What is meant by confined space?

A confined space is any environment that is difficult to access or exit quickly and safely, in which natural ventilation is not possible to ensure an atmosphere suitable for human life, in which chemical agents harmful to health are present, or in which there is the possibility of fire and/or explosion.

Confined spaces, in short, are isolated areas within which the atmosphere is very different from what we are normally accustomed to and are therefore not suitable for the prolonged presence of people and workers.

Based on their geometric characteristics they can be divided into:

• Open (such as tunnels, sewers, deep excavations with narrow sections, tanks, etc.)
• Closed (such as silos, tanks, cold storage rooms, elevator shafts, cellars and attics, etc.)

Depending on the dangerousness and the degree of risk to people's health and life, they are divided into three classes:

• Class A: Spaces where there is an imminent danger to life. This usually means a lack of oxygen, the presence of flammable or explosive atmospheres, and high concentrations of toxic substances.
• Class B: environments that can cause injury and/or illness but do not pose a danger to the life and health of people.
• Class C: spaces within which the risks are secondary, do not affect the normal progress of work and where conditions are stationary.