Sampling confined spaces shouldn’t be so challenging
When I first became a safety professional, and while at my first project, my boss told me to meet him at the jobsite early to help him sample confined spaces before the shift started at 7:00 am. At the time, the project was building two 650-megawatt power plants. In the beginning, an hour early was enough for the several confined spaces we had to sample.
At another project in northern Iowa, it was zero degrees Fahrenheit (F.) in the morning, but with the wind chill, it was minus 30 degrees F. It was so cold that the moisture in my lungs would begin to freeze if I didn’t have a ski mask on. No matter how cold or how tired I was, I knew I was doing something important. I needed to sample these spaces correctly, label them, set up the permits, and ensure workers could safely enter the space at the start of the shift. Sometimes, the spaces needed to be dewatered, ice blocks needed to be chipped out, or snow shoveled away.
I share these experiences with you because I know it’s possible to sample confined spaces properly and get them ready for the crew to get to work without delays. I’ve done it with boots on the ground and know it’s possible. This is a common issue in OSHA News Releases and usually includes a fatality because the space wasn’t monitored correctly or at all. Here are some of the things I’ve learned that will help you at your jobsite:
- Buy a surveyor’s vest.
At first, I used my pockets to carry my signs, pens, markers, and zip ties while juggling the sampling monitor in my hand. When you talk to your supplier, specifically ask for a surveyor’s vest. - When placing the permits at each space, use a heavy-duty plastic sleeve.
You can get ones with metal grommets. The metal grommets and plastic sleeves are a must-have if your confined spaces are outdoors. - If your worksite is ever cold and wet, you need to invest in a paint marker or a permanent marker that works in cold and wet places.
I’ve tried doing this the hard way. It never worked with a regular pen or a standard permanent marker. - Carry extra sampling batteries with you. I can’t tell you how many times this tip saved me from walking back and forth to the truck or office.
The monitor worked when I bump check it, but something happened, and it wouldn’t turn on when I got to the space. - Most of the confined spaces I’ve sampled needed fall protection or scaffolding to access.
Make sure you have a fall protection safety harness with a pelican-hook lanyard. Use scaffolding with properly rated handrails to use it as an anchor point. It’s very convenient, but make sure you have the manufacturer’s approval. Have a competent inspector inspect the scaffolding before you access it. I was a competent scaffold inspector, so that I could check it myself. I’ve slipped on many scaffold planks until I started using shoe pullovers with extra traction on the bottom. I recommend investing in a pair of these. - Assuming it’s dark outside when you sample your confined spaces, have a headlamp that attaches to your hardhat and a backup flashlight in your vest.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve bumped my head, or something caught my headlamp, and it fell below. Many monitors now have lighted displays, but I still recommend having a headlamp and flashlight. If your project can afford mobile-light plants, use them. You could even tie-off the monitor to your wrist to prevent it from falling below. - There were times I needed to make some minor repairs to the monitor.
Carry an extra sampling hose, suction-pump filters, sensors, and a small screwdriver. It saves you time and miles of footsteps on a large, complex site to have everything you need handy in your vest. - Get over your fear of insects.
I’ve always had a fear of spiders. I found that spiders love to build webs all over scaffolding, especially if you have a nearby body of water. We were next to the Mississippi River and Lake Michigan on the two projects I mentioned above. Sometimes I was panic-stricken to get on the scaffolding. The spiders looked like tarantulas. I carried an expandable baton in my vest to swat away the webs.
When you sample the space, it must be sampled at the top, middle, and bottom. I had an extra hose at different lengths so that if I had a large space, I could monitor it at different heights before entering to make further assessments. Remember, you can’t enter a confined space until you sample it first and determine it’s safe to enter.
You won’t find the tips above in OSHA’s Subpart AA, Confined Spaces in Construction. They’re not even in the general industry confined space standards that were used before the construction industry’s confined space standards became effective. Use these pro tips above to enhance your jobsite confined space program.