TAFE NSW – Western Institute is expanding its delivery of training for people who need to work or conduct rescues in confined spaces with students and employers benefiting from a new purpose-built trailer equipped for on-site delivery in workplaces around the region.
According to Mike Gibson, Director of Educational Delivery, Western Institute, the NSW Occupational Health and Safety Act requires all people who enter or work in a confined space to be adequately trained.
Q: |
Staff working in confined spaces? |
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Help them stay safe with accredited training. |
‘Confined spaces are those areas where there is a risk of entrapment or where the atmosphere may have reduced oxygen content,’ he said. ‘These confined spaces might include sewers, trenches, pits, silos, under a house or in a ceiling. It is vital that people working in these conditions are correctly trained.’
Equipped with breathing apparatuses, harnesses, ventilation fans and portable gas detection devices, the trailer allows the course to be delivered flexibly according to the time and place required by an employer.
‘Our teachers are skilled professionals with years of experience in the entry to confined spaces and are trained in the latest rescue techniques,’ Mr Gibson said. ‘By having this added degree of flexibility in the delivery of the course, they will be ensuring that people undertaking the course not only gain the skills required to work in the spaces, they are also able to see and use the latest equipment designed to protect their safety.’
The training equips participants with the requirements of the current Australian Standard for Confined Space Entry and covers legal requirements for risk assessment and entry permits, fitting harnesses, use of breathing apparatus, rescue techniques and fire fighting techniques.
The Institute runs a three-day course which can be delivered at any Western Institute campus or on-site at workplaces. Participants receive a TAFE PLUS statement and a wallet sized card to prove they have been suitably trained.
A one-day refresher program is also offered to ensure that people’s skills and knowledge remain current.
