This part applies to all confined spaces and provides requirements to protect employees from the hazards of entering and working in confined spaces. This part applies in any of the following circumstances:
You have confined spaces in your workplace.
Your employees will enter another employer's
confined spaces.
A contractor will enter your confined spaces.
You provide confined space rescue services.
You can use Table 1 to help you decide which requirements to follow for confined spaces.
Table 1
Requirements for Confined Spaces
For confined spaces that are
The requirements in the following sections apply
644
646
648
650
652
654
Permit-required confined spaces
X
X
X
X
X
X
Entered by a contractor
X
X
X
X
X
X
Nonpermit confined spaces
X
X
Never entered
X
If you only:
Use alternate entry procedures
X
X
X
X
Have a contractor enter your space
X
Are a rescue service provider
X
X
X
Definition:
A confined space is a space that is all of the following:
Large enough and arranged so an employee could
fully enter the space and work.
Has limited or restricted entry or exit.
Examples of spaces with limited or restricted entry are tanks,
vessels, silos, storage bins, hoppers, vaults, excavations,
and pits.
Not primarily designed for human occupancy.
Note:
Requirements in other chapters may apply to
your work. You will find some safety and health requirements
are addressed on a broad level in this part, while being addressed
for a specific application in another rule. When this happens,
both requirements apply and should not conflict. When a conflict
does occur, you need to follow the more specific requirement.
If you are uncertain which requirements to
follow, contact your local labor and industries (L&I) office.
If your workplace contains only nonpermit confined spaces and your employees do not enter another employer's confined space, you may follow only the requirements in:
- WAC 296-307-644, Identifying and controlling permit-required confined spaces; and
Identify all permit-required confined spaces in your workplace.
Assume any confined space is a permit-required confined space, unless you determine the space to be a nonpermit confined space.
- If you enter the space to determine the hazards, follow the requirements in WAC 296-307-650, Permit entry procedures.
- If you evaluate the confined space and there are no potential or actual hazards, you can consider it to be a nonpermit confined space.
Document your determination that the space is nonpermit, as required by WAC 296-307-654.
Definitions:
A permit-required confined space
or permit space is a confined space that has one or
more of the following characteristics capable of causing death
or serious physical harm:
- Contains or has a potential to contain
a hazardous atmosphere.
- Contains a material with the potential
for engulfing someone who enters the space.
- Has an internal configuration that could
allow someone entering to be trapped or asphyxiated by inwardly
converging walls or by a floor, which slopes downward and
tapers to a smaller cross-section.
- Contains any physical hazard. This includes
any recognized health or safety hazards -including engulfment
in solid or liquid material, electrical shock, or moving
parts.
- Contains any other recognized safety
or health hazard that could either:
Impair the ability to self rescue;
or
Result in a situation that presents
an immediate danger to life or health.
A nonpermit confined space
is a confined space that does not contain
actual hazards or potential hazards capable of causing death
or serious physical harm.
Inform employees and control entry to permit-required confined spaces
You must
(1) Provide information about confined spaces as follows:
Make available to affected employees and their authorized representatives all information and documents required by this part.
Inform affected employees about the existence, location, and danger of any permit-required confined spaces in your workplace by:
- Posting danger signs; or
- Using any other equally effective means to inform employees.
Note:
A sign reading "Danger-Permit Required Confined Space, do not enter " or using pictures or other similar wording employees can understand would satisfy the requirement for a sign.
You must
(2) Take effective measures to prevent unauthorized employees from entering permit-required confined spaces.
Note:
Examples of measures to prevent employee entry include padlocks, bolted covers, special tools to remove covers, and providing employee training.
Follow these requirements when you contract with another employer to enter your confined space
Important:
The contractor is responsible for following all confined space requirements in this part and in other rules that apply.
You must
Do all of the following if you arrange to have another employer (contractor) perform work that involves entry into your permit-required confined space:
- Inform the contractor:
That the workplace contains permit-required confined spaces and entry is allowed only if the applicable requirements of this part are met.
