Cal/OSHA recently launched a statewide Confined Space Special Emphasis Initiative to focus attention on the hazards posed by confined spaces in worksites. Cal/OSHA also issued a Confined Spaces Hazard Alert to assist employers with identifying confined space hazards and taking steps to prevent injuries.

The initiative was spurred by investigations of confined space deaths and injuries in California. In 2011, seven California workers were killed in confined space incidents, including two young brothers who died from toxic gases in an underground drainage system at a recycling center.

Confined spaces can include tanks, silos, pipelines, sewers, storage bins, drain tunnels and vaults, and can be found in many industrial worksites and also in non-industrial settings, such as health care, education and retail.