Confined spaces for general industry

Scope

OSHA’s Confined Space standard at 1910.146 protects employees in general industry from the hazards of entry into confined and permit-required confined spaces. All employers engaged in confined space work activities have a duty under the standard to make sure their employees do not enter a confined space except when following the requirements of the standard.

The following industries are exempt from the general industry Confined Spaces standard:

• Construction: 29 CFR 1926 Subpart AA
• Agriculture: 29 CFR 1928, Subpart A
• Shipyards: 29 CFR 1915, Subpart B

Regulatory citations

• 29 CFR 1910.146 — Permit-Required Confined Spaces.

• 29 CFR 1910.146, Appendix A – Permit-required Confined Space Decision Flow Chart.

Key definitions

• Authorized entrant: A worker who is authorized by the entry supervisor to enter a permit space.
• Confined space: A space that:
  • Is large enough and so configured that an employee can bodily enter it,
  • Has limited or restricted means for entry and exit, and
  • Is not designed for continuous employee occupancy.
• Entry employer: An employer who decides that an employee it directs will enter a permit space. There may be more than one entry employer if the employees of multiple employers must enter the space. Each entry employer is responsible for complying with all provisions in the Confined Spaces standard except those specifically imposed on the controlling contractor and host employer.
• Entry supervisor: A qualified person (such as the employer, foreman, or crew chief) responsible for overseeing entry operations. An entry supervisor also may serve as an attendant or as an authorized entrant, as long as that person is trained and equipped as required by this standard for each role he or she fills. The duties of entry supervisor may be passed from one individual to another during the course of an entry operation.
• Permit-required confined space (permit space or PRCS): A confined space that has one or more of the following characteristics:
  • Contains or has a potential to contain a hazardous atmosphere,
  • Contains 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 or health hazard.

Summary of requirements

• Evaluate the workplace to identify any area that may be classified as a confined space or permit-required confined space (PRCS).
• Consult with industrial hygienists or other occupational health and safety professionals for guidance, as necessary.
• Develop and implement a written program to reduce exposures to confined space hazards.
• Develop a written permit to be completed by the entry supervisor prior to entry. Permits must be available to all permit space entrants at the time of entry; should be posted outside the permit space during entry; and should extend only for the duration of the task.
• Inform employees of the location and danger of confined spaces and PRCSs by signs or other effective means.
• Establish surveillance and exposure monitoring protocols to evaluate all permit spaces prior to and during entry.
• Allow entrants, or their representative, to observe permit space atmospheric testing.
• Ensure acceptable conditions remain throughout the entry. If entry conditions become unacceptable, entrants must leave the space.
• Only allow entry into permit spaces with a signed entry permit. There are exceptions if an employer uses the alternate entry procedures specified in the standard or reclassifies the space as a non-permit as specified in the standard.
• Retain canceled permits for a year to allow a review of the permit space program.
• Ensure adequate rescue personnel are available for all entries. Rescue services may be provided by on-site employees or an off-site service. On-site teams must be properly equipped and must receive the same training as authorized entrants, plus training in the use of personal protective and rescue equipment and in first aid, including CPR. They must practice simulated rescues at least once every 12 months. Outside rescue services must be made aware of the hazards of the confined spaces, must have access to comparable permit spaces to develop rescue plans, and must practice rescues. Hospitals or treatment facilities must be provided with any SDSs or other information in a permit space hazard exposure situation that may aid in treatment of rescued employees.
• Coordinate with contractors who may be involved/impacted by permit space entries.
• Ensure that unauthorized employees do not approach or enter a permit space.
• Provide proper personal protective equipment, including respirators, to all entrants and rescuers.
• Train employees on their duties as entrants, attendants, and/or entry supervisors. Training must include the hazards of the permit space, the signs and symptoms of exposure, and the consequences of exposure. Refresher training must be done whenever an employee’s duties change, when hazards in the permit space change, or whenever an evaluation of the confined space entry program identifies inadequacies.