A farming
danger. . .
confined
spaces
Confined spaces on farms
Confined spaces on farms
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Farming is Australia’s most dangerous job – and confined spaces are
the most dangerous places on farms. Incidents in confined spaces have
caused serious injuries and deaths – not just to farmers, but also to
their friends and families.
Confined spaces are a unique health and safety problem because their
dangers are usually hidden. Often, people don’t see the dangers until
it’s too late.
This booklet will help you identify the risks of confined spaces on
farms and manage these risks to keep working safely.
What are confined spaces?
Confined spaces are spaces in enclosed or partly enclosed structures that:
• a person may enter
• are difficult to get in and out of
• may contain harmful fumes, vapours or dusts
• may have unsafe oxygen levels
• may contain stored materials such as grain or fertiliser which could
collapse and suffocate a person.
Some examples of spaces on farms that might be confined spaces are:
• integrated feed systems
• milk or cheese vats
• grape or wine vats
• sewerage tanks or manure pits
• grain driers
• hoppers and silos
• bulk spray tanks
• bulk fuel tanks
• water tanks
• wells
• sumps
• fertiliser storage tanks
Avoiding the dangers
Get to know where the dangers of confined spaces might be on your
farm – look around at all the usual jobs, think about how you do them
and all the things that could go wrong. Then, figure out ways of working
safely.
The easiest and most effective way to avoid the dangers associated
with confined spaces is not to go into these places in the first place.
Ask yourself if there is another way of doing the job without going
into the space.
Or else contract the work to someone who is familiar with the dangers
of confined spaces and has the proper training and equipment to do
the job safely.
If you can’t avoid going into a confined space, you need to take
appropriate safety precautions.
Confined spaces on farms
The stories on the following pages are tragic, but real. They highlight
some of the dangers of working in confined spaces and tell you how to
avoid these dangers.
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Confined spaces on farms
Brothers die in water tank
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Two brothers aged 24 and 26 died of carbon monoxide poisoning in a
water tank on their father’s farm. The brothers had been using two
petrol-driven pumps to empty the 50,000-litre underground tank because
it had been polluted by a dead possum.
During the job, the men discovered that neither of the pumps was fitted
with a hose long enough to reach the bottom of the tank. In an attempt
to get all the water out, one pump was lowered about a metre into the
tank and secured by ropes. When the water was only about 240
millimetres deep, one brother got into the tank to put bricks on the
hose to keep it on the bottom. He collapsed, and the other brother and
a friend quickly climbed in to try and rescue him. The second brother
collapsed, while the friend, who was also nearly overcome by fumes,
managed to get out of the tank and get help. Both brothers were dead
on arrival at the local hospital.
Making water tanks safe
• Avoid the need to enter the tank by covering or sealing it so that
debris and animals can’t enter.
• Use filters, an external pump to mix the water, or an automated
self-cleaning system to avoid the build-up of sludge. Then you won’t
have to go into the tank to clean it.
• Think of other ways to empty the tank. For instance, a permanent
pumping facility could be installed when the tank is being designed,
or a tap could be installed at the bottom of the tank if it is above
ground.
• Don’t take petrol-driven pumps into tanks. If you have to use such
a pump to empty a tank, make sure the hose is long enough to reach
the bottom.
• Think of other ways of cleaning the tank. For instance, you may be
able to clean the tank from the outside by using high-pressure hoses.
• Don’t attempt a rescue unless a proper rescue plan is in place and
appropriate equipment is available. Rescues are best left to emergency
services personnel.
Multiple deaths in a manure pit
A 65-year-old dairy farmer, his two sons, a grandson and a nephew
died when they entered a manure pit with an oxygen-deficient
atmosphere. On the day of the accident, one of the sons entered the pit
to repair the agitator shaft. He collapsed, so the nephew yelled to his 8year-old brother to get help. Before help arrived, each of the victims
entered the pit to help those who had been overcome and each was
overcome in turn.
All five victims died of asphyxiation due to the lack of oxygen. The
decomposing manure had not been disturbed for several days and would
have been releasing flammable and highly toxic gases such as methane
and hydrogen sulphide. Both these gases would have displaced the oxygen.
Making sewers and manure pits safe
• Think of a way to empty and clean the pit from the outside before
entering to repair equipment.
• Schedule maintenance and repairs when the pit is empty and has
been cleaned.
• Reduce the time spent in the pit after it’s been emptied and cleaned,
by removing the equipment and repairing it outside the pit.
• Isolate mechanical equipment, such as the agitator shaft, to prevent
accidental activation.
• Don’t attempt a rescue unless a proper rescue plan is in place and
appropriate equipment is available. Rescues are best left to emergency
services personnel.
• These pits are usually below ground, so cover any openings securely
to prevent unauthorised entry (for example, by children). Display
signs to warn people against entry.
