Dealing with Confined Spaces

Confined spaces in the workplace present unique hazards to employees who must enter them. Their function, design and restricted access have all the ingredients that can increase hazardous exposures. If you are required to work in confined spaces, you must be aware of the programs developed to identify confined spaces and access must be limited to trained authorized employees.

What is a confined space?

For a space to be classified as a confined space, it must:

• Be large enough for a person to bodily enter

• Have restricted access

• Not be designed for continuous human occupancy.

What makes a permit-required confined space?

It has one of the following additional conditions:

• Has a potential to contain a hazardous atmosphere

• Has a material that could engulf an entrant

• Has an internal configuration, such as a sloping floor or converging walls that can trap or asphyxiate an entrant.

• Contains any other recognized serious safety or health hazard.

What are the atmospheric hazards?

• Oxygen level — too high (greater than 23.5 percent) or too low (less than 19.5 percent).

• Flammables — greater than 10 percent lower explosive level.

• Potential exposure to toxic contaminants that may be immediately dangerous to life and health or which may result in exposures greater than the threshold limit value.

How can a confined space be safely entered with the hazards present?

Permit status ensures necessary precautions are taken to protect employees when they enter a confined space where the atmospheric and/or physical hazards are still present. A permit will identify hazards present in the space and document that each hazard is addressed.

 

What does the permit require?

It requires trained employees who are knowledgeable of the hazards, symptoms of exposure and duties required to successfully complete the job in the confined space.

How does a worker know when a permit is needed?

• All confined spaces are considered permit-required until the agency determines otherwise

• All confined spaces need to be identified in the work place and evaluated for hazards.

• All confined spaces need to be identified with signs. If the work place contains permit required confined spaces, the employer shall inform exposed employees, by posting danger signs or by any other equally effective means, of the existence and location of and the danger posed by the permit spaces.

How do we issue a permit?

A permit is completed prior to the entry. It contains the time, date, purpose, length of entry and employees who will perform the entry and attendant activities. It states the condition of the atmosphere and steps taken to control physical hazards. The work crew or the supervisor completes the permit. If the work crew completes it the supervisor must review it.

How long is our permit valid?

A permit is issued for the length of time for one crew to perform the task.

NOTE: If the crew exits for lunch, the permit is not valid unless space is evaluated again.