CONFINED SPACE AWARENESS

DEFINITION OF CONFINED SPACE Is large enough and so configured that an employee can bodily enter and perform assigned work Has limited or restricted means for entry or exit Is not intended for continuous employee occupancy

TYPES OF CONFINED SPACES Sewers Railroads Vaults and pits Vessels, silos, storage bins Hoppers, pipelines

REASONS FOR ENTERING A CONFINED SAPCE Cleaning Inspections Maintenance Training Rescue

CONFINED SPACE HAZARDS Hazardous atmospheres – Oxygen deficient – Combustible.flammable atmospheres – Toxic gases – Combustible dusts Electrical and other energy sources Mechanical Engulfment Poor lighting Poor footing Biological and health hazards Improper training

CONFINED SPACE INCIDENTS Highest death rates in any type of rescue operations 60% of rescuers die in attempted rescues

CONFINED SPACE STANDARD 29 CFR

CONFINED SPACE PERMITS Contains requirements for practices and procedures to protect employees from the hazards of entry into permit required confined spaces Required in all types of industry, EXCEPT: agriculture, construction, and shipyards

TYPES OF PERMIT CONFINED SPACES Permit Required Confined Space – A confined space that has one or more of the following conditions: Contains or has the potential to contain a hazardous atmosphere Contains a material that has the potential for engulfing an entrant Has an internal configuration such that the entrant could be trapped or asphyxiated by inwardly converging walls or a floor which slopes and tapers to a smaller cross section Contains other serious recognizable hazards

TYPES OF PERMIT CONFINED SPACES Non-Permit Confined Space – A space that does not contain or with respect to atmospheric hazards, have the potential to contain any hazard capable of causing serious physical harm or death

ALTERNATE ENTRY PROCEDURES The employer must demonstrate the following: – The only hazard posed is actual or potential hazardous atmosphere – Demonstrates the continuous ventilation is sufficient to maintain a safe permit space – Must show data that supports the above demonstrations – Data must be documented and be made available to the entrants

ALTERNATE ENTRY PROCEDURES If alternate entries are allowed: – No formal program is needed – No permit or permit system is needed – No attendant or supervisor is needed – No rescue provisions – TRAINING IS REQUIRED!

CONFINED SPACE DEFINITIONS Qualified Person – A person designated by the Employer in writing, as being trained in the area of confined space Attendant – A trained person who is stationed outside the confined space who monitors authorized entrants working in the confined space Authorized Entrant – Person doing the work inside the confined space Entry supervisor – Person who verifies that all requirements for entry have been met and oversee the operations

CONFINED SPACE HAZARDS Hazardous Atmospheres – Oxygen Deficient Below 19.5% – Oxygen enriched Above 23.5% – Flammability 10% of the lower flammability range – Other Toxic gases Carbon monoxide – 35 ppm Sulfur Dioxide – 10 ppm

WAYS TO REMOVED THE HAZARDS Ventilation – The planned and systematic release and removal of gases and replacement of these gases with fresh air Inerting – Displacement of the atmosphere in a permit space by a non-combustible gas (such as nitrogen) Note- This procedure does create an oxygen deficient atmosphere Isolation – The process by which a permit required confined space is removed from service and completely protected against the energy and/or material into the confined space by blanking and bleeding, lock-out tag out Double bleed and block

CONFINED SPACE PERMITS Shall be issued for all required entry spaces and shall be posted at the entry point to the confined space The entry shall not exceed the time durations it is issued for.

MONITORING OF CONFINED SPACES Order of significance – Oxygen – LEL – Toxic Gases Monitors shall be four gas – Oxygen levels – Carbon monoxide levels – Hydrogen sulfide levels – Lower explosive limits Monitoring should be conducted – At the portal – Lowering into the space, allow 1 second per foot to ensure proper levels are read. – Always use two monitors

CONFINED SPACE RESCUES Personal Safety Equipment SCBA and Supplied Air Units Full body harness and retrieval system Tools Electrical equipment

CONFINED SPACE RESCUE EQUIPMENT Personal equipment – Hard hats – Boots – Eye Protection – Hearing protection – Splash protection – In the case of flammable atmospheres, bunker gear is appropriate SCBA and Supplied Air Units – SCBA is appropriate, however cannot be removed to gain entry into the space – Supplies air systems cannot exceed 300 ft. – Supplied air systems require minimum of a 10 minute escape packs

CONFINED SPACE RESCUE EQUIPMENT Cont. Retrieval System/Fall protection – Required in any spaces deeper than 5 feet. – Tri-Pod – Retrieval system – Life line – Life line retrieval system Miscellaneous Equipment Electrical equipment – Needs to be grounded – Low voltage Tools – Non-sparking – Air driven (Intrinsically safe)

IDENTIFICATION AND COMMUNICATION IN THE CONFINED SPACE Methods of communication Radios – Difficult to use underground, won’t turn corners Life Line – OATH OK = 1 Pull Advance = 2 Pulls Take Up = 3 Pulls Help = 4 or more pulls Hand signals Identification Systems – Accountability System Name of the attendant Name and Number of entrants Time in and out of the Space Time on and off air

CONFINED SPACE RECORD KEPPING Records of training must be maintained Permits must be maintained Incident records must be maintained Medical surveillance (Meeting OSHA Standards Equipment maintenance records Records must be kept for a minimum of one year Exposure records must be kept for 40 years or 30 years after employment termination

CONFINED SPACE INITIAL OPERATIONS Activate response plan Activate the incident command system Prevent unauthorized personnel from entering the sight Set-up control zones, as in Haz-Mat

PERMIT REQUIRED CONFINED SPACE ENTRY AND RESCUE Prepare permit or SOP Check for hazards Monitor air quality (continuously) Ventilate Tri-pod set up Retrieval system Full body harnesses Lighting Communication Pot Permits Make entry and conduct the rescue or exercise Cancel and file permits