Of the identified hazards and your experience with each permit-required confined space.
Of any precautions or procedures you require for the protection of employees in or near spaces where the contractor will be working.
- Coordinate entry operations with the contractor, when either employees or employers from the different companies will be working in or near permit-required confined spaces.
- Discuss entry operations with the contractor when they are complete. Include the following in your discussion:
The program followed during confined space entry; and
Develop a written permit-required confined space program
Important:
Identify and evaluate the hazards of permit-required confined spaces and the work performed, to assist you in developing your entry program.
You must
Develop a written program, before employees enter, that describes the means, procedures, and practices you use for the safe entry of permit-required confined spaces as required by this part. Include the following when applicable to your confined space entry program:
- Documentation of permit entry procedures.
- Documentation used for alternate entry procedures.
- How to reclassify permit-required confined spaces to nonpermit spaces.
- Designation of employee roles, such as entrants, attendants, entry supervisors, rescuers, or those who test or monitor the atmosphere in a permit-required space.
- Identification of designated employee duties.
- Training employees on their designated roles.
- How to identify and evaluate hazards.
- Use and maintenance of equipment.
- How to prevent unauthorized entry.
- How to coordinate entry with another employer.
- How to rescue entrants.
Note:
For alternate entry, your written program only needs to meet the requirements of WAC 296-307-648, Employee training, and WAC 296-307-652, Alternate entry procedures, of this part.
You must
Consult with affected employees and their authorized representatives when developing and implementing all aspects of your permit-required confined space program.
Make the written program available to employees
and their authorized representatives.
Provide training to each employee involved in permit-required confined space activities, so they acquire the understanding, knowledge and skills necessary to safely perform assigned duties.
- Establish employee proficiency in their confined space duties.
- Introduce new or revised procedures as necessary.
Note:
Employers can determine employee proficiency
by:
- Observing employee performance during
training exercises that simulate actual confined space conditions.
- A comprehensive written examination;
or
- Any other method that is effective for
the employer.
You must
Provide training at the following times:
- Before an employee is first assigned
to duties covered by this part.
- Before there is a change in an employee's
assigned duties.
- When there is a permit-required confined
space hazard for which the employee has not already been
trained.
- If you have reason to believe that there
are either:
Deviations from your procedures for
permit-required confined space entry; or
Employee knowledge or use of your
procedures is inadequate.
Identify and evaluate, before employees enter, potential hazards from:
- The permit-required confined space; and
- The work to be performed.
Complete an entry permit before entry is authorized, documenting that you have completed the means, procedures and practices necessary for safe entry and work.
Make sure that entrants or their representatives have an opportunity to observe any monitoring or testing, or any actions to eliminate or control hazards, performed to complete the permit.
Identify the entry supervisor.
- Make sure the entry supervisor signs the entry permit, authorizing entry, before the space is entered.
Make the completed permit available to entrants or their authorized representatives at the time of entry.
- Do this by either posting the completed permit at the entry location, or by any other equally effective means.
Make sure the duration of the permit does not exceed the time required to complete the assigned task or job identified on the permit.
Note any problems encountered during an entry operation on the permit. Use the information to make appropriate revisions to your program, entry operations, means, systems, procedures and practices.
Use an entry permit that contains all required information
You must
Make sure your entry permit identifies all
of the following that apply to your entry operation:
- The space to be entered.
- Purpose of the entry.
- Date and the authorized duration of
the entry permit.
- Hazards of the space to be entered.
- Acceptable entry conditions.
- Results of initial and periodic tests
performed to evaluate and identify the hazards and conditions
of the space, accompanied by the names or initials of the
testers and by an indication of when the tests were performed.
- Appropriate measures used before entry
to isolate the space, and eliminate or control hazards.
Examples of appropriate measures include the lockout or tagging of equipment and procedures for purging, inerting, ventilating, and flushing permit-required confined spaces.
- Names of entrants and current attendants.
