Grading and Excavation Contractor | Cornered: Working in Confined Spaces

If your project requires that you go into restricted or confined spaces, take preparations to make it safe and efficient work.

By Paul Hull

Working in confined spaces is dangerous. All moving, rotating machinery is potentially dangerous, but you raise the menace to another level when you have to work in an area that is difficult to access, where machines and tools are difficult to maneuver, where you move your arms and legs with difficulty, where the air may be poor. Several contractors have told us that they do not contract for work in confined spaces for which they would have to rent or buy special equipment. For some work, permits are needed because of the restrictions of the site; you should know if any of your sites requires a local, state, or federal permit for being a confined space. Most contractors say they do not consider those jobs, and, apart from the burden of increased regulation with its inevitable cost, one good reason is that their workers are intimidated by confined spaces.

If their experience is on aboveground, open-air sites, they are skeptical about working where they don’t have full control over their own actions, tools, or equipment. Their only personal experience of confined spaces may be at home. Have you ever had to get under the kitchen sink, on your back, to fight with pipes? There’s no room. You can’t swing your arm; you can’t get a proper hold on the tools; it seems difficult to breathe; you move quickly and bang your head when you only shifted an inch in the wrong direction. Workers admit to being nervous or even afraid of working in confined spaces. Some of it is a claustrophobia that many of us have, and some of the fear comes from (true) stories of cave-ins in trenches, workers being trapped or crushed, and people being killed by fumes and gases they couldn’t see and didn’t know about.

Therein lies the first secret of success: accurate knowledge of the job site. The least a contractor can do is ensure that every precaution has been taken to protect his employees, before they start work. The site should be tested and proven safe for entry and exit, before any work. Let’s say it’s a bank vault or a place like that where you have been asked to do repairs or renovation. You’d like the job. It will pay well. It would be great to take money from a bank instead of always paying it in. Is there room for the machines and tools you will need to complete a successful job? Do you have the right equipment? Is access to the space readily accomplished? Is the air pure enough? Some of today’s small machines can work inside buildings. Is their noise level acceptable? Is there a system in place to ensure that the fumes are blown away from the workers?

“One of the greatest dangers is that customers are not aware of the hazards of confined spaces, and they don’t understand why we fuss about them,” observe contractors. “They don’t want to get under the porch, but they don’t perceive it as hazardous—just a dirty job they don’t want to do.” What are some of the more common confined spaces that you may come across? Manholes could top the list for contractors who do municipal work as the most dangerous, because, though they give a person access, they are not designed to be occupied for any length of time. Getting down and out again are not quick tasks. They may also harbor hostile gases that can kill in seconds. A new product from US Saws, called the Magnetic Manhole Lift System, allows one person to lift heavy manhole covers without pry bars and traditional tools. That sounds like a sensible step in the direction of safety at those common, dangerous places. Many tunnels restrict your movements, as do cellars, basements, culverts, tanks, vaults, and ditches. “Tunnels” could also be those walkways in hotels through which you may drive to the rear parking lot or walk to the swimming pool. One of the most dangerous of confined spaces is the work zone for road repairs and maintenance. If you have to work at a site where there are vehicles flashing by—and history tells us too many drivers will ignore speed limits, common sense, and safety procedures—don’t step out of the work zone. Don’t even poke your head out to see what’s coming, because it may take your head with it along the way.

Many contractors never have to deal with work in confined spaces, or choose not to do so. If your business is strictly grading and excavating, it’s quite possible that you will never face those confined-space problems. Lynn Albrecht, owner of Lynn Albrecht Backhoe Service, based in Hesperus, CO, finds most of his work in applications involving ditches, roads, and digging new basements. He seldom, if ever, is asked to provide his services in confined spaces. Bailey Excavation in North Liberty, IN, where Brian Bailey is the owner, has only once come close to having to work in a confined space. That was for AT&T. Bailey had to remove a generator and underground fuel tank. AT&T did all the early work, however, so the excavating contractor did not have to cope with permits and similar tasks. It became a straightforward removal of a wall and excavation job. That story prompted us to wonder if the owners of a project where there is an issue of confined space should be approached more frequently by contractors to do the preliminary, regulated phases. This would be especially helpful at locations where there are items like switching gear and electronic machines close to (or in) the job site.

The hazards found at an “ordinary” job site are present in a confined space, but some of them are aggravated by the lack of maneuvering room. Poor air quality is likely, and additional ventilation could be necessary. Noise is another common enemy. The collapse of materials is a possibility, and it seems easier to trip and stumble when your movements are restricted. The entrance and exit situation is of prime importance. The worker must be able to get in and out easily, especially in spaces where there could be flooding. For some work, the worker who enters the confined space should wear safety equipment by which he can be pulled out by others if necessary.

