Preventing Unauthorized Access

Employers are responsible for ensuring that only authorized personnel enter the confined space, and that those people only enter once proper evaluation has been conducted. The OHS Confined Spaces Regulation says that, if there is a chance of unauthorized access, it is the employer's responsibility to ensure that "each entrance to the confined space is adequately secured against unauthorized entry; or has been provided with adequate barricades, adequate warning signs regarding unauthorized entry, or both." The following are examples of methods to prevent unauthorized entry:

• Employers should secure all entrances in a way that allows only authorized personnel, such as requiring that an attendant or other competent person open the entrance to the confined space at the start of each shift.
• If this is not possible, the next best measure is to install signage and barricades that explain the hazards present and warn personnel about entering the space.
• Keeping a log of each employee's entry and exit times on the entry permit will help employers to ensure that all workers in a space are accounted for. If a worker enters a space without proper notation and becomes trapped, it is less likely that fellow employees will realize the worker has not come out and that a rescue needs to be dispatched.
• Unauthorized workers may not be fully briefed on the hazards present in the space, and therefore may put themselves in harm's way without realizing it.

To learn more about Confined Spaces visit our Canada Confined Space Online Training web page.