• Where possible, provide natural or mechanical ventilation of the
pit, particularly at the installation or design stage.
• If you have to go into the space and other safety precautions are not
possible, do not enter until you get advice from WorkCover. Anyone
entering such a space should wear a self-contained breathing
apparatus or an air line respirator because the atmosphere may not
have enough oxygen.
Confined spaces on farms
• Don’t introduce any ignition sources, as gases like hydrogen sulphide
and methane are explosive.
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Confined spaces on farms
Man suffocates to death in a feed mill
A man died while working alone in an animal feed mill. He had entered
the bin of moist grain meal to clear the auger discharge when the meal
began to fall on him. He was engulfed by the meal before he could
reach the escape ladder. The cause of death was asphyxiation.
Making feed mills and grain silos safe
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• Use a drier type of feed that is less likely to cake up or crust. This
will prevent blockages and avoid the need to enter the space.
• Think of other ways of preventing blockages if you can’t use a drier
product. For example, there may be a way of mixing the feed so that
it doesn’t cake up when it’s stored for long periods.
• Clear the blockage from the outside, perhaps through a side hatch
or from the top with a suitable tool.
• Keep the feed in a mill or silo with facilities to prevent blockages,
such as a vibration system or turbulence valves.
• Use well-maintained seals to prevent moisture getting into the mill
or silo.
• If you have to enter the space, reduce the risk of engulfment by
using a safety line or harness to prevent falling. But make sure that
the route is direct and you can’t be entangled.
• Turn off or disconnect mechanical devices, such as the auger, to
prevent them from accidentally activating and crushing or entangling
anyone in the space.
• Never work alone. Make sure that someone knows when you are in
the space and keeps watch. Have a rescue plan.
13-year-old boy dies in well
A 13-year-old boy died while playing with five other children in an
underground well. They had used newspapers to start a fire, but became
frightened by the smoke. Four of the boys managed to climb up the
rope and out of the well, but the fifth boy did not escape. A man who
attempted to rescue the boy collapsed and was hospitalised.
The boy probably died from the toxic carbon monoxide produced by
the fire and from a lack of oxygen.
Making wells and underground
tunnels safe
• Use fences, cages or covers to restrict access to such spaces and
keep out people who are not meant to be there, especially children.
• Put up signs warning people of the dangers and telling them not to
enter.
• Check fences and signs regularly to make sure they have not been
damaged.
• Keep an eye on children who are on your property.
Confined spaces on farms
• Do not attempt a rescue without first getting advice from WorkCover
or emergency services.
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Confined spaces on farms
Remember
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• Avoid the dangers by eliminating the need to go into the space.
• Restrict access to keep out people who are not meant to be there.
• Restrict the number of people who need to enter.
• Never work alone.
• Don’t attempt rescue unless a proper rescue plan is in place and
appropriate rescue equipment is available. Practise the rescue plan.
• If you must initiate an emergency rescue, make sure you use a
buddy system and have a co-worker keep watch.
• Turn off or disconnect machinery to prevent being electrocuted and
to stop machinery from being activated and contaminating the air
inside the space.
• Ventilate the space before entering to remove any contaminants and
ensure a safe oxygen level.
• Test the space from the outside for harmful levels of contaminants,
an unsafe oxygen level, or a flammable or explosive atmosphere.
This usually requires specialised equipment and skills, so ask
WorkCover for help.
• Remove ignition sources where the atmosphere inside a space might
be flammable or explosive.
• Don’t introduce contaminants into the space – use safer methods or
less toxic chemicals.
• Use appropriate protective equipment such as respirators where
other safety measures don’t adequately control the dangers.
• Protect against being crushed or suffocated by using safety lines or
harnesses to prevent falling.
More information
The Code of Practice for Confined Spaces gives more information on
how to work safely around confined spaces. You can buy a copy of the
code from your nearest WorkCover office for $10.
WorkCover offices
City office
Victorian WorkCover Authority
Level 24, 222 Exhibition Street
Melbourne Vic 3000
Telephone:
(03) 9641 1555
Facsimile:
(03) 9641 1399
Toll-free:
1800 136 089
Local offices
Ballarat
Bendigo
Geelong
Melbourne
Mildura
Mulgrave
Preston
Shepparton
Traralgon
Wangaratta
Warrnambool
(03) 5337 1400
(03) 5443 8866
(03) 5223 2300
(03) 9628 8115
(03) 5021 4001
(03) 9565 9444
(03) 9485 4555
(03) 5831 8260
(03) 5174 8900
(03) 5721 8588
(03) 5562 5600
Email
[email protected]
Publications
Telephone:
Facsimile:
(03) 9641 1333
(03) 9641 1330
Confined spaces on farms
Website
www.workcover.vic.gov.au
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