Other means include the use of rosters or tracking systems as long as the attendant can determine quickly and accurately, for the duration of the permit, which entrants are inside the space.
- The current entry supervisor.
- A space for the signature or initials of the original supervisor authorizing entry.
- Communication procedures for entrants and attendants to maintain contact during the entry.
- Equipment provided for safe entry, such as:
Personal protective equipment (PPE).
Testing equipment.
Communications equipment.
Alarm systems.
Rescue equipment.
- Rescue and emergency services available, and how to contact them. Include equipment to use, and names and contact information.
- Other information needed for safety in the particular confined space.
- Additional permits issued for work in the space, such as for hot work.
Keep entry permits or other atmospheric monitoring records that show the actual atmosphere an employee entered or worked in, as employee exposure records.
Review your permit-required confined space entry program as follows:
- Conduct a review when you have any reason to believe your entry program may not protect employees, and revise your program before allowing subsequent entries.
Note:
Examples of circumstances requiring the review of your program include the following:
There is unauthorized entry of a permit space.
A permit space hazard not covered by the permit is found.
A condition prohibited by the permit occurs.
An injury or near-miss occurs during entry.
There is a change in the use or configuration of a permit space.
An employee complains about the effectiveness of the program.
You must
Review canceled entry permits within one year following each entry to evaluate:
- Your permit-required confined space program.
- The protection provided to employees entering permit-required confined spaces.
Update your written permit-required confined space entry program as necessary.
Note:
Employers may perform a single annual review covering all entries performed during a twelve-month period. If no entry is performed during a twelve-month period, no review is necessary.
Evaluate and control hazards for safe entry into permit-required confined spaces by doing all the following:
- Test for atmospheric hazards, in this order:
Oxygen.
Combustible gases and vapors.
Toxic gases and vapors.
- Provide each entrant or their authorized representative an opportunity to observe any of the following:
Preentry testing.
Subsequent testing.
Monitoring of permit-required spaces.
- Reevaluate the permit-required space in the presence of any entrant, or their authorized representative, who requests this to be done because they have reason to believe that the evaluation of that space may not have been adequate.
- Upon request, immediately provide each entrant or their authorized representative, with the results of any testing required by this rule.
- Continuously monitor conditions in areas where entrants are working, when isolation of the space is not feasible.
Examples would be a large space or space that is part of a continuous system, such as a sewer.
Evaluate space conditions during entry as follows:
Table 3
Evaluating Space Conditions
You must:
In order to
Test conditions before entry
Determine that acceptable entry conditions exist before entry is authorized by the entry supervisor
Test or evaluate space conditions during entry
Determine that acceptable entry conditions are being maintained during entry operations
Evaluate entry operations
Make sure entrants of more than one employer working at the same time in or around a permit-required confined space, do not endanger each other
Important:
This section applies to both:
Employers whose employees use permit entry procedures; and
Make sure you have adequate rescue and emergency services available
You must
(1) Make sure you have adequate rescue and emergency services available during your permit-required confined space entry operations.
Evaluate and select rescue teams or services who can:
- Respond to a rescue call in a timely manner. Timeliness is based on the identified hazards. Rescuers must have the capability to reach potential victims within an appropriate time frame based on the identified permit space hazards.
- Proficiently rescue employees from a permit-required confined space in your workplace. Rescuers must have the appropriate equipment for the type of rescue.
Make sure that at least one member of the rescue team or service holds a current certification in first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
Inform each rescue team or service about the hazards they may confront when called to perform rescue.
Provide the rescue team or service with access to all permit spaces from which rescue may be necessary.
- This will allow them to develop appropriate rescue plans and to practice rescue operations.
Note:
What will be considered timely will vary according to the specific hazards involved in each entry. For example, WAC 296-307-594, Respirators, requires that employers provide a standby person or persons capable of immediate action to rescue employee(s) for work areas considered to contain an IDLH atmosphere.
You must
(2) Provide employees, assigned to provide permit-required confined space rescue and emergency services, with:
Personal protective equipment (PPE) needed for safe entry.
