Desarrollo del procedimiento de trabajo seguro (PTS) para las actividades que se realizan en espacios confinados de la Universidad Icesi [recurso electrónico]

Las labores realizadas en áreas de espacios confinados son generalmente muy comunes, debido que se llevan a cabo en todo tipo de industria, ya sea de bienes o servicios. Los trabajos en espacios confinados, implican la potencialidad de diferentes riesgos como son atmósferas peligrosas por falta de oxígeno, concentración de contaminantes superior a los valores límites permisibles y presencia de sustancias explosivas dentro de los límites de inflamabilidad, además de otros riesgos asociados a la configuración misma del espacio, como la estrechez del interior del recinto, la incomodidad de malas o inadecuadas posturas de trabajo, limitada iluminación, etc.

Jobs done in confined spaces are commonly exposed to risks such as hazardous atmospheres, accumulation of polluting substances, presence of flammable substances, as well as other risks related to the layout of the space itself, like the tightness inside the enclosure, the discomfort of bad or inadequate postures, the lack of illumination, etc. Getting into a confined space without a safe and standardized work procedure may cause lots of occupational problems, such as suffocation, airways disorders, faint, the dead, explosions, etc. If one of the listed problems ever occurs, the responsibility would fall over the Universidad Icesi, which trough the PGSSA is responsible for managing the risk in the confined spaces and responsible for providing the right tools and resources for the optimum service delivery. Therefore it’s highly important to have a safe procedure that gives the steps for the execution of any activity that might be done in a confined space. As a consequence, the actual project starts as an answer to a requirement made by Universidad Icesi, regarding a problematic situation and an improvement opportunity in the activities done in one of the many processes that take place in the facilities of the University. Jobs in confined spaces are important because compromise the academic community inside the university on a indirect way, and affect the general services staff directly.