Permit Required Confined Spaces

The April 2022 incident that was reported as “two (2) men down on the property” was actually a PRCS accident involving a railcar at the repair facility.  IN-OSHA released its findings last month and issued $113,400 to the business.  One worker passed away, and the other survived.  Here is a breakdown of IN-OSHA’s PRCS citations:…...

On April 21, 2021, two employees were working inside a rail tank car that had previously contained pressurized propane. The two employees were conducting ultrasonic testing on the welds of the interior of the tank car. Employee one exited the tank manway and expressed concern that he was starting to smell something. Employee three, the…...

At 4:45 p.m. on August 14, 2015, Employee #1, a maintenance worker, was lowered into a 12-foot tall 8,000-gallon polyethylene tank using a rope with a loop to stand on and the other end connected to a rough terrain forklift operated by the manager of the farm. The tank was used to store liquid whey…...

At 9:30 a.m. on November 8, 2015, an employee was cleaning the inner lining of a railcar that was previously transporting latex. The employee lost consciousness while inside of a railcar with an oxygen-deficient atmosphere. First responders attempted to rescue the employee but could not revive/resuscitate them. A second employee who entered the railcar lost…...

At 7:00 a.m. on March 25, 2022, an employee entered a grain bin. The grain bin was 28 feet in diameter. The center of the bin had floor grate(s) with a conveyor underneath turned on to move grain. The grain was not flowing, so the employee entered the bin from a top hatch and climbed…...

OSHA’s PRCS standard defines the terms Blinding and Blanking in the same definition, but there is actually a difference between these practices.  Here is OSHA’s definition: Blanking or blinding means the absolute closure of a pipe, line, or duct by the fastening of a solid plate (such as a spectacle blind or a skillet blind)…...

A 48-year-old worker entered a tanker trailer to inspect it as part of an annual U.S. Department of Transportation requirement and was overcome by exposure to bleach and chlorine gas. The worker was found unconscious in the tanker trailer, and he later died of his injuries. An investigation by OSHA determined his employer failed to…...

productThis week I have been helping a client/friend understand what a true non-entry rescue system looks like and how it functions.  Back in July 2011, I wrote an article titled “CS Rescue… Tripods and Winches and a false sense of security” to help facilities understand the vast limitations of the traditional tripod and winch setup. …...

At 9:45 a.m. on February 22, 2021, an employee was working for a general, long-distance freight trucking company. He washed vehicles and cleaned equipment for the company. He was cleaning a tanker trailer that had contained ALFOL 16 (tradename for 1-Hexadecanol). The employer stated that the employee was inspecting the tank for materials. The atmosphere…...

At 5:00 p.m. on January 30, 2022, an employee was loosening powdered limestone from inside silo #7 with a weight. The employee entered the silo to recover the tool being used. The employee walked on top of the powdered limestone inside the silo (confined space) and was engulfed in the material and was killed as…...