On 25 November 2015, a scaffolder died after falling into a process vessel at a refinery. A bank of six digesters at the refinery had been off-line for maintenance and refurbishment work since July 2015. All pipework had been disconnected and scaffolding installed in August for refurbishment work inside the digesters. When the refurbishment work was almost…...
NFPA 350: Best Practices Guide for Safe Confined Space Entry and Work, 2016 Edition, Table A.10.9.1 – Confined Space Rescue Team, Staffing Decision Table, may be the most important Confined Space document published in 2015. And that is saying a lot, seeing how OSHA also published their Construction Confined Space standard this summer. But in…...
NFPA has published their much anticipated guide on Confined Spaces, NFPA 350: Best Practices Guide for Safe Confined Space Entry and Work, 2016 Edition. It became effective on December 4, 2015. This first edition of NFPA 350, Guide for Safe Confined Space Entry and Work, establishes best practices and “how to” for confined space entry…...
1910.146 is pretty clear as to when “entry” has taken place, and 1926.1202 even expands the definition to make it clear that even UNINTENTIONAL breaking of the plane is an “entry. But why did OSHA say “any part of the body” and not “the head” since the majority of accidents are atmospheric related? I have…...
OSHA’s Permit Required Confined Space standard has been around since the mid 1990’s and the requirement(s) to perform “program reviews” has been part of the standard from its very beginning. In a recent OSHRC case, both the Administrative Law Judge and the full commission took issue with a company’s efforts in how they did (or…...
This OSHRC decision reverses an ALJ decision which I posted in August 2013, but this case has some very interesting aspects that EVERYONE who manages a PRCS Entry program needs to read. Most notably, this case involves: gas meter maintenance, program revision/employees not protected, “Conditions” Required for Alternate Entry, program revision/annual permit review, enforcement,…...
I am not sure what transpired with this inspection, but the power plant was also cited for these same violations, but all their citations were DELETED and the penalty reduced to $0.00. The citations below were to the contractor who was actually doing the work inside the space. I am not sure, but I would…...
To: Metal and Nonmetal Mining Alliance Partners and Stakeholders From: Neal H. Merrifield, Administrator for Metal and Nonmetal Mine Safety and Health Mine Safety and Health Administration Re: Confined Space Entry Alert Unsafe work in confined spaces has led to miner deaths and injuries in the metal and nonmetal mining industry. Recent tragic incidents include:…...
Memorandum For: REGIONAL ADMINISTRATORS AND STATE PLAN DESIGNEES THROUGH: DOROTHY DOUGHERTY, Deputy Assistant Secretary From: JAMES G. MADDUX, Director, Directorate of Construction Subject: Temporary Enforcement Policy for Residential Construction Work in Confined Spaces… Membership Required You must be a member to access this content.View Membership LevelsAlready a member? Log in here...
OSHA’s new Confined Space standard for Construction requires a “competent person” in two CRITICAL functions; I should also point out these two functions are also CRITICAL within the General Industry functions as well. These include EVALUATING spaces and RECLASSIFYING a PRCS to a non-PRCS. Evaluation of Spaces 1926.1203(a) Before it begins work at a worksite,…...
And it has begun… With OSHA’s new Confined Space construction standard, they stated in 1926.1203(a) that… Before it begins work at a worksite, each employer must ensure that a competent person identifies all confined spaces in which one or more of the employees it directs may work, and identifies each space that is a permit…...
Moments before a blast ripped through a railcar on April 14, 2015, a check of the air quality inside indicated a serious risk of an explosion. Despite the warning, the company sent two employees, aged 41 and 45, into the railcar to work without monitoring the air continuously for explosive hazards as required, nor providing…...
