Permit Required Confined Spaces

At 2:00 p.m. on June 13, 2017, two employees, a father and son team, were replacing a pump. The son was overcome by hydrogen sulfide gas and became unconscious. As the father retrieved his son from the pump lift station, he fell and a suffered blunt force trauma injury. Both father and son died.  OSHA…...

OSHA has cited US Environmental Inc. for 12 safety violations, including willfully exposing workers to confined space and fall hazards. The company faces proposed penalties of $333,756.  Investigators inspected the facility on May 31, 2017, and found that the company failed to implement rescue procedures for employees in confined spaces; provide protective equipment when working in…...

On Oct. 11, 2012, a worker, 62, was killed at a tuna processing facility while he was loading a 35-foot-long Retort (see here for example of a retort).  A co-worker, who mistakenly believed the worker was in the bathroom, filled the retort with 12,000 pounds of canned tuna and turned it on, according to a…...

At approximately 11:00 p.m. on March 27, 2017, Employee #1 was cleaning a mixing tank. The power was turned on and Employee #1 was struck by the agitator and killed.  OSHA issued the following citations: NOTE: all of the citations are under contest… Membership Required You must be a member to access this content.View Membership...

OSHA has cited a Nebraska grain-handling cooperative for failing to protect workers from grain bin entrapment and engulfment hazards. The company faces $373,911 in proposed penalties. On May 4, 2017, OSHA responded to reports of a worker partially entrapped in a grain bin. Investigators found the worker had entered the bin to clear clumps of…...

It is not hard to find people who complain about government regulations, but the regulations often exist because people do not take optimal precautions on a voluntary basis. This case illustrates that problem.   Honorable Diane P. Wood, Chief Judge This case arose after toxic fumes in a large container (i.e. tanker truck) knocked out…...

As many continue the debate around energy isolation methods associated with entry into a Permit-Required Confined Space, I offer another example of why getting the energy isolation plan RIGHT is SO IMPORTANT.  I know there are safety professionals out there who feel strongly that single valve isolation or the use of an “automated valve” being…...

This case involved an industrial laundry company which uses continuous batch washers (CBW) which were correctly defined as a Permit-Required Confined Space (PRCS). During an OSHA inspection, the Compliance Officer (CO) took issue with the facility’s rescue plan from a CBW. After reading this case, I too took issue with their rescue plan; however, since…...

This OSHRC case involved laundry company who uses industrial sized washing machines which are correctly classified as a Permit-Required Confined Space (PRCS).  OSHA inspected the facility, and the CSHO discovered that the calibration gas used to calibrate the direct reading meter that would be used for testing the atmosphere inside the continuous batch washers (CBW) has expired 18…...

I often review the OSHRC decisions to learn better the “legal” side of OSHA compliance and most of the time I find that the Review Commission is pretty much a straight shooter when it comes to applying OSHA standards. But there are times when I close my computer as if I just saw a ghost…...