Confined Spaces

Office of Environmental Health & Safety

East Carolina University
210 East Fourth St.
Greenville, NC 27858
(252) 328-6166
safety@mail.ecu.edu
Rescuers Account
for Over 60% of
Confined Space
Fatalities
Confined Space Tragedies

o Two workers died from

asphyxiation trying to shut off
water flow to damaged pipe due to
extremely low oxygen levels.
o Five farmers died trying to save
one another in a manure pit.
Purpose of Training

o Ensure that employees are familiar

with safety precautions and
procedures associated with confined
spaces
Frequency of Training

o Upon initial assignment

o Change in assigned duties or a
change in permit space conditions
o Inadequacies in the employee's
knowledge or use of confined
space entry procedures
Training Outline

o Introduction
o General Requirements
o Equipment Requirements
o The Entry Permit
o Duties of Authorized Entrants, Attendants
and Entry Supervisor
o Rescue and Emergency Services
o Contractors
o Safe Entry Procedures
Introduction

o OSHA 29 CFR 1910.146: Permit-

Required Confined Spaces

o Ensure that employees can

safely enter into and work within
permit-required confined spaces
Definition
A Confined space:
o Is large enough that an
employee can enter and
perform assigned work
o Has limited or restricted
means for entry or exit
o Is not designed for
continuous employee
occupancy
Examples
Examples:
o tanks
o pits
o tunnels
o vaults
o boilers
o sewers
o shafts
o ventilation ducts
o crawl spaces
Introduction
A permit-required confined space:
o Contains or has the potential to contain
a hazardous atmosphere
o Contains a material that has the
potential for engulfing an entrant
o Internal configuration that might cause
entrant to be trapped or asphyxiated by
inwardly converging walls or floor that
slopes downward and tapers to a
smaller cross section
o Contains any other recognized serious
safety or health hazard
Atmospheric Hazards

o Oxygen Levels - below 19.5 % or

above 23.5%

o Flammable/Explosive – exceeds
10% of Lower Explosive Limit (LEL)
o Toxic Substances – exceed
Permissible Exposure Limits (PEL)
Engulfment
o Liquid or loose materials trap a worker.

o Typically associated with loose materials

in bins, silos, and hoppers.
o Death can occur by asphyxiation,
aspiration, or constriction.
Introduction
o "Entry" is when a
person passes through
an opening into a
permit-required
confined space
o Any part of the entrant's
body breaks the plane
of an opening into the
space
General Requirements

o Identify confined spaces and classify

them as permit or non-permit
o A permit-required confined space may
be reclassified
o Identify and evaluate the hazards of
the permit spaces before employees
enter
o Inform exposed employees of the
existence and location of and the
danger posed by the permit spaces
General Requirements

o Measures to prevent entry

o Develop and implement practices and
procedures necessary for safe entry
o Provide and maintain all required
equipment
o Educate employees on safe entry
procedures and equipment operation
Equipment Requirements
o Testing and monitoring
equipment
o Ventilating equipment
o Communications equipment
o Personal protective equipment
o Lighting equipment
o Barriers and shields
o Equipment needed for safe
ingress and egress
o Emergency equipment
o Other equipment for safe entry
The Entry Permit

o Permit must be completed

before entry is authorized
o Entry supervisor must sign
the permit
o Permit must be made
available at the time of entry
so entrants can confirm that
pre-entry preparations have
been completed
The Entry Permit
o Duration may not exceed the time
identified on the permit
o Retain each canceled entry permit for
at least 1 year to facilitate review of the
program
o Problems encountered during entry
shall be noted on the permit so that
appropriate revisions can be made to
the program
Contents of The Entry Permit

1. Permit space to be entered

2. Purpose of the entry
3. Date and the authorized duration of
the entry permit
4. Authorized entrants
5. Attendants
6. Entry supervisor with a space for
the signature
Contents of The Entry Permit
7. Hazards of the permit space
8. Measures used to isolate the permit
space and to eliminate or control
permit space hazards before entry
9. Acceptable entry conditions
10. Results of initial and periodic tests,
names or initials of the testers and
when the tests were performed
Contents of The Entry Permit

11. Rescue and emergency services

12. Communication procedures
13. Equipment (personal protective
equipment, testing equipment,
communications equipment, alarm
systems, rescue equipment, etc.)
14. Any other information necessary in
order to ensure employee safety
Duties of Authorized Entrants

o Understand potential hazards

o Use equipment properly
o Communicate with attendant regularly
o If the unexpected occurs – alert the
attendant
o Exit immediately if hazard develops
Duties of Authorized Entrants
Alert the attendant
whenever:
o Entrant recognizes
any warning sign or
symptom of
exposure to a
dangerous situation
o The entrant detects a
prohibited condition
Duties of Authorized Entrants

