Permit Required Confined Spaces

A 47-year-old male employee was fatally injured when he became engulfed by sawdust after entering a dust collection silo.  The company is a hardwood flooring manufacturer.  On the day of the incident, the victim was cleaning the inside of a dust collection silo containing wood dust. The fire department had been called on to extinguish…...

I have an on going debate with a new food client on their “spiral freezers” being a Permit-Required Confined Space(s).  In my professional opinion, a spiral freezer, at least all the ones I have been around, are without a doubt a PRCS.  This company, including their brand manufacturer, are claiming they are not – based…...

I have written about the differences between a CS vs. PRCS many times, but one situation that we must NEVER loose sight of is that many PRCS today are caused by the work taking place within them and NOT the normal PRCS hazards.  What do I mean by this?  The entry supervisor checks the atmosphere…...

One of the weakness of OSHA’s PRCS standard(s) (1910.146 and 1926.1200) is that when the space is evaluated and it is determined to only be a Confined Space (CS).  Too often we let down our guard and assumed the space will pose no hazards to the workers entering the space.  Recently I was made aware…...

We debated this topic a couple of years back and although I am not sure we came to an agreement, I was, still am, set on the idea that 1910.146(c)(5) and (c)(7) can NOT be used simultaneously on the same PRCS.  In other words, the PRCS either qualifies for (c)(5) entry or (c)(7) entry; or…...

As it usually goes, the vast majority of challenges and questions I have received thus far from yesterdays ASSP2019! presentation center around the most controversial characteristic of 1910.146… 4. Contains any other recognized serious safety or health hazard I could have spent a half day talking on this single characteristic, but I had only 35…...

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This video was one of my “Video of the Week” videos from years ago, but since I get so many request for it I posted it in the PRCS section…. Membership Required You must be a member to access this content.View Membership LevelsAlready a member? Log in here...

OSHA defines 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. Here is…...