Working in enclosed spaces
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In the Netherlands, if you have employees who work in enclosed spaces such as cellars, cooling cells, or sea containers, you must protect them against
- suffocation (in Dutch)
- intoxication
- poisoning
- fire
Inspection and measuring
You must have an expert (a seafety expert or gas analyst) inspect the space and measure whether hazardous substances or toxic gases are present. Employees may only access the space after measurements have shown that there is no danger.
Construction sector
In the construction sector you must have a Health and Safety Plan (Veiligheids- en gezondheidsplan, V&G-plan) in place for work in enclosed spaces. You incorporate your risk inventory and evaluation (RI&E) and your company emergency response plan in the Health and Safety Plan. You must put measures to prevent certain dangers in the company emergency response plan. Also, a superior must inform and instruct employees about dangers, measures and procedures.