Other equipment required to conduct rescues safely.
Training so they are:
- Proficient in the use of the PPE and other equipment.
- Proficient as an entrant of permit-required confined spaces.
- Able to safely perform assigned rescue and emergency duties.
- Knowledgeable in basic first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
Practice sessions for permit-required confined space rescues at least once every twelve months where dummies, manikins, or actual persons are removed from either:
- The actual permit spaces; or
- Representative permit spaces that simulate the opening size, configuration, and accessibility, of permit spaces where rescue will be performed.
(3) Establish procedures for:
Contacting rescue and emergency services.
Rescuing entrants from permit-required confined spaces.
Providing necessary emergency services to rescued entrants.
Preventing unauthorized persons from attempting a rescue.
Use nonentry rescue systems or methods whenever possible
You must
Use nonentry retrieval systems or methods to rescue entrants in a permit-required confined space unless this:
- Would increase the overall risk of injury to entrants; or
- Would not contribute to the rescue of the entrant.
Make sure each entrant uses a chest or full-body harness, with a retrieval line attached to the harness at one of the following locations:
- At the center of the employee's back, near shoulder level.
- Above the employee's head.
- At another point which presents a profile small enough for the successful removal of the employee.
Attach the retrieval line to a mechanical device or fixed point outside the space, so rescue can begin as soon as necessary.
Make sure a mechanical device is available to retrieve entrants from vertical spaces more than five feet (1.52 m) deep.
Note:
When you can demonstrate that the use of a chest or full-body harness is not feasible or creates a greater hazard, then you may use wristlets or another method shown to be the safest and most effective alternative.
Provide an attendant outside the
permit-required confined space
Important:
The number of attendants
assigned should be tailored to the requirements of the space
and the work performed.
You need to assess if it is appropriate or
possible to have multiple permit spaces monitored by a single
attendant, or have an attendant stationed at a location outside
each space. Video cameras and radios are examples of tools that
may assist an attendant monitoring more than one space.
Attendants may be stationed at any location
outside the permit-required confined space if the duties described
in this section can be effectively performed for each space
that is monitored.
You must
Provide at least one
attendant outside the permit-required confined space during
entry operations.
Make sure each permit-required confined space
attendant:
- Understands the hazards that may be faced
during entry, including the mode, signs or symptoms, and results
of exposure to the hazards.
- Is aware of the behavioral effects of
exposure to the hazard.
- Continuously maintains an accurate count
of entrants in the space.
- Maintains an accurate record of who is
in the permit-required confined space.
- Communicates with entrants as necessary
to monitor their status or alert them of the need to evacuate
the space.
- Monitors activities inside and outside
the space to determine if it is safe for entrants to remain
in the space.
- Orders entrants to evacuate the space
immediately if any of the following conditions
occur:
A prohibited condition.
The behavioral effects of hazardous
exposure on an entrant.
A situation outside the space that
could endanger entrants.
The attendant cannot effectively and
safely perform all the duties required in this part.
- Takes the following actions when unauthorized
persons approach or enter a space:
Warns unauthorized persons to stay away
from the space.
Tells the unauthorized persons to exit
immediately if they have entered the space.
Informs entrants and the entry supervisor
if unauthorized persons have entered the space.
- Performs nonentry rescues as specified
by your rescue procedure.
- Has the means to respond to an emergency
affecting one or more of the permit spaces being monitored
without preventing performance of the attendant's duties to
the other spaces being monitored.
- Carries out no duties that might interfere
with their primary duty to monitor and protect the entrants.
- Calls for rescue and other emergency services
as soon as entrants may need assistance to escape from the
space.
- Monitors entry operations until relieved
by another attendant or all entrants are out of the space.
Make sure entrants know the hazardous
conditions and their duties
You must
Make sure that all entrants:
- Know the hazards they may face during
entry, including the mode, signs or symptoms, and results
of exposure to the hazards.
- Use equipment properly.