Rules and Regulations
Federal rules come from the Department of Labor through OSHA, and they exist only for the protection of workers. They are not another devious government plot to hinder employers, although employers have the responsibility of making sure their employees are well prepared for any work in confined spaces. A good number of the definitions and dictates of OSHA seem to come from the last decade of the last century—the OSHA regulation for confined spaces, from 1993, was 29CFR1910.146—but that does not deter from their relevance today. Some of them, appropriate to construction work, are being updated even as this article is being written. Check the OSHA Web site (www.osha.gov) for plenty of helpful information. Most of the dangers in confined and restricting spaces have not changed in the last few decades. You could say that new chemicals present new dangers, but the basic conditions defined as typical confined spaces remain constant. If we extracted a few guidelines from OSHA, they could be:

The employer should avail himself/herself of the safety and health training programs provided by the Department of Labor.
Each and every employee should be instructed in the recognition and avoidance of unsafe conditions, and the regulations applicable to the work environment.
If flammable liquids, gases, or toxic materials must be handled, workers should be taught how to handle them safely and about any regulations pertaining to them.
If an employee must enter a confined space, he/she should know the dangers involved, the precautions that should be taken, and how to use any protective equipment supplied for the job.

PHOTO: BROKK

Like so many laws and regulations for conduct in the workplace, they are common sense. In a nutshell, don’t send anybody into a confined space unless he/she knows what it is, what the potential hazards are, and how to behave there. You wouldn’t dream of letting an untried, unprepared employee jump into your most expensive machine; the situation is similar. Lack of knowledge can cause damage to both people and property, and that tends to be costly.

“In any workplace situation, workers must always use the appropriate personal protective equipment required for the job, after they have been trained on the use and limitations of this safety equipment,” advises David Luther, QSSP, representing North Safety Products, a leader in the techniques and equipment for worker protection. “In a confined-space work environment, all hazards must be identified to be sure all of the appropriate safety equipment is in use by the workers. Such equipment could include respiratory, hearing protection, eye and face protection, head protection, and fall protection products. An important regulation that should be reviewed and studied in any workplace is the OSHA Respiratory Protection Standard 29CFR1910.134. The employer must determine what controls, work practices, and protective equipment are necessary to make the confined space as safe as it would be with any work area.”

Remote Control
One of the scenes that have stayed in my mind for some years now is of a large Komatsu excavator doing its work at a hazardous cleanup site in Japan. The machine was controlled completely without an operator inside the cab. It was all done by remote control; apparently, it worked well. We have seen many news items and product releases about machine guidance via GPS instruments, but little about the total control of a construction machine’s operation from a remote location. For work in confined areas, remote control seems an obvious solution. From several conversations it seems that a good percentage of work in confined spaces involves demolition, usually to make room for new interior structures or arrangements. In that sector, there have been remotely controlled machines for several years. The name that comes to mind is Brokk, whose remotely controlled equipment gives no exhaust fumes, no injuries from vibration, and a much-reduced risk of injury from falling objects.

“In confined-space demolition, you have to be creative when looking at each project,” asserts contractor Augie Scalici from Newton, NJ. He’s been successful for more than 20 years. “The Brokk can go places no other equipment can go. Its powerful demolition tools become an extension of your own arm. I’ve used my machines at the top of the Kingdome, inside skyscrapers, and in shaftways for excavating tunnels for New York City.” Scalici says the machines can do the work of six men, yet the operator always stands a safe distance away with his remote control. It makes the job safer because, as Scalici points out, it’s better to have a machine fall while tearing out an exterior wall 20 stories up than have an employee do it.

A more common use for remote control of equipment is in the compaction of trenches or around foundations. If you’ve ever done that by walking behind a small compactor, you’ll appreciate the advantages of remote control, from both the safety and fatigue aspects. Bomag, for example, offers remote control for its reversible plates and multipurpose compactors. The control weighs only 3.5 pounds, with the operator using it from a waist belt (much better than the previous neck-worn harnesses). A single charge can operate the remote for up to 100 hours. With the remote’s batteries charged via a machine-integrated trickle charge system when the unit is not in use or with an umbilical cord during operation, the user needs no separate charger, nor any outside power source. The remote controls speed and travel direction, vibration, the exciter system, and an emergency stop switch. Rammax rollers from Multiquip offer similar control for operators who are working in confined or restricted areas.

