Confined spaces are a necessary part of many facilities. These spaces, unfortunately, have the potential to cause serious harm to employees, and are made more dangerous with the presence of other common hazards. To help prevent employee injury, OSHA created Standard 1910.146, which governs confined spaces and establishes the parameters for permit entry systems.
Once a space has been declared a confined space, meaning it 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, an employer needs to determine if it is a permit-required confined space. Permit-required confined spaces are 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 a confined space has any of these additional hazards, a system must be set up to protect the employees; this is done by either creating alternate entry procedures or creating a full permit entry system. Alternate entry procedures are allowed if the only hazard present is atmospheric in nature and if the employer can demonstrate that continuous forced air ventilation alone is sufficient to maintain that permit space safe for entry.
If forced air will not rectify the situation, then a full permit entry system is required. These systems document who may or may not enter the space, when these people may or may not enter the space, how these individuals will be monitored, who will be responsible for monitoring entry into the space, and what safety equipment is required before entry. The space must then be routinely audited to ensure no additional hazards have developed and to ensure that all safety equipment is working effectively.
So if you own a facility which has confined spaces and you have not recently reviewed your permit entry system, it might be time to do so. If you have any questions through the process, please contact us so we can help you through the process. And if you have anything to add about the importance of permit entry systems for confined spaces, please leave a comment.
