Permit Required Confined Spaces

If at first you do not fail, try-try again!

Two explosions, two hours apart, sent two (2) workers of a storage tank sales and servicing company to the hospital, one with severe burns. The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries is fining the Des Moines, Wash. business $166,423 for ignoring rules that keep workers safe. A resort on the Kitsap Peninsula hired the…...

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Removing the “potential” for a hazardous atmosphere in a space that normally has a haz atm

In 2021, I wrote an article regarding OSHA’s Permit-Required Confined Space standard and reclassifying PRCSs to a Non-PRCS status. This article centered on the keyword “potential” when discussing a hazardous atmosphere. The intent of that article (Defining and Quantifying “potential hazardous atmosphere”) was to clarify when/how a POTENTIAL was present to create a Hazardous Atmosphere…....

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Two die of asphyxiation after rescuing unconscious worker from a lorry tank (Entrant Survives; Two Would-Be-Rescuers Die)

The owner (58) of an auto wash facility and a worker (54) died of suspected asphyxiation after the duo rescued another worker, who had fainted inside the empty chemical cargo tank of a lorry while cleaning it. According to the police, the tanker lorry driver (48) took the vehicle to the wash facility for cleaning…....

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Entry Supervisor dies in Oxygen-Deficient atmosphere

Sad state of affairs… At 2:15 p.m. on December 7, 2023, an employee working as a pipefitter for a shipyard was tasked to inspect JP5 tanks to ensure they were safe for a permit required confined space entry and then assist with troubleshooting a repair connection. The employee entered a tank and was overcome by…...

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IL-OSHA PRCS Video (Water Valve Pit)

This video was produced as a companion product to IL OSHA’s report on the Deming Incident where a 20-year-old maintenance worker drowned in an underground vault during an attempt to repair a water main valve. IL OSHA encourages all municipal water departments that enter confined spaces to supplement their employer-specific training curriculum with this video…...

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IL-OSHA report on 20-year-old maintenance worker who drowned in a water main vault

In February 2023, a 20-year-old maintenance worker drowned in a water main vault that flooded during the attempted repair of a leaking valve. IL OSHA determined multiple contributing factors led to the drowning, including: ➡️ Lack of compliance with several confined space standards. ➡️ Lack of oversight and auditing by management. ➡️ Lack of rescue…...

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OSHA’s Data on 1910.146 – October 2023 through September 2024

Establishment Size: All sizesStandard: 1910.146 Permit-Required Confined Space OSHA’s Data on 1910.146 – October 2023 through September 2024… Membership Required You must be a member to access this content.View Membership LevelsAlready a member? Log in here...

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OSHA Guidance on the Reclassification of Permit-Required Confined Spaces (PRCS)

A permit-required confined space (PRCS) may be reclassified as a non-permit space under the following conditions as outlined in 1926.1203(g): There is no actual or potential atmospheric hazard within the space.This means that there are no atmospheric hazards in the space, and none will develop during the entry period. Use of forced air ventilation to…...

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An inside look at how an OSHA CSHO will conduct a PRCS inspection

This information should open some eyes as to OSHA’s expectations for how our PRCS Entry Programs are managed and by WHO! Take time to “read between the lines” in this information. Could your facility, and more specifically could your facility personnel, pass this level of inspection?… Membership Required You must be a member to access...

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OSHA clarifies “Designed for continuous worker occupancy”

I came across this on the DOL website and found it refreshing, as it seems the debate still rages on about several key terms in OSHA’s PRCS standards. Here are a few that may be helpful:… Membership Required You must be a member to access this content.View Membership LevelsAlready a member? Log in here...

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PRCS fatality (N2 asphyxiated)

At 10:20 a.m. on August 1, 2024, an employee, 53, was working inside a transformer. The employee entered a permitted confined space filled with nitrogen and asphyxiated due to overexposure to nitrogen. The employee was killed…. Membership Required You must be a member to access this content.View Membership LevelsAlready a member? Log in here...

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