February 29, 2024
On the Job Safety with EE: Working in Confined Spaces on Construction
Welcome to “On the Job Safety with EE“! We are happy to share these key tips on working in confined spaces from our Director of Environmental Health & Safety, Steven Verdi.
What is a confined space? A confined space has:
- Limited means of entry and/or exit,
- Is large enough for a worker to enter it, and
- Is not intended for regular/continuous occupancy.
Examples may include sewers, silos, pits, manholes, vaults, crawl spaces, attics, boilers, and many more.
What makes a confined space a permit required confined space?
A permit space is a confined space that may have a hazardous atmosphere, engulfment hazard, or other serious hazard, such as exposed wiring, mechanical parts, piping, and other items that can interfere with a worker’s ability to leave the space without assistance.
- Employers who have employees enter confined spaces must have a written confined space program
- Working in confined spaces can be dangerous please adhere to OSHA regulations and other industry standard best practices to ensure safety during confined space operations
- From 2011 to 2018, 1,030 workers died from occupational injuries involving a confined space. The annual figures range from a low of 88 in 2012 to a high of 166 in 2017. These data are from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Safety Tips while working in Confined Spaces
- Treat all confined spaces as hazardous.
- Test atmospheric conditions prior to entry and continuously monitor them during the entire entry. A person trained in the proper use of a calibrated, direct-reading instrument must test for oxygen content, flammable gases and vapors, and potential toxic air contaminants, in that order. Never trust your senses to determine if the air in a confined space is safe. You cannot see or smell many toxic gases and vapors, nor can you determine if sufficient oxygen is present.
- Ensure that adequate atmospheric conditions are maintained in the spaces at all times through proper ventilation.
- Ensure that all employees have received the necessary confined space training before they begin work in any confined space.
- Barricade the areas around the entry location to help control access and keep unauthorized people away from the confined space.
- Ensure the availability and use of harness, retrieval devices, ladders, and other necessary equipment are in good working condition and being used to add in entry, exit, and rescue as necessary.
- Ensure that all workers understand their duties and responsibilities:
- The Attendant – The attendant must be present immediately outside the space in case the person(s) in the space needs assistance and ensure that an emergency retrieval or rescue method is available. Make sure a safe method of communication is available between the person entering the space and the attendant.
- The Entrant – must be familiar with the hazards during entry to include signs and symptoms or potential exposures, be able to communicate with the attendant in the event of any change in conditions inside or outside the space that will require workers to evacuate the space.
- The entry supervisor- must be familiar with the hazards during entry, and the signs/symptoms/consequences of exposures. Verifies the permit is complete and that all procedures and equipment specified by the permit are in place before allowing entry, verifies the availability of rescue services, removes unauthorized individuals who enter or attempt to enter the space and terminates/cancels/suspend the permit as required.
- We have to remember that sometime the work we perform can cause a safe space to become unsafe. Activities such as cutting, welding, blasting and many other activities can cause conditions to change quickly in a confined space.
Our electrical subcontractor installing an electrical vault on our Shady Grove CUP expansion project.
