S.L. 646.19 Art. 4General principles.

(1) An employer shall ensure that all confined spaces at the workplace are identified.

(2) An employer shall take all reasonable measures to ensure that work in a confined space is avoided if it is so practicable, and for this purpose shall consider alterations to the confined space, including structural alterations, and, or modifications to existing work practices so as to enable work to be carried out from outside the space.

(3) Where it is deemed necessary for work to be carried out in a confined space, it shall be the duty of an employer to ensure that the ingress to and the egress from the confined space, and the work to be carried out, are undertaken under a system of work which offers the highest degree of safety and which minimises risks to health as far as reasonably practicable.

(4) It shall be the duty of an employer to ensure that all work equipment, including equipment used for work activities in confined spaces, or which is used to enter or exit confined spaces, is adequate and suitable for use in a confined space, and subjected to a suitable system of maintenance: Provided that no work equipment shall be used in a confined space, if it is incompatible with any hazard present or likely to be present, or which can give rise to a risk to occupational health and safety by virtue of its presence or its use in the confined space.

(5) It shall be the duty of an employer to ensure that every item, object, article or thing required to be in a confined space, which by virtue of its not being properly maintained can give rise to risks to the health and safety of workers entering the space, as well as the confined space itself, shall be subject to a suitable system of maintenance.