Working Safely in Confined Spaces: A Guide for NewBrunswick Industries.

Working in confined spaces is one of the most dangerous types of work, especially in

industries across New Brunswick, such as manufacturing, wastewater treatment, and

maintenance.

When something goes wrong in a confined space, it usually happens fast

and can be fatal. That is why employers in New Brunswick need clear procedures,

proper equipment, and solid training, like NBFSA’s Confined Space Awareness course.

What is a confined space in New Brunswick?

Under New Brunswick’s health and safety laws, a confined space is an area that is fully

or partly enclosed, is not designed for people to work in all the time, has limited ways to

get in or out, and can become dangerous because of its design, location, atmosphere, or

contents. Examples include tanks, silos, pits, manholes, utility vaults, sewers, boilers,

and some tunnels and pipelines.

These spaces are common in New Brunswick businesses, from food and wood

processing plants to pulp and paper mills, municipal water and wastewater systems, and

building and equipment maintenance. The first step in staying safe is learning to

recognize when a work area meets the definition of a confined space.

Why are confined spaces so dangerous?

Confined spaces are much more hazardous than open work areas. The main risks include the following:

Solution:

• Not enough oxygen or too much oxygen

• Toxic gases that can cause poisoning

• Flammable gases that can lead to fire or explosion

• Liquids, sludge, or free-flowing solids that can drown or bury a worker

  
  

WorkSafe NB warns that many confined space deaths involve oxygen problems and a lack of air testing before entry. Many people who die in confined spaces are co-workers who try to rescue someone without proper protection or a safe plan.

In wastewater treatment facilities and sewer systems, gases like hydrogen sulphide and methane can build up without any warning signs that you can see or smell. In manufacturing and processing, dust, chemicals, or steam can quickly make the air unsafe. Tight and awkward spaces also make it harder to move, escape, or rescue someone in an emergency.

How do the risks show up in New Brunswick industries?

Manufacturing and processing

In New Brunswick manufacturing plants, workers may need to enter mixing tanks, storage bins, hoppers, ovens, kilns, or dust collectors. Typical jobs include cleaning, inspections, repairs, and dealing with product blockages. Hazards here can include low oxygen, flammable dust, chemical residues, and moving materials that can engulf a worker.

Wastewater and water treatment

Municipal and industrial water and wastewater systems in the province contain many confined spaces, such as underground chambers, clarifiers, reservoirs, wet wells, valve pits, and large pipes. Hazards include toxic gases from decaying matter, low oxygen, sudden inflows of water or sludge, and slippery or uneven surfaces. Because these facilities must run every day to protect public health, maintenance is frequent, which raises the number of times workers face confined space risks.

Maintenance and municipal work

Maintenance crews and municipal workers in New Brunswick often work in manholes, culverts, cable vaults, tunnels, sumps, and trenches. Jobs can include electrical work, plumbing, communications, structural repairs, and cleaning. These spaces may also be affected by traffic, weather, and nearby work activities, which adds extra risk.

Legal duties for confined space work in New Brunswick

New Brunswick’s Occupational Health and Safety Act and Regulation 91-191 have specific rules for confined spaces. Before anyone enters a confined space, the employer must:

• Appoint a competent person to identify hazards and test the air

• Test for oxygen levels, flammable gases, and toxic contaminants using proper equipment

• Make sure safe conditions can be maintained while people are inside

• Develop a written code of practice for each confined space, including the work plan, hazards, controls, and rescue procedures

The code of practice must be available at the work area and kept on file for at least two years.

WorkSafe NB also sets training requirements. Everyone involved in confined space work, including workers who enter, attendants at the entrance, supervisors, and rescue team members, must be trained on the hazards, the code of practice, the permit system, and the emergency plan.

Core steps for safe confined space entry

Although each site needs its own detailed plan, some key steps apply to most confined space work in New Brunswick.

1. Identify space and hazards

A competent person must first decide whether an area is a confined space under the law. They must also list all possible hazards, including chemicals, residues, moving parts, noise, heat, and any process that could change conditions while people are inside.

2. Test the air before entry

The atmosphere must be tested before anyone enters. Testing should cover:

• Oxygen level

• Flammable gases or vapours

• Toxic gases or other harmful substances

  
  

Tests should be done at different levels, upper, middle, and lower, because some gases are heavier or lighter than air.

3. Purge, ventilate, and isolate

If the tests show unsafe conditions, the space must be purged and ventilated until the air is safe, and then kept safe with ongoing ventilation if needed. All lines that could bring in liquids, gases, or solids must be physically blocked off, for example, using blank or double-block-and-bleed methods, not just by closing valves.

4. Use a written permit and code of practice

A written entry permit and the code of practice must be completed, signed, and posted at the entry point. These documents show who is entering, what work will be done, how long it will take, what controls are in place, and what to do in an emergency.

5. Assign clear roles and keep communication going

In most cases, safe confined space work needs at least the following:

• One or more workers inside the space

• An attendant at the entrance who never enters

• A supervisor or designated person who is responsible for the overall control of the emergency plan

  
  

The attendant must stay at the entrance for the whole job, keep regular contact with the workers inside, and be ready to start the rescue plan if something changes. Two-way communication is important and may require radios, headsets, or agreed-upon hand and rope signals.

6. Provide suitable personal protective equipment and rescue gear

Workers must use the personal protective equipment that is listed in the code of practice. This may include respirators, coveralls, gloves, harnesses, lifelines, and fall protection. Rescue systems such as tripods, davit arms, and winches must be set up, and workers must be trained to use them safely.

How does NBFSA’s Confined Space Awareness training help New Brunswick employers?

Confined space safety is not just about owning gas monitors and rescue gear or having a binder of procedures. Workers and supervisors need training that connects the New Brunswick rules to real workplaces.

NBFSA’s Confined Space Awareness training gives workers, supervisors, and Joint Health and Safety Committee members a strong understanding of the following:

• How New Brunswick law defines a confined space

• Where confined spaces are likely to be found in manufacturing, wastewater, and maintenance work

• Common atmospheric and physical hazards, including oxygen problems, toxic gases, fire, and engulfment

• How to read and follow a confined space code of practice and entry permit

• The duties of entrants, attendants, supervisors, and rescue teams

• Why unplanned rescue attempts are so dangerous and what a proper rescue plan requires

For higher-risk operations, NBFSA can also support more advanced training, such as confined space rescue, which gives designated teams practical skills in using rescue systems and following emergency plans.

NBFSA’s broader safety services can help New Brunswick employers review existing confined space programs, create or update codes of practice, and fit confined space controls into a full safety management system.

What can New Brunswick employers do next?

If your organization works in manufacturing, wastewater treatment, utilities, construction, or maintenance anywhere in New Brunswick, now is a good time to review your confined space program. You can:

• Make an inventory of all possible confined spaces in your facilities and job sites

• Compare your current practices with WorkSafe NB guidance and legal requirements

• Ensure your supervisors and workers have up-to-date confined space awareness training through NBFSA

• Confirm that your codes of practice, permits, and rescue plans match the real work you do

• Hold regular drills so that everyone knows their role if an emergency happens

Confined space work will always carry some level of risk, but with the right planning, training, and leadership, New Brunswick employers can greatly reduce the chance of serious incidents and protect the people who keep their operations running.