Approved code of practice (ACOP) on confined spaces

Date:

13 February 2009

Release No:

E015:09

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) will publish guidance on working in confined spaces on 17 February 2009.

The revised and updated publication, containing an Approved Code of Practice (ACOP) and guidance on the duties in the Confined Spaces Regulations will offer guidance and reference points to a range of industries and businesses that deal with confined spaces.

The HSE said that Agriculture, Brewery, Construction, Maritime, Waste & Water were industries that all contained examples of confined spaces. The health and safety regulator added that whilst potential problems with sewers were recognised, more could be done to manage the risks associated with:

• Grain silos, storage tanks & slurry pits
• Brewery cellars and;
• Ships e.g. holds where shoreside workers are involved

Commenting on the forthcoming publication, Bob Daunton of the HSE, said: "Over the years a simple failure to recognise what is a confined space and not to think about the risks involved in enclosed areas such as ships or offshore structures has led to a number of fatalities ".

The health and safety regulator added that in recent years, there has been 3 fatalities offshore, three on a North Sea standby vessel, one in a ship in a dock, and two in a submersible pontoon.

Mr Daunton concluded: "This guidance will hopefully clarify and highlight the responsibilities that employers have to their employees when they are working in a confined space."

Notes to editors

1. This publication contains an Approved Code of Practice (ACOP) and guidance on the duties in the Confined Spaces Regulations which are applicable across all industry sectors and which apply to working in confined spaces but which do not apply offshore. It also gives guidance on the duties in other regulations where they apply to work in confined spaces.
2. In this second edition, the text of the regulations has been updated to reflect the latest legislation. Since this Approved Code of Practice and guidance was written, regulation 1(2) and regulation 2(c) have been amended by the Diving at Work Regulations 1997 (SI 1997/2776). Out-of-date regulations listed in appendix 1 have been replaced with current legislation. References throughout have been updated to include the most recent publications available, and obsolete information has been removed. The Approved Code of Practice (ACOP) and substance of the guidance remain unchanged, however, the guidance given in paragraph 91 has been clarified.
3. HSE priced and free publications are available by mail order from HSE Books: http://books.hse.gov.uk (HSE priced publications are also available from bookshops and free leaflets can be downloaded from HSE's website: www.hse.gov.uk/pubns.)

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