Permit Required Confined Spaces

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…...

The following sections describe who uses the information collected under each requirement, as well as how they use it. Employers and employees would use these information collection requirements when they identify a confined space at a construction worksite. The purpose of the information would permit employers and employees to systematically evaluate the dangers in confined…...

At approximately 12:10 p.m. on January 21, 2014, Employee #1, Employee #2, a 36-year-old male, and a coworker, a 39-year-old male with a truck washing business, were engaged in cleaning out the interior of the tanker trailer. The equipment involved was a 6,500-gallon tanker trailer which was pulled in for interior cleaning. This tanker trailer…...

Ever wonder why OSHA saw fit to define entry as: … as soon as any part of the entrant’s body breaks the plane of an opening into the space. Here is a 2001 fatality involving a worker reaching into a PRCS and died…… Membership Required You must be a member to access this content.View Membership...

It is 24 years after OSHA promulgated it’s Permit-Required Confined Space standard and then in 2015 OSHA promulgated their Confined Spaces in Construction standard and yet we continue to see more “would-be rescuers” dying in Permit-Required Confined Spaces as do actual “entrants”.  We can only hope that one-day worker training and awareness will end the “would-be…...

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…...