Evacuate the confined space when:

o Order to evacuate is given by the
attendant or the entry supervisor
o Entrant recognizes any warning sign or
symptom of exposure to a dangerous
situation
o Entrant detects a prohibited condition
o Evacuation alarm is activated
Duties of Attendants

o "Attendant" - stationed outside permit

space; monitors entrants
o Knows the hazards including signs,
symptoms and consequences of exposure
o Continuously maintains accurate count of
entrants in permit space
o Remains outside the permit space during
entry until relieved by another attendant
Duties of Attendants

o Communicates with entrants to

monitor entrant status and to alert
entrants of the need to evacuate
o Monitors activities inside & outside
the space to determine if
- it is safe for entrants to
- remain in the space
Duties of Attendants
Orders evacuation immediately if:
o Detects a prohibited condition
o Detects the behavioral effects of hazard
exposure in entrant
o Detects a situation outside the space
that could endanger the entrants
o If the attendant cannot effectively and
safely perform all the duties
Duties of Attendants
o Summon emergency services
o Keep unauthorized persons away
o Inform entrants and entry supervisor if
unauthorized persons have entered the
permit space
o Performs non-entry rescues when applicable
and they have training
o Performs no duties that might interfere with
primary duty to monitor and protect entrants
Duties of Entry Supervisor
o "Entry supervisor" - person
responsible for determining if
acceptable entry conditions are
present, for authorizing entry,
overseeing entry operations, and for
terminating entry as required
o An entry supervisor also may serve
as an attendant or as an entrant, as
long as that person is trained and
equipped to do so
Duties of Entry Supervisor
o Knows the hazards including signs,
symptoms, and consequences of the
exposure
o Verifies that the entry permit is
complete, all tests have been conducted
and all procedures and equipment are
in place before allowing entry to begin
o Verifies that rescue services are
available and that the means for
summoning them are operable
Duties of Entry Supervisor
o Removes unauthorized individuals who
enter or attempt to enter the space
o Ensures that acceptable entry conditions
are maintained throughout the entry
o Terminates entry and cancels the entry
permit when the operations have been
completed or a condition that is not
allowed under the permit arises
Rescue and Emergency Services

o Self-Rescue
o Non-entry Rescue
o Only trained workers
can enter space and
only when there is
another attendant
o Greenville Fire/Rescue
o Call 911
Rescue and Emergency
Services
o Responds in a timely manner
o Rescue provider must be proficient with
confined space rescue-related tasks and
equipment
o Inform rescue provider of the hazards they
may encounter on site
o Provide the rescue provider with access to
all permit spaces so they can develop
rescue plans and practice rescue
operations
Rescue and Emergency
Services
o Retrieval systems shall be used unless they
increase the overall risk of entry or would not
contribute to the rescue
o Each entrant shall use a full body harness and
a retrieval line if feasible
o The other end of the retrieval line shall be
attached to a mechanical device or fixed point
outside the permit space
o A mechanical retrieval device shall be available
for vertical type permit spaces more than 5
feet deep
Contractors

o Inform contractor that workplace contains

permit spaces and entry is allowed only in
compliance with permit space program
o Apprise contractor of the hazards that
make the space a permit space
o Apprise contractor of precautions for the
protection of employees in or near permit
spaces where contractor will be working
Contractors
o Coordinate with employer
when both host personnel
and contractor personnel will
be working in or near spaces
o Debrief employer at the
conclusion of entry
o Contractor shall inform the
employer of the permit
program that they will follow
and of any hazards
confronted or created
Safe Entry Procedures
o Perform work outside of space if possible
o Contact EH&S at least 1 week in advance to
schedule entry and obtain permit
o Designate entrants, attendants, entry supervisors
and atmospheric monitors, identify the duties of
each, and assure training has been provided
o Notify all departments affected by entry
o Post signs and put up barriers to protect entrants
from traffic and pedestrians
o Specify acceptable entry conditions
Safe Entry Procedures
o Ventilate, eliminate, or
control the space’s
atmospheric hazards before
entry into the space
o Blind or disconnect and cap
all input lines so that no
hazardous materials can
enter the space
o Lockout/Tagout
o When entrance covers are
removed, guard the opening
immediately
Safe Entry Procedures
o Test permit space before entry
begins
o Monitor permit space to
determine if entry conditions
are maintained
o Test for oxygen, combustible
gases/vapors, and toxic
gases/vapors in that order
o Observe status of other
existing hazards and those
created during entry
operations
Safe Entry Procedures

o Authorized entrants can enter a permit

space only after it’s been tested and
found safe for entry
o The entrant must know what equipment
to use & how to use it
o Provide at least one attendant outside
the permit space for the duration of
entry
Safe Entry Procedures
o Maintain acceptable
conditions for duration of
entry
o Implement rescue and
emergency procedures if
necessary
o Implement procedures
necessary for concluding
the entry
Safe Entry Procedures

o Review entry operations when there

is reason to believe that measures
taken may not protect employees
and revise the program before
subsequent entries
o Review the permit space program
within 1 year after each entry and
revise the program as necessary to
ensure that employees participating
in entry operations are protected
QUESTIONS?

safety@mail.ecu.edu
328-6166