards:
The space you are about to enter may have an access hatch that is difficult to squeeze through and ladders for ascending or descending. You are therefore at risk of falling while getting into the space as well as while you are inside. In addition, the flooring of tanks or other wet environments or the rungs of a ladder may be very slippery.

If the hazard cannot be eliminated and there is a danger of falling from a height, a fall protection system (such as guardrails or a harness and lifeline) may be needed.

Poor Visibility:
Poor visibility increases the risk of accidents and makes it harder for a standby person to see a worker who may be in distress. If poor visibility results from inadequate lighting, the light levels should be increased (although area lighting is not always required or possible). If activities such as sandblasting or welding result in poor visibility, appropriate ventilation may be needed to reduce harmful substances in the air. If portable lighting is used where there may be an explosive atmosphere, the lighting must be “explosion-proof.” Emergency lighting such as flashlights or battery-operated area units must be provided where necessary, so that workers can locate exits and escape temperature extremes and must be intrinsic or explosion-proof. Special precautions are needed before workers enter equipment such as boilers, reaction vessels and low-temperature systems.

Noise:
Noise produced in confined spaces can be particularly harmful because of reflection off walls. Noise levels from a source inside a small confined space can be up to 10 times greater than the same source placed outdoors. If the noise levels cannot be reduced, proper hearing protection must be worn where necessary.

Risk of Drowning:
Crawl spaces should be fully drained and as dry as possible when entered. Spaces that are not fully drained may pose a risk of drowning. The risk of drowning in a vat or tank with a large amount of liquid is easily recognized. However, workers have drowned in small pools of liquid. For example, insufficient oxygen, the presence of a toxic gas or a blow to the head can make workers unconscious. Workers who have fallen face-down into a small pool of water have drowned. Therefore any workers entering a confined space where water is present shall ensure that all electricity to the space has been turned off and that they are wearing a flotation device.