An integrated holistic approach to health and safety in confined spaces

The aim of this paper is to propose a structured procedure for analyzing and managing risks in confined spaces in the process industry. After a first literature review on the topic and an historical analysis on accidents in confined spaces, the authors conceptualize a framework to prevent and manage the risks from working in confined spaces. The tool collects the concepts and requirements from the fragmented regulations on safe work in confined spaces, aiming to support both the assessment and the risk management. Two test cases show the application of the proposed framework showing an ex-post analysis carried out on a real accident occurred during a task execution in a confined space and an ex-ante assessment for risk prevention.