LA LÍNEA VERTICAL has once again participated in Acerinox Europa’s Safety Week, held in May, with a series of workshops and training activities aimed at raising awareness and sensitising workers on the prevention of the main occupational hazards and showing, with practical cases, how to act in the event of an emergency situation.
Our company’s instructor Manuel Gómez took part in one of the sessions, giving theoretical and practical training on safety in confined spaces. He began with a talk in which he explained the conditions that a space must have to be considered confined, how to access these places, the general risks and the specific risks of confined spaces, and the measurement of atmospheres with detectors of four gases: oxygen (O2), LEL (explosiveness), hydrogen sulphide (H2S) and carbon monoxide (CO).
He also discussed confined space entry licences and the personal protective equipment (PPE) used for working in confined spaces, especially semi-automatic breathing apparatus (SAE) and self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA).
The case study dealt with the use of a tripod to access a confined space and the use of a stretcher. Thus, access to a reactor through its vertical manhole was simulated with the voluntary participation of several Acerinox workers.
Manuel Gómez emphasised the importance of assessing the risks very well and being very rigorous, both in the work procedure and in the rescue plan, in order to be able to work with maximum safety. He placed special emphasis on the measurement of the atmosphere, as this can be harmful to life, so it is essential to follow the protocols for action in this type of place.
This is the second year that LA LÍNEA VERTICAL has taken part in Acerinox’s Safety Week, a company we work with on a regular basis, carrying out maintenance, inspection, rescue and training tasks. It is a pleasure for us to collaborate with this company by contributing our knowledge to increase the safety of their workers and minimise occupational risks.