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
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
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
This year WA-OSHA (Washington State Dept. of Labor & Industries) issued their Construction PRCS standard in February. Since this is a State Plan Standard, it had to be at least as effective or more effective than the Federal Construction Standard on PRCS’s. With that said, the WA state’s standard does provide us with more information,
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
The summer of 2015 we got the much anticipated OSHA standard: Confined Spaces in Construction. And as OSHA has stated, this standard was meant to cover permit-required confined spaces (PRCS) in the construction industry, but also to “correct” some of the conflicts in the general industry PRCS standard (1910.146). In my August 2015 postings, we