- Communicate with the attendant
as necessary so the attendant can:
Monitor entrant status.
Alert entrants of the need to evacuate.
- Alert the attendant whenever either
of these situations exist:
A warning sign or symptom of exposure
to a dangerous situation such as, behavioral changes,
euphoria, giddiness potentially from lack of oxygen
or exposure to solvents.
A prohibited condition.
- Exit from the permit-required confined
space as quickly as possible when one of the following occurs:
The attendant or entry supervisor gives
an order to evacuate.
The entrant recognizes any warning sign
or symptom of exposure to a dangerous situation.
Make sure the following conditions
are met if using alternate entry procedures
You must
Make sure, when using alternate entry procedures,
instead of permit entry procedures, that you have monitoring
and inspection data that supports the following:
- That the only hazard of the permit-required
confined space is an actual or potentially hazardous atmosphere.
- That continuous forced air ventilation
alone is all that is needed to maintain the permit-required
confined space for safe entry.
Make sure an entry to obtain monitoring and
inspection data or to eliminate hazards is performed according
to
WAC 296-307-500, Permit entry procedures.
Make sure all documentation produced is available
to each affected employee and their authorized representative.
Follow these alternate entry procedures
for permit-required confined spaces
You must
Use the following alternate entry procedures:
- Eliminate any unsafe conditions before
removing an entrance cover.
When entrance covers are removed,
promptly guard the opening with a railing, temporary
cover, or other temporary barrier to prevent accidental
falls through the opening and protect entrants from
objects falling into the space.
Certify that preentry measures have
been taken (such as safe removal of the cover and having
protection needed to gather preentry data), with the
date, location of the space, and signature of the person
certifying.
Make the preentry certification available
before entry to each entrant.
- Before an employee enters the confined
space, test the internal atmosphere with a calibrated, direct-reading
instrument for all of the following, in this order:
Oxygen content.
Flammable gases and vapors.
Potential toxic air contaminants.
- Provide entrants, or their authorized
representatives, with an opportunity to observe the preentry
and periodic testing.
- Make sure the atmosphere within the
space is not hazardous when entrants are present.
- Use continuous forced air ventilation,
as follows:
Wait until the forced air ventilation
has removed any hazardous atmosphere before allowing
entrants into the space.
Direct forced air ventilation toward
the immediate areas where employees are, or will be,
and continue ventilation until all employees have left
the space.
Provide the air supply from a clean source
and make sure it does not increase hazards in the space.
- Test the atmosphere within the space
as needed to make sure hazards do not accumulate.
- If a hazardous atmosphere is detected
during entry, do all of the following:
Evacuate employees from the space
immediately.
Evaluate the space to determine how
the hazardous atmosphere developed.
Implement measures to protect employees
from the hazardous atmosphere before continuing the
entry operation.
Verify the space is safe for entry
before continuing the entry operation.
A confined space may be classified as a nonpermit confined space
for as long as the hazards remain eliminated. Once a hazard is
present, you must follow all requirements of this part that apply.
Your
Responsibility
To make sure any space you classify as nonpermit does not have
the potential to contain serious health or safety hazards.
You must
Follow these requirements when classifying a confined space as
a nonpermit confined space.
Follow these requirements when classifying
a confined space as a nonpermit confined space
You must
Make sure the confined space meets these conditions
to be classified as nonpermit confined spaces:
- The confined space does not contain
an actual or potential
hazardous atmosphere.
- The confined space does not contain
hazards capable of causing death or serious physical harm.
This includes any recognized health or safety hazards including
engulfment in solid or liquid material, electrical shock,
or moving parts.
- If you must enter to remove hazards,
the space must be treated as a permit-required confined
space until hazards have been eliminated.
Note:
Controlling atmospheric hazards through forced
air ventilation does not eliminate the hazards.
You should evaluate the use of lockout-tagout,
as covered in WAC 296-307-320, to determine if using it fully
eliminates the hazard.
