035: Confined Spaces Pt 2 - Safety with Entry Permits

<p> </p> <p>Powered by <a href="https://ireportsource.com/?utm_source=SafetyPro%20Podcast&amp;utm_medium=SafetyPro%20Blog&amp;utm_campaign=SafetyPro%20Trenching%20and%20Excavation%20Safety" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">iReportSource</a></p> <p></p> <p>Get a <strong><a href="http://www.thesafetypropodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/CONFINED_SPACE_ENTRY_PERMITv2.rtf" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">SAMPLE PERMIT TEMPLATE HERE</a></strong></p> <p>This is part 2 in a series about confined space entry, the requirements including training and entry procedures and we will wrap the series up with some tips, interpretations, and examples written programs. If you remember from the last episode I covered the basic definition of a confined space:</p> <p>* Is large enough and so configured that an employee can bodily enter and perform assigned work</p> <p>* Has limited or restricted means for entry or exit (for example, tanks, vessels, silos, storage bins, hoppers, vaults, and pits are spaces that may have limited means of entry.</p> <p>AND (yes, it has to have all of these)</p> <p>* It is not designed for continuous employee occupancy. And we talked about what that means as well.
</p> <p>And a "Permit-required confined space (permit space)" means a confined space that has one OR more of the following characteristics:</p> <p>1. Contains or has a potential to contain a hazardous atmosphere<br /> 2. Contains a material that has the potential for engulfing an entrant<br /> 3. 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<br /> 4. Contains any other recognized serious safety or health hazard</p> <p>Okay, we touched on just some of the training requirements as well. Not too much detail there, but I will go into rescue teams including in-house rescue and the training requirements in the next episode, so be listening for Part 3. For now, let's move into the actual permit and entry procedures.</p> <p>Let's begin with the actual space. Any time you remove covers to openings, especially at ground level, it has to be guarded immediately by a railing, temporary cover, or another temporary barrier that will prevent an accidental fall through the opening.</p> <p>You always want to address safety outside the space, before beginning work - addressing the space itself. This means identifying any poten