Regulation 1 Citation, commencement and interpretationI1

These Regulations may be cited as the Confined Spaces Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1999 and shall come into operation on 1st June 1999.

In these Regulations—

• “confined space” means any place, including any chamber, tank, vat, silo, pit, trench, pipe, sewer, flue, well or other similar space in which, by virtue of its enclosed nature, there arises a reasonably foreseeable specified risk;

• “diving operation” has the same meaning assigned thereto by regulation 2(1) of the Diving Operations at Work Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1994^f1;

• “free flowing solid” means any substance consisting of solid particles and which is of, or is capable of being in, a flowing or running consistency, and includes flour, grain, sugar, sand or other similar material;

• “mine” has the same meaning as in the Mines Act (Northern Ireland) 1969^f2;

• “specified risk” means a risk of—

  1. (a)

     serious injury to any person at work arising from a fire or explosion;

  2. (b)

     without prejudice to paragraph (a)—

     1. (i)

        the loss of consciousness of any person at work arising from an increase in body temperature;

     2. (ii)

        the loss of consciousness or asphyxiation of any person at work arising from gas, fume, vapour or the lack of oxygen;

  3. (c)

     the drowning of any person at work arising from an increase in the level of a liquid; or

  4. (d)

     the asphyxiation of any person at work arising from a free flowing solid or the inability to reach a respirable environment due to entrapment by a free flowing solid;

• “system of work” includes the provision of equipment which is in good working order.

• “territorial waters” means United Kingdom territorial waters adjacent to Northern Ireland and “within territorial waters” includes on, over and under them.