Permit Required Confined Spaces

Understanding the PRCS Ventilation table from “AT&T Standard Section 620-140-501” (1976 edition)

/ OSHA Compliance, Permit Required Confined Spaces /

The AT&T Standard Section 620-140-501 (often referred to as Bell System Practice, or BSP, 620-140-501), published in June 1976, is a foundational safety document for the telecommunications industry. It outlines the strict procedures for testing, purging, and ventilating manholes and other confined spaces before and during employee entry. Because telecommunications workers frequently operate in underground […]

Using AI to establish my ventilation rate for a Permit-Required Confined Space entry using OSHA’s Alternative Entry option 1910.146(c)(5) or 1926.1203(e)

/ OSHA Compliance, Permit Required Confined Spaces /

I have a 10,000-gallon storage tank that I need to ventilate with forced-air ventilation. My program states I need to achieve at least 7 air changes per hour. What CFM blower do I need to achieve this? This is the question I asked Google Gemini 3.1 Pro, and I’ll be damned, it was SPOT ON!

A Department of Public Works Worker and a Volunteer Firefighter Died in a Sewer Manhole (Oxygen Deficiency and No atm monitoring)

/ Hazardous Materials, OSHA Compliance, Permit Required Confined Spaces /

In September 2010, a 48-year-old male worker (Victim I) employed by a village Department of Public Works (DPW) and a 51-year-old male volunteer firefighter (Victim II) of the village Fire Department (FD) died after entering a sewer manhole. The manhole was located behind the firehouse. The Fire Chief and a firefighter were called in by

Which flammable gas (methane or pentane) is better to use in calibrating my direct-reading instrument? (Sweating the small stuff series)

/ Chemical Process Safety (PSM/RMP), Emergency Response, Hazardous Materials, OSHA Compliance, Permit Required Confined Spaces /

Choosing between methane and pentane for calibrating a direct-reading combustible gas indicator (CGI) depends primarily on your specific application, the target hazards in your environment, and sensor technology constraints. But there are BOTH a “Pentane Advantage” and a “Methane Advantage” Match the Target Gas (Best Practice for Specific Hazards)

Materials of Construction for Direct Reading Instruments: Sample Tubing (Sweating the small stuff series)

/ Chemical Process Safety (PSM/RMP), Emergency Response, Hazardous Materials, OSHA Compliance, Permit Required Confined Spaces /

When you pump reactive, highly polar, or oxidizing gases like chlorine (Cl2), chlorine dioxide (ClO2), or ammonia (NH3) through standard silicone, polyurethane, or Tygon tubing, the tubing acts like a chemical absorber/scrubber. The gas is actively consumed or trapped by the hose before it ever reaches the instrument’s sensors. This creates severe process safety and

Setting the record straight… Is there a maximum length of sample tubing for MSA/Drager/RKI/Industrial Scientific direct-reading instruments? (Sweating the small stuff series)

/ Emergency Response, Hazardous Materials, OSHA Compliance, Permit Required Confined Spaces /

NOTE: Be sure to check your BRAND and MODEL for specifics. I have used MSA devices in this article because they are the brand I have used for 30+ years, and I am a huge fan of their products. ALL brands will have similar restrictions. ATTENTION TO these details matters! Yes, MSA enforces strict maximum

OSHA cites big rig parts distributor for confined space fatality (asphyxiation), safety hazards after worker fatality at the company’s Corpus Christi facility

/ OSHA Compliance, Permit Required Confined Spaces, Respiratory Protection /

OSHA has cited a big rig parts distributor for 16 serious safety violations after an investigation into a worker fatality found the company exposed workers to confined space and other safety hazards. OSHA initiated an inspection on Jan. 7, 2026, after an employee asphyxiated while inspecting a tanker trailer. OSHA cited the company for 16

Two (2) terms (Blind and Blank) that get misused in energy isolation discussions

/ Chemical Process Safety (PSM/RMP), Free, Lockout Tagout, OSHA Compliance, Permit Required Confined Spaces /

First, I am as guilty as anyone for using these terms interchangeably, but this week I was in a deep discussion on PRCS Isolation and those on the other end of the phone were getting confused as I was using these terms interchangeably. So I am setting the record straight on this topic, as it

I had to ask… Can a PRCS be reclassified using (c)(7) if the piping passing through remains “charged” with a hazardous material?

/ Free, OSHA Compliance, Permit Required Confined Spaces /

My official question to OSHA was… Recently, OSHA issued an LOI aligning with NFPA 350 regarding PRCS isolation. In particular, OSHA stated that a pipe passing through a PRCS but not terminating within the space would NOT have to be isolated and evacuated. I want to know if this practice would be acceptable if the

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