Any safety team which has to deal with confined spaces can tell you that they are extremely
difficult to monitor, maintain, and keep compliant. These spaces are maintained by OSHA
Standard 1910.146, which governs confined spaces and their permit entry systems. These
systems are designed to control who does and does not have access to the space, when these
people have access, who is monitoring said space, and how records of entrants are maintained.
But before putting plans in place to cover all of this information, a safety team must first
determine whether a space qualifies as a confined space and if it needs a permit entry system. A
confined space is a space large enough and so configured that it is possible for a person to bodily
enter and perform work, has limited or restricted means for entry and exit, and is not designed
for continuous employee occupancy. So assuming the space meets those qualifications, the next
thing which must be determined is if the permit entry system is required. A permit entry system
is required for any spaces which contain or have the potential to contain a hazardous atmosphere,
contain a material that has the potential for engulfing an entrant, has an internal configuration
such that an entrant could be trapped or asphyxiated by inwardly converging walls or by a floor
which slopes downward and tapers to a smaller cross-section, or contains any other recognized
serious safety hazard.
If in reviewing this, you determine your facility has a confined space with a required permit
entry system, it is vital that you contact a third party occupational safety and health auditing firm
to help you put an appropriate system in place. Not only will this safeguard your employees, it
will protect your business from unnecessary fines.
If you have any questions about confined spaces, permit entry systems, or how any of them
impact your business, please contact us. If you have anything you would like to add about
confined spaces, please leave a comment.
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