Most of the permit-required confined space standard requirements are in place to ensure that employees can safely enter and work inside permit spaces.
- The hazards within the space MUST be eliminated or controlled BEFORE entry is allowed.
- Testing and monitoring MUST be performed in order to ensure that entry conditions are acceptable before entry and that they remain so during the entire entry operation.
- Authorized entrants, attendants, entry supervisors, and others with duties performed under section 1910.146 MUST be trained to perform those duties safely and to recognize permit space hazards if they arise.
- Attendants MUST be stationed outside the space to keep unauthorized persons out of the space and to monitor the status of entrants to ensure (among other things) that hazards do not arise and that employees are evacuated quickly if they do.
Unfortunately, despite all these precautions, hazards may arise so quickly or unexpectedly that authorized entrants cannot escape from the permit space without assistance. 1910.146(k) addresses the rescue and emergency services needed in such an event.
