A majority of our municipal and school members have at least one workplace location with a confined space. OSHA defines a confined space as “an area which is not necessarily designed for people, large enough for workers to enter and perform certain jobs, has limited or restricted means for entry or exit and is not designed for continuous occupancy.” For our members, confined spaces might include storage tanks, vessels, silos, storage bins, vaults, pits, manholes, tunnels, and equipment housings.
OSHA uses the term “permit-required confined space” (permit space) to describe a confined space that has one or more of the following characteristics:
- Contains or has the potential to contain a hazardous atmosphere
- Contains material that has the potential to engulf an entrant
- Has walls that converge inward or floors that slope downward and taper into a smaller area which could trap or asphyxiate an entrant
Municipal wastewater treatment plant confined spaces might also include digestion and sedimentation tanks. Additionally, there may be floating covers over tanks, sodium hypochlorite tanks, or wastewater holding tanks. Many of these may also qualify as permit-required confined spaces.
It’s not enough to understand OSHA confined space standards and requirements. You must also understand the types of PPE solutions that help keep workers safe in confined spaces. Fall, respiratory, head protection, and gas detection are all important aids for workers entering and exiting confined spaces safely.
Label confined spaces, including those requiring permits, to alert nearby occupants of the hazards. Employers must review the permit program annually (see 1910.146(d)(14)). OSHA requires employee rescue service personnel to practice rescues at least once every 12 months (see 1910.146(k)(2)(iv)), so confirm this with your local fire rescue operations before entry into a permit-required confined space.
If your organization has not had confined space training recently, please contact our Director of Loss Control, Robert Blaisdell, rblaisdell@wrightinsurance.com.
You can find an excellent OSHA document on confined spaces in sewer (or water) systems at: https://www.osha.gov/sites/default/files/publications/OSHA3789.pdf