You are allowed to use alternate entry procedures
covered in WAC 296-307-652, if you can demonstrate that forced
air ventilation alone will control all hazards in the space.
You must
Document how you determined the confined space
contained no permit-required confined space hazards. Certify
this documentation with the following:
- Date.
- Location of the space.
- Signature of the person making the determination
.
Make the certification available to each
entrant, or their authorized representative.
Note:
This certification must be completed every time
a permit-required confined space is reclassified as a nonpermit
space.
Reevaluate nonpermit confined spaces
if hazards develop
You must
Reclassify a nonpermit confined space to a
permit-required confined space, if necessary, when changes in
the use or configuration of the space increase the hazards to
entrants .
Make sure all employees exit the space if
hazards develop. You must then reevaluate the space and determine
whether it must be reclassified as a permit-required confined
space.
The conditions that must exist in a
permit-required confined space to allow safe entry and work.
Attendant:
An individual stationed outside one
or more permit-required confined spaces to monitor the entrants.
Blanking or blinding:
The absolute closure of a pipe, line,
or duct by fastening a solid plate (such as a spectacle blind
or a skillet blind) that completely covers the bore. It is capable
of withstanding the maximum pressure of the pipe, line, or duct
with no leakage beyond the plate.
Confined space:
A space that is all
of the following:
Large enough and arranged so an employee
could fully enter the space and work.
Has limited or restricted entry or exit.
Examples of spaces with limited or restricted entry are tanks,
vessels, silos, storage bins, hoppers, vaults, excavations,
and pits.
Not primarily designed for human occupancy.
Double block and bleed:
The closure of a line, duct, or pipe
by closing and locking or tagging two in-line valves and by
opening and locking or tagging a drain or vent valve in the
line between the two closed valves.
Emergency:
Any occurrence (including any failure
of hazard control or monitoring equipment) or event internal
or external to the permit-required confined space that could
endanger authorized entrants.
Engulfment:
The surrounding capture of a person
by a liquid or finely divided (flowable) solid substance that
can be inhaled to cause death by filling or plugging the respiratory
system or that can exert enough force on the body to cause death
by strangulation, constriction, or crushing.
Enter (entry):
The action by which a person passes
through an opening into a permit-required confined space and
includes work activities in that space. Entry is considered
to have occurred as soon as any part of the entrant's body breaks
the plane of an opening into the space.
Note:
If the opening is large enough for the
worker to fully enter the space, a permit is required even for
partial body entry. Permits are not required for partial body
entry where the opening is not large enough for full entry, although
other rules such as lockout-tagout, WAC 296-307-320 or respiratory
hazards, WAC 296-307-624 may apply.
Entrant:
An employee who is authorized by the
employer to enter a permit-required confined space.
Entry permit (permit):
The written or printed document that
is provided by you to allow and control entry into a permit-required
confined space and that contains the information required in
WAC 296-307-650, Permit entry procedures.
Entry supervisor:
The person (such as the employer, crew
leader, or crew chief) responsible for:
Determining if acceptable entry conditions
are present at a permit-required confined space where entry
is planned;
Authorizing entry and overseeing entry
operations; and
Terminating entry as required.
Hazardous atmosphere:
An atmosphere that may expose employees
to the risk of death, incapacitation, impairment of ability
to self-rescue (that is, escape unaided from a permit-required
confined space), injury, or acute illness caused by one or more
of the following:
Flammable gas, vapor, or mist in excess
of ten percent of its lower flammable limit (LFL).
Airborne combustible dust at a concentration
that meets or exceeds its LFL.
Note:
This concentration may be approximated as
a condition in which the dust obscures vision at a distance
of five feet (1.52 m) or less.
Atmospheric oxygen concentration below
19.5 percent or above 23.5 percent.
Atmospheric concentration of any substance
which may exceed a permissible exposure limit. For additional
information about atmospheric concentration, see chapter
296-62 WAC, Parts F, G, and I, General occupational health
standards and
WAC 296-307-624, Respiratory hazards.