One’s first reaction to controlling equipment from a distance is that it cannot be as precise as if there were an operator (especially one as good as me!) inside the cab. Pause for a few seconds and recall all the things that you already control remotely. When was the last time you changed channels on your television by pushing buttons on the set itself? Consider the options on your personal vehicle. Cell phones? Remote control of machines has been around for several years and established a good reputation for accuracy. Why, when I was a kid, I used to be able to make my neighbor’s toy racing car go over bumps and zoom past the fire hydrant in the sidewalk grass at—it must have been—90 miles an hour. That was remote control, and I didn’t dare crash the car. Not only could Donald afford better toys than I; he himself was much bigger. The skill of the operator controlling a compactor in a trench via remote control is as important as that of an operator sitting on a large compactor on the new highway pavement.

PHOTO: NORTH SAFETY

Restrictions Above Ground
Underground places are not the only confined areas where you may be asked to work. One of the reasons why compact equipment has become so important in North America is that, however big the continent is, many of the job sites are quite small. Some of your everyday job sites may be small, with narrow access for equipment. Getting onto the site is not the whole problem. Once you’re there you have to maneuver your equipment and still be productive. You have grading, dozing, and excavating to do beside buildings, in that corner by the trees where the hospital needs more parking, by the sidewalk on Gresham Street (not what you would call a wide road), or where they need new sewer installations across from City Hall. Maneuverability becomes a key to success. First you have to find a way to get the right equipment onto the site and then you have to be able to use that equipment efficiently in a space where you could hardly swing a baseball bat, let alone the boom of an excavator. Some experienced contractors remind us that it is not just the width of the machine that is important in tight corners; the length matters, too, for maneuverability.

There has been a gamut of compact equipment over the last decade, and even the compact machines have given way to mini machines. At some stage you must decide how small your machine can be. It is good to be small, but it must be able to do the job. Manufacturers are aware of this, and they have responded admirably to demands for smaller (but still powerful) machines. One of the leaders in compact equipment, Bobcat (an Ingersoll-Rand company), publishes its recommendations for loaders. You know you need a small loader for a particular application, but which type do you need? A good old skid-steer loader? An all-wheel steer loader? A compact track loader? The compact track loaders, says Bobcat, are the best of the three for rough terrain operation; when you need the strongest breakout force, or pushing or grading force; and in muddy conditions. The all-wheel steer versions have excellent rated operating capacity, an appealing life cost for the tires, good travel speed, and low ground disturbance. Both all-wheel steer and the traditional skid-steer models have proven their capabilities where maneuverability, control, comfort, and toughness are top criteria.

Apart from new equipment to cope with jobs in restricted or confined spaces, there are new techniques. The popularity of vacuum excavation, mostly for clearing the soil around buried utilities but also for installing such items as light standards, traffic signs, and utility poles, must be, in part, due to the ability of the vacuum hose to reach places where an excavator could not go. The vacuum excavation technique also prevents damage to buried obstacles like pipe, cable, and wire. It drastically reduces the amount of backfilling and resurfacing, too.

If your confined-/restricted-space project is a rare event, you could consider renting the necessary smaller-than-your-usual machines. There seems little demand for the respirators and hearing protection from rental companies, but renting a mini excavator, for example, could be a practical decision. “To make a mini-excavator purchase worthwhile, you would have to use it for about three weeks every month,” comments Larry Pearce, an area fleet manager for RSC Equipment Rental in Scottsdale, AZ. “For most jobs that call for a mini excavator, it’s likely you’ll only need it for a week or 10 days at a time. Renting makes sense in such an application.” A contractor who rents for just such applications is Barry Beeck, general superintendent at Weis Builders Construction Co. of Minneapolis, MN. “I’ve done it this way for 20 years,” observes Beeck. “Our rental company [RSC] provides us with the equipment we need, when we need it. It’s near-new, well-serviced equipment. It’s a big benefit to us.” When you add the need for attachments, renting special equipment for a limited-access job makes even more sense.

Whatever you do, don’t think you can get away with not playing it safe. If there was a disturbing perception from some of our conversations, it was a tendency of a few contractors to assume it won’t happen to them and that they’ll “only be in there an hour or so.” We spoke with several rental companies across the country and the answers were similar to that of Glenn McMurdie, with years of experience at Bingham Rentals in Yuma, AZ. “I cannot recall ever being asked to rent special equipment for confined spaces,” notes McMurdie. “There was a serious accident here not long ago, involving sewers, I think, and I believe it was a plumbing contractor involved, but most contractors in grading and excavating seem to steer clear of those jobs that require special respirators or anything like that.”

Paul Hull writes on construction and environmental topics for several international magazines.

GEC - July/August 2005