Confined Space

Confined spaces are complex work environments and confined space incidents are still occurring because of this fact. Resolving the risk (apparent and invisible) is a multi-pronged issue that requires layers of controls, in varying forms, to keep workers safe. At the core, confined space accidents continue to occur because:

a) employers fail to implement confined space programs,

b) the most dangerous hazards are often undetectable to a worker peering into a confined space because they are not trained to perceive the severity of confined space risks, and

c) often there is not enough consideration to the controls/equipment available or rescue requirements of a confined space.

By definition, a confined space:

• Is large enough for an employee to enter fully and perform assigned work;
• Is not designed for continuous occupancy by the employee; and
• Has a limited or restricted means of entry or exit.

What is Confined Space ?

Many workplaces contain areas that are considered "confined spaces" because while they are not necessarily designed for people, they are large enough for workers to enter and perform certain jobs. A confined space also has limited or restricted means for entry or exit and is not designed for continuous occupancy. Confined spaces include, but are not limited to,

• Tanks,
• Vessels,
• Silos,
• Storage Bins,
• Hoppers,
• Vaults,
• Pits,
• Manholes,
• Tunnels,
• Equipment Housings,
• Ductwork,
• Pipelines.

Permit Required Confined Space

OSHA uses the term "permit-required confined 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;
• or contains any other recognized safety or health hazard, such as unguarded machinery, exposed live wires, or heat stress.