Note:
An airborne concentration of a substance that
is not capable of causing death, incapacitation, impairment
of ability to self-rescue, injury, or acute illness due to its
health effects is not covered by this definition.
Any other atmospheric condition that is
immediately dangerous to life or health.
Note:
You can find guidance on establishing acceptable
atmospheric conditions for air contaminants, which have no WISHA-determined
doses or permissible exposure limits using other sources of
information, such as:
Material safety data sheets required by
WAC 296-307-550, Employer chemical hazard communication.
Published information.
Internal documents.
Hot work permit:
A written authorization to perform operations,
for example, riveting, welding, cutting, burning, and heating,
that can provide a source of ignition.
Immediately dangerous to life
or health (IDLH):
Any of the following conditions:
An immediate or delayed threat to life.
Anything that would cause irreversible
adverse health effects.
Anything that would interfere with an individual's
ability to escape unaided from a permit-required confined
space.
Note:
Some materials - hydrogen fluoride gas and
cadmium vapor, for example - may produce immediate transient
effects that, even if severe, may pass without medical attention,
but are followed by sudden, possibly fatal collapse twelve to
seventy-two hours after exposure. The victim "feels normal"
after recovery from transient effects until collapse. Such materials
in hazardous quantities are considered to be "immediately" dangerous
to life or health (IDLH).
Inerting:
The displacement of the atmosphere in
a permit-required confined space by a noncombustible gas (such
as nitrogen) to such an extent that the resulting atmosphere
is noncombustible.
Note:
This procedure produces an IDLH oxygen-deficient
atmosphere.
Isolation:
The process by which a permit-required confined
space is removed from service and completely protected against
the release of energy and material into the space by such means
as: Blanking or blinding; misaligning or removing sections of
lines, pipes, or ducts; a double block and bleed system; lockout
or tagout of all sources of energy; or blocking or disconnecting
all mechanical linkages.
Line breaking:
The intentional opening of a pipe, line,
or duct that is or has been carrying flammable, corrosive, or
toxic material, an inert gas, or any fluid at a volume, pressure,
or temperature capable of causing injury.
Nonpermit confined space:
A confined space that does not contain
actual hazards or potential hazards capable of causing death
or serious physical harm.
Oxygen deficient atmosphere:
An atmosphere containing less than 19.5
percent oxygen by volume.
Oxygen enriched atmosphere:
An atmosphere containing more than 23.5
percent oxygen by volume.
Permit-required confined space
or permit space:
A confined space that has one or more
of the following characteristics capable of causing death or
serious physical harm:
Contains or has a potential to contain a
hazardous atmosphere.
Contains a material with the potential
for engulfing someone who enters.
Has an internal configuration that could
allow someone entering to be trapped or asphyxiated by inwardly
converging walls or by a floor, which slopes downward and
tapers to a smaller cross section.
Contains any physical hazard. This includes
any recognized health or safety hazards including engulfment
in solid or liquid material, electrical shock, or moving parts.
Contains any other recognized serious safety
or health hazard that could either:
- Impair the ability to self-rescue;
or
- Result in a situation that presents
an immediate danger to life or health.
Permit-required confined space
program:
An overall program for:
Controlling and appropriately protecting
employees from permit-required confined space hazards;
AND
Regulating employee entry into permit-required
confined spaces.
Prohibited condition:
Any condition in a permit-required confined
space that is not allowed by the permit during the authorized
entry period.
Rescue service:
The personnel designated to rescue
employees from permit-required confined spaces.
Retrieval system:
The equipment used for nonentry rescue
of persons from permit-required confined spaces, such as a retrieval
line, full-body harness or wristlets, and a lifting device or
anchor.
Testing:
The process of identifying and evaluating
the hazards that entrants may be exposed to in a permit-required
confined space. Testing includes specifying the tests that are
to be performed in the permit-required confined space.
Note:
Testing allows employers to devise and implement
adequate controls to protect entrants during entry, and to determine
if acceptable entry conditions are present.
For
printing