Maybe you have heard the stories of how confined space atmospheres were tested decades ago to address an “age old problem.” The utilization of a canary was sent into an atmosphere, and the only way to determine the air was safe was to see if the bird survived. Since that time, industry has made great strides to eliminate such antiquated and unproven atmosphere testing.
A common measure today is the use of permanent and portable electronic atmosphere monitoring equipment. This has become a favorable practice throughout industry to effectively identify safe or unsafe atmospheric conditions. What about personnel exposure to the grueling elements of the confined space? Wouldn’t one consider that dangerous as well? It is not uncommon for a human to be exposed to temperatures in excess of 120 F (and while wearing protective clothing that elevates body temperatures to the point of rapid dehydration and heat stroke).
Then there are slips, trips and falls. Most spaces have multiple configurations and surfaces that are not conducive to a normal working surface, which creates many dangers and hazards. By identifying a few of the hazards that exist in confined spaces, it is easy to see that to have a sustainable career working in confined spaces, something has to change.
When something has to change, the best line of defense is the use of the hierarchy of hazard control, with the most effective methods at the top and the least effective at the bottom, as illustrated in Figure 1. Oftentimes eliminating, substituting and engineering out hazards is impossible. So what’s next — administration controls and PPE? With this line of defense, statistical proof shows, in accordance to published Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data, there are over 100 deaths per year by placing humans inside confined spaces. It is common amongst industry personnel to enter such confined spaces to initially identify what one is up against. This is one of the most critical measures that must be addressed, as it is imperative proper sampling and atmosphere testing be performed prior to human exposure.
When dealing with such situations, it is a regulatory requirement, along with best management practices, your personnel are highly skilled and trained in confined space operations. According to (OSHA) CFR 1910.146, each operational team member — whether the supervisor, rescue team, attendant or entrant — must be trained for his designated role. Training curriculums should never be cut short or taken lightly when dealing with life-or-death situations. Training for confined space starts with an awareness level, increases in increments of eight hours up and can be 40 hours depending on your specific role. This training must incorporate a simulation activity along with respiratory protection, ventilation, atmosphere monitoring and rescue plans. Training for personnel needs to be refreshed on an annual basis, with simulation activities to verify subject matter retention and core competency.
Statistics involving confined space entry incidents, injuries and fatalities are hard to extract and so broad it is difficult to analyze. We still hear about tragedies in confined spaces even when all safety measures and procedures are followed. Plant management and safety directors are very aware these hazards, risks and incidents are still too common in today’s time. Unfortunately, one of the most common and deadly scenarios is when a co-worker goes down in a confined space and the rescuer becomes a victim as well. Our natural human instinct is to respond and help, but we are human and make mistakes. What if we could remove the human factor completely or at a minimum significantly from common hazardous tasks, jobs and projects? Would it be done?
Is it time the downstream industry asks, “Are we serious about safety when it comes to confined space work, and are we utilizing best practices and the most experienced and reliable technology available?”
In 1961, the first industrial robot, Unimate, created by American inventor George Devol, was in operation on a General Motors assembly line at the Inland Fisher Guide Plant in Ewing Township, New Jersey. The 4,000-pound robotic arm transported die castings from an assembly line and welded these parts on auto bodies — a dangerous task for workers, who could be poisoned by exhaust gas or lose a limb if they were not careful.
As dangerous as confined space operations are, exposing humans to this practice has diminished some over the past decade. Industry has lent itself to exploring new-age solutions by designing and engineering devices to remove personnel from confined spaces. Industry is moving into the automated world and the utilization of robotics. With the evolution and refinement of the way automation is applied, it is not uncommon to experience a reduction of 75 percent in man-hours spent inside these hazardous environments.
Examples of this can be taken from the upstream industry where remote-operated vehicles (ROVs) are being utilized throughout the exploration and production sector in the Gulf of Mexico and around the world. It would be interesting to know how many divers’ lives and quality of life have been changed by utilizing this technology.
Another great illustration of this occurs in nuclear power plants, where minimizing exposure to radiation is becoming more demanding, and it can be minimized. A common nuclear industry acronym is ALARA (as low as reasonably achievable), which means use all methods available such as time, distance and shielding to achieve ALARA. Robots are now being used in this industry to provide small tasks such as entering a high thermal or radiation environment to collect data, detection monitoring, cleaning or decontamination and more. This is also an example of removing the human equation completely, and the old practice of time, distance and shielding is no longer even being discussed.
Reliable and experienced robotics, ROVs and automation that have been used in the marine and upstream cleaning industry are being introduced to the downstream plants and midstream terminals not only in aboveground storage tanks but also in many applications such as cooling tower basins, where harmful bacteria may and usually do exist, and other vessels, sumps and ditches. The technology is also being utilized not only where there is a safety concern but efficiency concerns as well.
Before committing to automation or robotic use, know your confined space operation; be certain it will accomplish your ultimate goal. Keep in mind safety and human exposure should always be first. It is important to do your research for contractors and tools that can be “Fit For Purpose” and have the capabilities to achieve a safe, fast and effective outcome.
For more information, visit www.Ecoserv.net or call (844) 4ECOSERV [432-6737].
