Hazards monitoring in confined spaces: a comprehensive review, trends, challenges, and future directions
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36557/2674-9432.2026v5n8p593-618Palavras-chave:
Confined Spaces, Occupational Safety and Health, Risk Management, Wireless Sensor Network, Atmospheric Monitoring.Resumo
Confined spaces account for a significant portion of occupational fatalities worldwide due to their inherent atmospheric hazards and limited access for emergency response. This paper proposes a comprehensive systematic review of the literature on remote monitoring of confined spaces to enhance worker safety from atmospheric hazards. It highlights the use of the PRISMA methodology to examine studies employing wireless technology to prevent occupational deaths. The paper identifies confined-space hazards such as flammable or toxic gases and low oxygen levels. The review analyzed 146 studies from the past 10 years, with 32 meeting the inclusion criteria for in-depth analysis. Findings indicate that industries like mining, oil and gas, and civil construction have invested heavily in safety technologies, including wireless sensor networks for monitoring, big data for storage, and machine learning to improve decision-making. However, many other sectors still need to adopt real-time monitoring technologies to reduce work-related accidents. The results present risk management strategies for confined spaces, including training, regulations, and technology investments tailored to specific operational areas and confined-space types. Additionally, the review emphasizes that atmospheric hazards in confined spaces require greater attention to reduce fatalities, given the complexity and diversity of gases present. Implementing risk management techniques in confined spaces is essential to prevent serious injuries and deaths, expanding mitigation efforts beyond atmospheric hazards to include physical, biological, and ergonomic risks.
Espaços confinados são responsáveis por uma parcela significativa das fatalidades ocupacionais em todo o mundo devido aos riscos atmosféricos inerentes e ao acesso limitado para a resposta a emergências. Este artigo propõe uma revisão sistemática abrangente da literatura sobre o monitoramento remoto de espaços confinados, com o objetivo de aumentar a segurança dos trabalhadores contra riscos atmosféricos. Destaca o uso da metodologia PRISMA para examinar estudos que empregam tecnologia sem fio para prevenir mortes ocupacionais. O artigo identifica perigos em espaços confinados, como gases inflamáveis ou tóxicos e baixos níveis de oxigênio. A revisão analisou 146 estudos dos últimos 10 anos, dos quais 32 atenderam aos critérios de inclusão para análise aprofundada. Os resultados indicam que setores como mineração, petróleo e gás e construção civil investiram pesadamente em tecnologias de segurança, incluindo redes de sensores sem fio para monitoramento, big data para armazenamento e aprendizado de máquina para aprimorar a tomada de decisões. No entanto, muitos outros setores ainda precisam adotar tecnologias de monitoramento em tempo real para reduzir acidentes de trabalho. Os resultados apresentam diversas estratégias de gerenciamento de riscos em espaços confinados, como treinamento, regulamentação e investimentos tecnológicos, adaptadas a áreas operacionais específicas e a diferentes tipos de espaços confinados. A revisão enfatiza que os riscos atmosféricos em espaços confinados exigem maior atenção para reduzir as fatalidades, devido à complexidade e à diversidade de gases presentes nesses ambientes. Implementar técnicas de gerenciamento de riscos em espaços confinados é essencial para prevenir acidentes, expandindo os esforços de mitigação para além dos riscos atmosféricos, incluindo os físicos, biológicos e ergonômicos.
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