NR 33 8H

Luciana Suman Jardim

24/05/2014

NR 33 - BASICS FOR WORK IN

CONFINED SPACES
This Standard aims to establish minimum
requirements for identification and recognition of
confined spaces, evaluation, monitoring and
control of risks, in order to permanently guarantee
the safety and health of workers who interact
directly or indirectly in such spaces.

Why studies that?

STATISTICAL
According to OSHA:

Of the deaths in Confined Spaces:

60% atmospheric hazards;
(Of these 40% - O2 deficiency)
30% for lack of knowledge;
10% for other reasons;
In Brazil:
60% of deaths are due to lack of knowledge;

The legal definition expressed in

NR33, item 33.1.2, states that:
Confined Space is any area or environment not designed
for continuous human occupancy, which has limited means
of entry and exit, which is insufficient ventilation to remove
contaminants or where there might be a deficiency or
oxygen enrichment.

The legal definition refers to a space with

dimensions and limited openings for entry and
exit, such as tanks and silos, unfavorable natural
ventilation which could contain or produce
contaminants of air can contain products that
may involve or suffocate anyone in this
environment, and that which is not recommended
for continuous occupation of people.
Confined spaces include but are not limited to
storage tanks, process vessels, storage, cylinders,
pits, silos, vats, reactors, boilers, pipelines
generally galleries sewers, tunnels, wells, pumps,

It is understood as inappropriate environment for

human occupancy any space that was designed for
storing, transporting and / or process which is closed.
However, occasionally these spaces must be occupied
to perform maintenance, repair, cleaning or are
inhabited by accident.
The confined space is identified by the existence of one
of the conditions listed below:
Existence of little room for input and output of the
environment;
No ventilation or poor ventilation;

WHAT IS VENTILATION?

Usually

confined

spaces

are

poorly

ventilated due to its allocation of project, ie

the atmosphere or inside a confined space
is distinct from the outside atmosphere. For
this reason, these environments can trap
dangerous gases and harmful to human life,
especially in environments that are used to
store chemicals and in particular, organic
chemicals, organics decompose and can
often deteriorate in the form of dangerous
products, such as H2S (hydrogen sulfide),

Confined

spaces

do

not

possess

or

produce toxic substances may not have

enough

concentration

of

oxygen

to

support human life. Another danger of

confined spaces is the ability to retain
that flammable mixtures depending on
concentration

and

temperature

conditions of ignition can be detonated

C L V
Q
LT T

Where
Q - Flow of required equipment (m3 / h).
CL - Concentration of toxic substance and / or
dangerous in a confined atmosphere.
V - Volume of a confined space (m3).
LT - Limit of tolerance of toxic or dangerous.
T - Time required to obtain the necessary
dilution (h).

Signs warning not to use O2 as a unique

element
to
ventilate
environment
(Fundacentro, 2006)

CONDITION IMMEDIATELY DANGEROUS

TO LIFE OR HEALTH (IDLH):
Any condition that puts an immediate risk
of death or which may result in irreversible
health effects immediately or severe or
which may result in eye damage, irritation
or other conditions that may prevent the
exit of a confined space.

ADMINISTRATIVE MEASURES
The NR 33 establishes the need to propose
administrative measures for implementation of
services in confined spaces. Among these, the
standard announced in his item 33.3.3:
a) maintain updated records of all confined
spaces, including the disabled, and their risks;
b) develop measures to isolate, signal, control or
eliminate hazards in the confined space;
c) maintain permanent signage at the entrance of
the confined space in accordance with Annex I to
this rule;

d) Implement procedures for working in

confined space;
e) adapt the model input and Work Permit
provided for in Annex II of NR, the peculiarities
of the company and its confined spaces;
f) complete, sign and date, in triplicate, and the
Entry Work Permit before the entrance of
workers in confined spaces;
g) having a control system that allows the
tracking of Entry Permit and Work;
h) to deliver one of the workers and allowed to
Watcher copy of Entry Permit and Work;

i) close the Permission Entry Work and when

operations are completed when an unforeseen
condition or when a break or interruption of
work;
j) maintaining the stored procedures and entry
permits and work for five years;
k) provide the procedures and Entry Permit and
Work for the attention of employees authorized
representatives and inspection of work;
l) designate the persons who will participate in
entry operations, identify the duties of each
employee and providing the training required

m) establish procedures for the supervision

of the work abroad and within confined
spaces;
n) ensure that access to the confined space
only be initiated with monitoring and
supervision of qualified approval
o) ensure that all employees are informed
of the risks and control measures at the
place of employment;
p) to implement a Respiratory Protection
Program in accordance with risk analysis,
considering the location, complexity and

PLANNING OF WORK IN CONFINED

SPACES
Before starting work in a confined area is
necessary to make a preliminary inspection
of the site and must necessarily take steps
to:
Continuous Monitoring of substance that
causes asphyxiation, explosion and
poisoning. Ban on use of oxygen for
ventilation of a confined
Effective local exhaust ventilation to
make the extraction of contaminants and
general ventilation that runs the air

PLANNING OF WORK IN CONFINED

SPACES
Choice of appropriate PPE for
protection chemicals.
Signaling with information clearly and
permanently during the performance
of work within confined spaces.
Equipment that may generate some
risk must be disabled. The shutdown
of equipment must be guaranteed by
a reliable procedure for the blocking.

