If you want to work professionally as a chef, you would have to undergo training that would equip you to be 100% safe in the kitchen, especially with all of the hazards that could affect how you work. You could cut yourself with the knives and sharp objects, a fire could break out, or you could burn yourself. The same goes if you want to be a firefighter, a police officer, or even a paramedic. There is specific training that you need to go through to ensure your safety. This does not differ from people who would like to work in, for example, safety and rescue, aircraft repairs, sewage control and similar professions. These kinds of professions often have the need to work inside confined spaces which would need proper training for. Confined space training is necessary for people who are dealing with it each day; in fact, it is a requirement and is mandated. It is important to undergo this training if you are one of these people or if you are someone who is handling people who are exposed to confined spaces in the workplace.

Mandated

If your profession or occupation calls for you to be in confined spaces, or if your profession involves overseeing people who go through confined spaces day in and day out, then it is your duty to undergo the necessary confined space training, and even have your people go through the training as well. Since 1997, a law was passed to have a regulation on people who work in and with confined spaces. It should be a requirement for people in the profession to have the proper training and certification before going into the field. It is strictly implemented and followed by people because not abiding by this law could actually result in prosecution at the worst. The law was passed because of the rise in the deaths of people working in confined spaces without the proper knowledge and safety precautions. This is to save both employers and employees from facing unwanted accidents or even deaths in the workplace.

Prevention

As long as you can prevent yourself or your employees from going into confined spaces, you should do so. This means that you should undergo a hierarchy of control which is defined by the Confined Space Regulations. This states that if you have other means of working through the confined space, like by working from the outside parts of it, you should first try and exhaust means to do so. If in the event that there is really a need for you or your employee to go through and work inside a confined space, then the property safe systems should be in place to prevent any untoward scenarios happening in the workplace. Before going into the confined space, there should already be emergency arrangements made so that everything and everyone is ready for anything. Prevention is the top sure way to avoid any accidents and mishaps. But if it cannot be avoided, it is always, and it is always best to be prepared at all times. As the saying goes, it is best to hope for the best, but expect the worst.

Investment

For only £125 per person, you could make an investment that could save a lot of money in the long run. For a whole day’s worth of training (8:00AM to only 4:00PM), you would equip yourself, and your people from costing yourself and your company unforeseen medical and hospital bills should an accident occur. There are no more additional fees on top of that £125, and it would even already include a serving of lunch and refreshments, and of course the certification given by the SPA Core Construction. It is an investment that would allow for yourself and your employees to have a hands-on training to possible threats that you could be faced with in dealing with confined spaces. An important thing to also consider is not only to invest in your people’s training, but to also invest in the necessary tools and equipment needed to prevent accidents. One of which is a gas detector or an atmospheric monitor so that you would be able to identify if there are hazardous gasses in the proximity of your workplace. Knowing the gasses involved in a confined space is highly important to avoid respiratory problems when you are exposed to it, or even to prevent possible threats of explosions or fire breakouts. When you think about all of the expenses you would incur for this, it would just be pretty small compared to the amount of money you would be shelling out should an accident happen that would cause yourself or your employee serious injuries, dismemberment or even death.