In both their General Industry and Construction Confined Space Standards, one of OSHA’s criteria for a “Confined Space” is that the space is “not designed for continuous employee occupancy.” These six (6) words seem to cause much confusion on both ends of the CS debate. I have seen it misused to claim a space is a CS, and I have seen it misused to claim a space is not a CS, and therefore it was not a Permit-Required Confined Space (PRCS). I hope to convince you that “not designed for continuous employee occupancy” really does mean what it says!
