Permit Required Confined Spaces

For those who have been adamant and faithful followers of 1910.146, know that the standard requires the Entry Supervisor to verify rescue services are available and that the means for summoning them are operable BEFORE he/she signs the entry permit and allows entry to begin.  Although we get a lot of pushback on this, as many…...

Permit-required confined spaces can present conditions that are immediately dangerous to workers’ lives or health if not properly identified, evaluated, tested and controlled. OSHA has developed a standard for Confined Spaces in Construction (29 CFR 1926 Subpart AA) for any space that meets all of the following criteria: Is large enough for a worker to…...

I have written several times now about OSHA’s new Construction Standard for Permit-Required Confined Spaces and how this new standard clarifies several aspects regarding the General Industry Standard 1910.146. But one requirement I continue to get push back on is the fact that ENTRY-STYLE Rescue is REQUIRED for ALL “permitted entires” in both Construction and…...

A food cannery faces $143,550 in federal penalties after a worker, 35, fell more than 17 feet into an empty sauerkraut vat and broke multiple bones. The inspection that followed was the fourth time since 2011 that OSHA has cited the company for failing to protect workers from fall and machine hazards. On April 13,…...

These citations are the FIRST OSHA citations using 1926.1201-1213, OSHA’s confined space in constructionOSHA’s confined space in construction standard.  It is IMPORTANT to point out these citations involved work at a waste-water treatment plant (WWTP) which is normally a workplace that would fall under OSHA’s GENERAL INDUSTRY standards; however, the work being done INSIDE the 54″ pipe…...

OSHA fines New Orleans tank cleaner $226K for willful, repeat violations after a worker died, and two others were hospitalized, while they cleaned a rail tank car. The three workers were overcome by a lack of oxygen inside the rail tanker on Oct. 8, 2015. OSHA found the company failed to test the atmosphere inside…...

An employee at a food manufacturing plant was instructed to enter and clean the insides of a 3,000-gallon tank containing vinegar on Sept. 28, 2015. Once inside, he was overcome by acetic acid vapors created by the vinegar in the tank. He was rescued but was hospitalized for five days. An OSHA inspection found that…...

OSHA conducted a sweeping inspection of a company that employs about 300 workers at an array of businesses, including a dairy and creamery, farm, concrete plant, auto repair, welding shop, restaurants and lodging, a telecommunications company, graphic design firm and a convenience store.  This company has had three (3) fatalities since 2012 within their businesses and…...

U.S. Department of LaborOccupational Safety and Health AdministrationDirectorate of Technical Support and Emergency ManagementOffice of Science and Technology Assessment Introduction Many electric power plants now use hydrogen gas-cooled electric generators versus air- or water-cooled generators. To prevent injury or fatality, employers must ensure hydrogen gas is completely purged from generator housings and bushing boxes before…...

As we know, 1910.146 gives employers three (3) methods to enter Permit-Required Confined Spaces: 1) Full permitted entry following (d)-(k), 2) alternative entry methods prescribed in (c)(5), and 3) reclassification of the PRCS to a non-permit space by following (c)(7). However, in the past year or so, we have come across another method… using BOTH…...