IDENTIFICATION AND
CONFINED SPACE
Confined spaces generally in
business are identified and
registered and should be
flagged. It is important that
confined spaces are identified
to
monitor
and
prevent
unauthorized
access
to
confined spaces.
By identifying the confined
space is necessary to check if
the entry does not require
special measures to control
risks. Annex 1 NR 33 provides
for the following signs:

SIGNS

OF

ADDITIONAL SIGNS

Electricity, radiation, bio safety and risk of

explosion or infected material.

Signs indicating the required PPE for the area

Attention
Confined spaces must display an
identification sign with a distinct
space, numbering or lettering the
name of the tank or vessel.
Escape Route need to be bellow,
more near of the floor.

ENTRY PERMIT AND WORK IN

CONFINED SPACES PET
In confined areas considered as the entry of
persons is allowed only after release by means
of permission to work (EN).
The NR33 calls this document as ENTRY PERMIT
AND WORK IN CONFINED SPACE, which is a
written document containing a set of measures
aimed at controlling the entry and development
of safe work, and emergency measures and
rescue in confined spaces.

NOTE - The entry permit is only valid for

one entry. NR-33.3.3.1

A permission to entry and work shall

have at least the following items:
Identify the persons authorized to
enter the confined space;
Reason for entry into the confined
space; Inform the commencement
date of service;
Inform the length of services;
Establish the conditions for entry;

 Responsible for evaluation and

other atmospheric conditions;
Determine whether there is need
for periodic measurements of
atmospheric conditions in the case
of long term service;
Communication equipment, PPE
and rescue equipment.

Besides the performers permission to

work in confined spaces of the services
should be trained to respond to the
peculiarities of working in confined space.
Furthermore, there should be if necessary
for the systematic verification of the
conditions of ventilation of the place
where the service will be held in order to
monitor and verify the conditions of
human occupation in that environment
and whether or not to use equipment to
develop specific tasks ass As is shown in
the picture below.

Can be monitored, for example, oxygen

content (O2), presence and amount of
hydrogen sulfide (H2S), carbon monoxide
(CO), presence of organic vapors and
flammable or hazardous quantities are
prohibitive, and asphyxiating substances.
If there is a need, must be provided
ventilation or exhaust systems.

MODEL OF PET

RESCUE / RESCUE IN CONFINED

SPACE
Standard operating procedure,
performed by staff with specialized
technical expertise to rescue and
provide first aid to workers in case
of emergency.

 The time for rescue in confined space is

extremely limited. After a period of four
minutes without oxygen, most likely the
worker is choking and can cause injury or
death to celebrate.
Due to the need to provide first aid to
workers in confined spaces is important to
have all the resources necessary to provide
relief. We stress the importance of training of
personnel involved in the work, because that
serves all these resources if there is no
qualified staff to run the rescue.

LEGAL OBLIGATIONS
The NR 33 establishes and defines
the responsibilities of both employer
and employee over the confined
space.

OBLIGATIONS OF EMPLOYER
Among the legal obligations provided for
employers item 33.3.2.1
include:
a) formally indicate the person responsible for
technical compliance with this standard;
b) identify the confined spaces at that facility;
c) identify the specific risks in the confined space;
d) implementing management safety and health at
work in confined spaces, for technical preventive
measures, administrative, personal and emergency
and rescue services to ensure permanently
environments with adequate working conditions;

e) ensuring the continued training of workers

about the risks, control measures,
emergency and rescue in confined spaces;
f) ensure that access to the confined space
only occurs after the issue in writing to the
Permission Entry and Labor, as the model in
Annex II of NR;
g) to provide contractors information on
risks in areas where they develop their
activities and require the training of their
employees;

 h) monitor the implementation of security

measures and health of employees of
contractors providing the means and
conditions for them to act in accordance with
this NR;

i) stop any kind of work in case of suspicion

of the condition of serious and imminent risk,
proceeding to the immediate abandonment
of the site;
j) Ensure updated information about risks and
control measures before each access to
confined spaces