The learning objectives of this chapter are to understand why a plan for entry
is essential and to understand how a plan for entry into an enclosed or
confined space is put together
there is a saying that poor planning leads to poor performance by way of
contrast a good and thorough plan ensures the best likelihood of a safe
and successful operation note that the precautions discussed in this module are
based on those recommended in various industry standard guidelines and are to
be considered safe minimum standards if the company's safety management system
requires precautions over and above those indicated in this module the
company's standard is to be followed
entry into a dangerous enclosed or confined space should be planned in
advance and full and proper youth should be made of the company permit to work
system the risk assessment form will have been completed and be available
details of the procedures to be followed are found in the relevant sections of
the safety management system manuals note that in some cases the planning
cannot be completed without an initial entry into the space to carry out
further risk assessment at the actual job location in such cases a preliminary
planning meeting will be held and the team will then reconvene when the
necessary information has been obtained
the size and composition of the team charged with planning the entry into
being closed or confined space and the tests to be performed inside will vary
according to the nature of the task and the management structure as outlined in
the company safety management system the competent person will present the risk
assessment and the responsible officer will supervise the application of the
overall plan for small tasks this may be the same individual but a larger task
may involve the shift management team and other officers crew members ensure
based personnel as required in any event all those involved in the task must be
appraised of the important details and relevant information
fallens proper use made of checklists associated with the
permit to work although there may be a good awareness of safety matters among
the crew checklists when followed are the best way of ensuring that no items
relevant to the operation have been missed likewise the information
available elsewhere in the safety management system manuals industry
regulations and guidelines and manufacturer's handbooks
should be consulted as required
experience - should be considered a good source of information whether from those
on board or by communication with Shore asking for an additional opinion should
be viewed as a positive and practical approach and open communication should
be encouraged the responsible officer is charged with ensuring the plan is
implemented and followed he also has to monitor the actual circumstances and
determine whether they match those predicted at the planning stage if
necessary he should make minor adjustments to the plan always making
sure that those involved are aware of the changes all individuals involved in
the operation must perform their allotted duties as outlined in the plan
reporting to the responsible officer as required
when the vessel is in a repair yard the yard Safety Department will also
implement their own safety procedures including control of the enclosed space
entry which may be quite extensive and may or may not involve members of the
ship's crew a chemist will normally board the vessel at the beginning of the
working day and test and approve all enclosed and confined spaces planned for
entry and will return as further testing is required a responsible officer
designated by the master should liege with the shipyard Safety Manager and
should also accompany the chemist when he tests the spaces copies of the
shipyard gas free certificates should be given to the ship and it is normal
practice to post a current copy at the head of the gangway the responsible
officer should also advise the safety manager and chemist of any enclosed and
confined space entry operations that are planned solely for ships staff
it is standard practice that Danelle usually want to start working a
ship as soon as it comes alongside this situation has been somewhat controlled
since the introduction of security practices in recent years the vessel in
this incident had loaded a cargo of round wood logs in West Africa and
arrived to discharge them in a port in southern Spain
the hole had remained shut due to poor weather in the Atlantic and no
ventilation had been carried out as soon as she was alongside the crew of
shoreside stevedores were on board to commence work the ship's deck crew began
opening the hatch to hold number two and a number of stevedores was seen to enter
down the access ladder at the after end of the hold
on reaching the top layer of the cargo one man was seen to slip and fall into a
gap between two large logs seeing him drop three of his colleagues rushed to
the spot and attempted to rescue him they too collapsed one of them also
slipping down into the gap the second officer who was watching from the deck
above raised the alarm and the port safety officials and local Fire Brigades
soon arrived the problem of rescue was compounded by the added risk of movement
of the cargo if any one log was moved to gain access to the casualties underneath
two men were recovered relatively quickly but surrounding logs had to be
secured in place and several pieces of timber lifted carefully care to get to
the others one man had fallen down between the logs to a depth of around
3.5 meters it took almost an hour to bring all four men out of the hold and
all were declared dead on arrival at hospital logs where the bark has been
stripped off unknown to be dangerously slippery freshly cut logs are also known
to deplete oxygen in enclosed spaces and the hole had not been ventilated these
two factors contributed to the deaths of the four men
member