Fall Protection: Confined Spaces Defined

Confined spaces can pose a variety of hazards for people working in General Industry and the Construction Industry. For the purposes of this blog, we will be examining the different elements of confined spaces and how to offer protection for workers in those areas. Under OSHA 1926.501(b) criteria for construction industries states that any construction worker exposed to falls of 6 feet or more is required to use conventional fall protection such as guardrail systems, safety net systems, or personal fall arrest systems.

Then, OSHA officially defines a “Confined Space” in 1926.21(b)(6)(ii) for the Construction Industry as, “Any space having a limited means of egress which is subject to the accumulation of toxic or flammable contaminants or has an oxygen deficient atmosphere.”

And they go on to offer examples of confined spaces which, “include, but are not limited to, storage tanks, process vessels, bins, boilers, ventilation or exhaust ducts, sewers, underground utility vaults, tunnels, pipelines, and open top spaces more than 4 feet in depth such as pits, tubs, vaults and vessels.” This definition should help safety managers establish whether or not they have Construction workers who are officially exposed to a “Confined Space” hazard.

Now, in 1910.146 J, OSHA’s General Industry section defines a Confined Space as a workspace that:

“(1) Is large enough and so configured that an employee can bodily enter and perform assigned work; and

(2) 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.); and

(3) Is not designed for continuous employee occupancy.”

OSHA explains the definition of a confined space that requires a permit for General Industry purposes in that same section. A permit-required confined space work zone is defined as a space that has one or more of the following characteristics:

“(1) Contains or has the potential to contain a hazardous atmosphere;

(2) Contains a material that has the potential for engulfing an entrant;

(3) Has an internal configuration such that an entrant could be trapped or asphyxiated by inwardly concerning walls or by a floor which slopes downward and tapers to a smaller cross-section: or

(4) Contains any other recognized serious safety or health hazard.”

An example of a confined space that would require a permit would be a sewage system because it has additional hazards (i.e. rising water, toxic hydrogen sulfide gas, and bacterial exposure) along with the dangers of the confined space.

Next week, we will discuss the different ways to properly protect your worker while they are working in a confined space.

Stay safe!

Hannah Addison