Permit Required Confined Spaces

OSHA has cited a Chemical Manufacturer after an employee died due to lack of oxygen while cleaning the inside of a railcar. A second employee who tried to rescue the co-worker was also overcome but survived. OSHA has proposed $64,857 in penalties. The facility was cited for failing to provide respiratory protection; properly ventilate a confined…...

Over the years, I have encountered some great learning opportunities, many occurring during my VPP assessments.  In one such evaluation in Alabama, the CSHO pointed out that our PRCS Labels were on the actual coverings over the entry portals (e.g., manways).  As he explained, in that set-up, OSHA would not require the space to be…...

In OSHA’s 2018 Permit-Required Confined Spaces; Extension of the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) Approval of Information Collection (Paperwork) Requirements, they noted some fascinating numbers as they relate to PRCS’s in the USA… number of establishments with permit spaces = 210,281number of entrants entering these spaces = 1,471,634… Membership Required You must be a...

The purpose of the information collection requirements specified in the Permit-Required Confined Spaces Standard (29 CFR 1910.146) is to ensure that employers systematically evaluate the dangers in permit spaces before entry is attempted, and to guarantee that Start Printed Page 23725adequate measures are taken to make the areas safe for entry. Section 1910.146(c)(2) requires the…...

Does the cited provision of the welding standard (29 C.F.R. § 1926.353(b)(1)) presume that a hazard exists “whenever welding, cutting, or heating is performed in a confined space”?  CLICK HERE… Membership Required You must be a member to access this content.View Membership LevelsAlready a member? Log in here...

As the popularity of “reclassifying PRCSs” continues to grow, so do the myths and lies about how this entry method applies and how it gets implemented.  OSHA did provide some more clarification in their newest PRCS Standard for Construction, which I will use to explain the process of “reclassifying a PRCS to a non-Permit confined…...

One of my favorite things about state plans… they often provide more insight into OSHA standards.  Take for instance the state of WA OSHA’s, called Washington State Dept. of Labor & Industries, Safety Standards for Confined Spaces document.  The state’s Construction standard on Confined Spaces closely mimics Federal OSHA’s requirements, but it is HOW the state’s standard…...

Citation 1 Item 1a Type of Violation: Serious; $2,500 IAC 875 – Chapter 10 1910.147(c)(4)(i): Procedures were not developed, documented and utilized for the control of potentially hazardous energy when employees were engaged in activities covered by this section: (a) Waterloo Facility – The employer did not establish lockout specific procedures for this location. Employees…...

Cal/OSHA has cited a foundry $283,390 for workplace safety and health violations following a confined space accident that resulted in the amputation of an employee’s legs. Cal/OSHA cited the Foundry of similar breaches eight (8) years ago.  On August 28, two workers at the factory were cleaning and unjamming a 38-foot long auger screw conveyor…...

OSHA has issued $77,605 in fines to a power plant after a hydrogen sulfide (H2S) gas leak killed two contractors and injured four others inside a PRCS last August. The power company was fined $77,605, while the contractor that was performing maintenance at the plant was fined $129,340.  OSHA says it found the power plant failed…...

OSHA has issued $206,945 in fines to a power plant, and one of its contractors after a hydrogen sulfide (H2S) gas leak killed two workers and injured four others inside a PRCS last August. The power company was fined $77,605, while the contractor that was performing maintenance at the plant was fined $129,340.  OSHA says…...