OSHA cited a tank trailer cleaning business with 11 safety and health violations, including two willful violations, primarily for failing to protect workers in confined spaces. Upon receiving a complaint alleging hazards, OSHA opened an inspection of the company’s Lansing facility. Proposed penalties total $142,100. Here is a breakdown of the citations …
A male worker died on November 15, 1984, after entering a toluene storage tank. During the rescue attempt, one fireman was killed, and several were injured when the tank exploded. A toluene storage tank (10 feet in diameter and 20 feet high) had to be drained and cleaned. While the tank was empty, the company planned to install a
Oregon OSHA has adopted a new rule, OAR 437-002-0146 Confined Spaces, which replaces 1910.146 Permit-Required Confined Spaces. This new standard expands the rule’s scope to include the construction industry. This new standard expands several requirements and clarifies several others found in 1910.146. The new appendices clarify how to evaluate a CS and a PRCS…
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This is, without a doubt, the number one question posed regarding 1910.146(k). The problem is that many think there is no time requirements at all, and on the other end of the spectrum are folks like me who think response readiness is CRITICAL. OSHA has defined this response timing ( as well as other technical
… Providing each authorized entrant or that employee’s authorized representative with the opportunity to observe any monitoring or testing of permit spaces. How many of us have this compliance requirement written into our CS Entry program or permitting procedure? During an inspection, the OSHA CSHO will be looking for evidence this requirement is being met.
Here are some facts from OSHA documents (Preamble, CPL, LOIs, etc.) that I have compiled in the hopes that they may help define what OSHA means by (1) Is large enough and so configured that an employee can bodily enter and perform assigned work; and (2) Has limited or restricted means for entry or exit;
This information was put together by George G. Maher, Ag Safety Specialist @ North Dakota State University in 1995!!!!
Is an ammonia condenser a PRCS? Some excellent videos show us the outside and inside of an ammonia condenser. Almost all of these condensers will have a similar configuration/design, although some of the newer units have guards inside that separate us from the fan blades. However, with no internal guard separating us from the fan, this space
On February 6th, 2012, a welder entered a 30″ pipe to check the quality of the welds he had just completed. The welder (deceased) asphyxiated and lost consciousness due to the high level of Argon gas, which had created an oxygen-deficient environment inside the pipe.
An emergency response plan for industrial permit-required confined space entry is essential for employee safety and is legally required. However, maintaining a trained confined space rescue team is costly and technically challenging. Some employers turn to public fire departments to meet their emergency response requirements. The confined space emergency response practices of employers and fire
