It is a common question… why does OSHA define entry as…
| Entry means the action by which a person passes through an opening into a permit-required confined space. Entry includes ensuing work activities in that space and is considered to have occurred as soon as any part of the entrant’s body breaks the plane of an opening into the space. |
This work took place on a ship in a flammable atmosphere. In the video, we can see the worker sitting on the edge of the manway, with his legs dangling down inside the space.
He was using a grinder to “recondition” the threads on the bolts (they corrode over time). There were no sparks generated by this work. However, the grinder’s electrical motor sucked in vapors from the space and ignited the space, lifting the worker approximately 12′ in the air and burning off most of his clothing. The worker did not survive.
WARNING!!! This video is GRAPHIC and could be upsetting to some viewers.
