Confined spaces remain one of the most hazardous work environments today. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), failing to follow procedures resulted in 15,000 employees receiving injuries and five employees dying on average each year. It is critical that maintenance personnel are properly trained on procedures and equipment that’s designated to make this work as safe as possible.
A confined space as defined by OSHA (29 CFR 1910.146), is any space that qualifies as “permit-required” shall be designated as such, and all employees informed of this fact by the posting of danger signs, and any other effective means to alert employees to the existence, location, danger(s) and hazard(s) presented by each identified “permit-required confined space.” Those confined spaces which are deemed “non-permit required” shall have documentation that they have no possibility of containing atmospheric hazards.
Confined-space entry required elements oblige the employer to evaluate the workplace to determine if any confined spaces are permit-required confined spaces. The employer must have established a written confined-space program to prevent unauthorized entry, to identify hazards and establish procedures and practices for safe entry, including testing and monitoring conditions and rescue operations in the event of an emergency.
A permit-required confined space must meet three criteria:
Criteria 1:
- Space is large enough to allow a person to completely enter it.
- It has limited openings.
- It is not designated for human occupancy.
Criteria 2:
- The space has limited or restricted means for entry or exit. This does not mean only one way in or out.
- Any space where an occupant must crawl, climb, twist, be constrained in a narrow opening, follow a lengthy path or otherwise exert unusual effort to enter or leave, or where entrance may become sealed or secured against opening from inside.
- Contains or has potential to contain a hazardous atmosphere.
Note: OSHA notes that doorways and other portals through which a person can walk are not to be considered a limited means of entry or exit. However, a space containing such a door or portal may still be deemed a confined space if an entrant’s ability to escape in an emergency would be hindered.
Criteria 3:
- A non-permit required confined space is a space that has been formally evaluated and does not qualify as being permit required and has no atmospheric hazards. For example, a fully functioning submarine that’s designated for continuous employee occupancy wouldn’t qualify as a permit-required confined space.
What qualifies as a confined space in a laundry facility?
- Tunnels
- Tanks
- Conveyor Tunnels
- Air Handlers
- Silos/Storage Bins
- Boilers
- Ductwork
- Furnaces
- Smokestacks/Chimneys
- Compactors/Bailers
- Elevator Pits
Note: Remember, these are examples of “Confined Spaces,” but not necessarily “Permit-Required” confined spaces.
Confined Space Authorized Entrants
- Ensure that all authorized entrants to confined spaces:
- Know the hazards they may face
- Can recognize signs or symptoms of exposure and understand the consequences of exposure to hazards
- Know how to use any equipment needed
- Can communicate with the attendant if necessary to enable the attendant to monitor entrant status and to enable the attendant to alert entrants of the need to evacuate the space if necessary
- Can alert attendants when a warning symptom or other hazardous condition exists
- Can exit as quickly as possible whenever ordered or alerted (by alarm, warning sign, or prohibited condition) to do so.
Entry permits require:
- Identification of the confined space
- Purpose of Entry
- Date and authorized duration of the permit
- List of authorized entrants
- Names of current attendants and entry supervisor
- List of hazards in the permit space
- List of measures to isolate permit space and eliminate or control hazards.
Don’t take the risk of failing to ensure that maintenance personnel are properly trained on confined spaces. Far too many companies emphasize increasing productivity to simply get the work done. Some may fail to adequately train maintenance personnel on proper procedures, hazards and precautions. Workers who receive sufficient training are more likely to identify and control confined-space hazards and get the job done safely.
Readers with questions may contact safety consultant Brian Varner at bvarner@trsa.org. TS
