Permit Required Confined Spaces

On or about May 28th, 2020 at approximately 15:30 hours three (3) employees were exposed to fire and explosion hazards when a remediation repair (on a produced water tank) involved a grinder for preparing the surface and a heat gun for preparing an epoxy on a tank which had accumulated hydrocarbon vapors from the produced…...

At 9:00 a.m. on May 29, 2020, Employee #1 and #2, coworkers, discussed entry into a manhole to clear a blockage. Employee #1 entered into the manhole without personal protective equipment, without training, and without performing any air quality testing. Employee #1 successfully placed the line to clear the blockage and began to climb out…....

At approximately 4:00 a.m. on March 29, 2020, an employee was installing a blind on a flange on a reactor. Then, the probe stem fell inside of the reactor, and the employee tried to fish it out. Using a ladder, the employee went inside the reactor that was NOT cleared for entry because the reactor…...

The word “potential” is defined by Merriam-Webster as: existing in possibility : capable of development into actuality In OSHA’s PRCS standards (both 1910 and 1926 versions) it uses the word “potential” when talking about atmospheric hazards; especially when we are talking about RECLASSIFYING a PRCS to a NON-PRCS using 1910.146(c)(7) or 1926.1203(g) 1926.1203(g)(1) If the permit…...

So OSHA made some serious improvements in their latest Construction Standard, 1926.1201-.1213, for confined spaces.  But there is another option to “upgrade” our efforts for entry safety practices and that is NFPA 326 – Standard for the Safeguarding of Tanks and Containers for Entry, Cleaning, or Repair. … Membership Required You must be a member to...

At 9:50 a.m. on June 5, 2018, Employee #1 was in an 8 foot by 8-foot pit that was approximately 10 feet deep, cleaning out built-up sediment using a brush and 5-gallon bucket. Employee #1 was being helped by Employee #2, who was dumping the waste outside of the building that the pit was in…....

NOTE: this incident happened long BEFORE OSHA had 1910.146 in place… At about 3:30 p.m. on October 10, 1986, Employee #1, a self contractor, arrived to inspect the sawmill’s fire protection sprinkler system backflow valve located in an underground vault 8 ft deep by 6 ft wide by 12 ft long with a 31 in…....

At 10:45 a.m. on January 11, 2020, Employee #1, employed by an oil and gas operation company, was overseeing a heater treater welding repair. Employee #2 emptied the remaining fluids in the heater treater. Employee #1 power washed the heater treater to remove any remaining flammable materials and ensure that it was safe for welding…....

CAUTION:  This interim order is specific to the facility requesting it.  Do NOT use these measures at your facility!!! If I had a nickel for every time I have heard the excuse… “its more dangerous to do these isolations than it is to do the entry with lesser isolations,” I would not be writing this…...