What Is Due Diligence?

Due diligence is a process of taking the care and time to understand safety and production requirements of a job or task. Supervisors have a responsibility to ensure that every part of the task or job is challenged against a standard of safety to ensure that workers are adequately protected. This is part of the Job Hazard Analysis or Job Safety Analysis that must be completed for each task or day.

Challenging all steps in a job against safety standards is the basic concept of due diligence. Understand the scope of the job and the tasks required first. Then assess each task individually for safety. Finally, establish a plan to control hazards and work safely.

Why Do Supervisors Need Training?

A supervisor is appointed because of training and experience regarding a task or job. The supervisor is directly responsible for the safe completion of the work, and the wellbeing of the workers they are supervising.

Supervisors cannot be expected to inherently know how to perform any supervisory task. Moving from a worker position to a supervisor position requires specific training. Understanding the roles and responsibilities of a supervisor is paramount to being a safe and effective supervisor.

What Happens Next?

Supervisors are tasked with getting a job done. To get the job done safely, supervisors need appropriate training to assess and control the hazards they’ll face. A general awareness of due diligence is a good place to start. Specific training in tasks and hazards faced by an organization or site require specific training.

KMC Safety Solutions offers training, hazard assessment, safe work planning, program development and auditing of health and safety programs. For solutions customize to your needs, contact us:

What is a confined space

There are three conditions that create a confined space. None of the definitions refer to the physical size of the space. Confined space doesn’t always mean small or in close quarters.

The first condition is that it is not designed for continuous human occupancy. This is a broad definition and can encompass everything from an open vat or pool to a pipe or tunnel.

The second condition is that the space may present an atmospheric hazard. Doesn’t necessarily present a hazard, but might. An atmospheric hazard is one that creates an oxygen deficient (or enriched) atmosphere, or a toxic atmosphere because of other contaminants. This hazard can be internal or external such as a cutting or welding operation or the introduction of gases or vapours from an outside source such as engine exhaust or leaking fuel.

The third condition is that there needs to be limited means of egress. This may be due to the size of the vessel or compartment, the shape of the doorway, the need for a ladder or other means of access.

What goes into an entry plan

Any confined space entry needs a specific plan written for that event. In many cases, the details of a plan can be repeated for each space and adjusted for specific tasks that are being completed during the entry. It is best practice for industrial facilities to have an inventory of confined spaces and the requirements for each one pre-filled in the plan.

Basic information includes the type of space, the hazards that are or may be present in the space, the tasks to be completed in the space, and the rescue plan should an emergency arise. The details of the plan are based on the specific conditions encountered at the time of entry. The plan also sets out the workers, attendants, and supervisors involved in the activity.

What information do we need

The first thing needed is a description of the space and an assessment of the hazards associated with entry. These hazards need to be addressed before adding any other potential hazards of the tasks to be performed in the space. Once the hazards are identified, controls must be put in place. Depending on the nature of the space and tasks, there may need to multiple or back up controls. If multiple trades are involved in the process, a coordinating document is required to ensure that one trade’s operations won’t create a hazard for other workers in the space.

What’s next?

Every employer needs a confined space program if their workers are exposed to confined space work. Developing a plan and training workers is a critical step in worker safety. Contact us today to review or update your confined space plan, or develop training for your specific needs. Remote training is available here:

KMC Safety Solutions serves the Southern Ontario manufacturing and construction sectors. We offer training, program development, gap analysis, compliance auditing and consulting services. Training is available in person or online for many programs. Contact KMC for your personalized solutions.