The objective of this article is to analyse the activities in the confined spaces of several industries to verify the state-of-the-art and identify the factors that contribute to the occurrence of accidents, as well as the tools, methods and technologies used in the management and control of the risks. The research used the systematic literature review (SLR). Of the 21 accepted papers, eight explored risk management and control in confined spaces (33.3%). The use of technologies appeared in six articles (28.6%) and the monitoring of environmental agents in five articles (23.8%). The main contributing factors for accidents were failures in the management process, lack of safe procedures, unsafe operations, financial restriction and training deficiencies. The studies showed the development of risk management and monitoring tools, and the use of technology as a way to improve worker safety. Copyright © 2024 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.