Page 12 - Occupational Health & Safety, November 2017

CONFINED SPACES
Confined Space: Preparing for Rescue
Not being able to rescue a worker from a confined space has a devastating impact on the company and, more importantly, the employees.
BY CHRIS KOESTER
With a focus on decreasing or minimiz- ing injuries and fatalities, Permit Re- quired Confined Space 1910.146 was established by OSHA as a safety stan- dard to protect employees from injury or fatality when working in a confined space. The standard stipulates that when employees enter permit required confined spaces, the employer’s confined space program must include necessary measures and resources for rescue:
■ Shall have all confined spaces identified and those considered hazardous marked with “Permit Required”
■ Shall have a rescue team that is available
■ Shall have training focused on the skills neces- sary to rescue in confined spaces
■ Shall have proper rescue equipment for the en- try/exit of a confined space
Experience shows that preparedness, rescue-fo- cused skills training, knowledge and proper utiliza- tion of rescue equipment, and real scenario hands-on practice make rescue teams more proficient and re- duce human error when rescuing in confined spaces.
Identifying Confined Spaces
Employers must have all confined spaces identified and those considered hazardous marked with “Permit Required.”
OSHA defines a confined space as “large enough that a person can bodily enter, has limited or restrict- ed means for entry or exit, and is not designed for continuous occupancy.” And if the space has one or more of the following—potential for hazardous atmo- sphere, potential for engulfment, entrapping internal configuration, or any other serious hazard—OSHA requires these spaces be classified and marked as “Per- mit Required.”
OSHA requires employers to have a written con- fined space program that includes specific procedures for rescue in all permit required confined spaces iden- tified at their facilities.
Rescue Team
Employers must have a rescue team available while employees are working in a permit required confined space. The OSHA standard, however, has a caveat:
12 Occupational Health & Safety | NOVEMBER 2017
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