Permit-Required Confined Space Entrant (General Industry)

Confined space or permit space?

This rule covers general industry. It does not apply to agriculture, construction or shipyard employment, which fall under other parts of OSHA's rules.

A confined space has all three

• It is large enough and shaped so a worker can bodily enter and do assigned work
• It has limited or restricted means of entry or exit, such as tanks, vessels, silos, storage bins, hoppers, vaults and pits
• It is not designed for continuous employee occupancy

It becomes a permit space if it has one or more of these

When does entry start?

As soon as any part of your body breaks the plane of the opening. Reaching your head or arm through a manway is entry.

Your employer must tell exposed employees where permit spaces are and the danger they pose, by danger signs or another equally effective means.

Reference: 29 CFR 1910.146(a) · 29 CFR 1910.146(b) "Confined space" · 29 CFR 1910.146(b) "Permit-required confined space" · 29 CFR 1910.146(b) "Engulfment" · 29 CFR 1910.146(b) "Entry" · 29 CFR 1910.146(c)(2)

Read the permit before you go in

Before entry begins, the entry supervisor named on the permit must sign it. The completed permit must be available to you at the time of entry, for example posted at the entry portal, so you can confirm the pre-entry preparations are done.

What to look for on the permit

• You are listed as an authorized entrant (by name, or on the roster or tracking system it references)
• The hazards of the space
• The acceptable entry conditions
• The test results, with the testers' names or initials and when the tests were done
• The rescue and emergency services and how to summon them
• The communication procedures between you and the attendant
• The equipment provided, such as PPE, testing, communications, alarm and rescue equipment
• Any additional permits, such as a hot work permit

Reference: 29 CFR 1910.146(e)(2) · 29 CFR 1910.146(e)(3) · 29 CFR 1910.146(f)(4) · 29 CFR 1910.146(f)(7) · 29 CFR 1910.146(f)(9) · 29 CFR 1910.146(f)(10) · 29 CFR 1910.146(f)(11) · 29 CFR 1910.146(f)(12) · 29 CFR 1910.146(f)(13) · 29 CFR 1910.146(f)(15) · 29 CFR 1910.146(e)(5) · 29 CFR 1910.146(e)(5)(ii) · 29 CFR 1910.146(e)(5)(i)

Your rights during testing

Your employer must test conditions in the space before entry is authorized, and test or monitor as necessary during entry to make sure acceptable conditions are maintained. As the entrant, you (or your authorized representative) have the right to:

• Observe the pre-entry testing and any later testing or monitoring
• Get the results of any testing immediately
• Ask for a reevaluation of the space, done in your presence, when you have reason to believe the evaluation may not have been adequate

Reference: 29 CFR 1910.146(d)(5)(i) · 29 CFR 1910.146(d)(5)(ii) · 29 CFR 1910.146(d)(5)(iv) · 29 CFR 1910.146(d)(5)(v) · 29 CFR 1910.146(d)(5)(vi)

Know the hazards, use the equipment

Know the hazards

Before you go in you must know the hazards you may face, including how the exposure happens, its signs or symptoms, and its consequences. These are listed on the permit and covered in your employer's training.

Use the equipment properly

Your employer must provide the needed equipment at no cost to you, maintain it, and make sure it is used properly. You must use it properly. It includes, as needed:

• Testing and monitoring equipment
• Ventilating equipment to get acceptable entry conditions
• Communications equipment to stay in contact with the attendant
• PPE, where engineering and work practice controls do not adequately protect you
• Lighting good enough to work safely and to get out quickly in an emergency
• Ladders or other equipment for safe entry and exit
• Barriers and shields to protect you from external hazards such as pedestrians and vehicles
• Rescue and emergency equipment (except what the rescue service provides)
• Any other equipment needed for safe entry into and rescue from the space

Reference: 29 CFR 1910.146(h)(1) · 29 CFR 1910.146(h)(2) · 29 CFR 1910.146(d)(4) · 29 CFR 1910.146(d)(4)(i) · 29 CFR 1910.146(d)(4)(ii) · 29 CFR 1910.146(d)(4)(iii) · 29 CFR 1910.146(d)(4)(iv) · 29 CFR 1910.146(d)(4)(v) · 29 CFR 1910.146(d)(4)(vii) · 29 CFR 1910.146(d)(4)(viii) · 29 CFR 1910.146(d)(4)(vi) · 29 CFR 1910.146(d)(4)(ix) · 29 CFR 1910.146(d)(3)(v)

Your retrieval harness

Retrieval systems let you be pulled out without anyone else entering. They must be used whenever you enter a permit space, unless the retrieval equipment would increase the overall risk of entry or would not help rescue you.

• You wear a chest or full body harness, with the retrieval line attached at the center of your back near shoulder level, above your head, or at another point your employer establishes gives a small enough profile to pull you out.
• Wristlets may be used instead only if your employer can demonstrate a harness is infeasible or creates a greater hazard, and wristlets are the safest and most effective alternative.
• The other end of the line is attached to a mechanical device or fixed point outside the space, so rescue can begin as soon as it is needed.
• For vertical spaces more than 5 feet deep, a mechanical device must be available to retrieve you.

Reference: 29 CFR 1910.146(k)(3) · 29 CFR 1910.146(k)(3)(i) · 29 CFR 1910.146(k)(3)(ii)

The attendant is your lifeline

At least one attendant must be outside the space for the whole entry. The attendant stays outside until relieved by another attendant, and summons rescue as soon as they decide you may need help to escape.

Your part

• Communicate with the attendant as needed, so they can monitor your status and tell you to evacuate.
• Alert the attendant whenever you recognize any warning sign or symptom of exposure to a dangerous situation (your training covers the signs and symptoms for your space's hazards), or you detect a prohibited condition.

A prohibited condition is any condition in the space that the permit does not allow while entry is authorized.

Reference: 29 CFR 1910.146(h)(3) · 29 CFR 1910.146(h)(4)(i) · 29 CFR 1910.146(h)(4)(ii) · 29 CFR 1910.146(d)(6) · 29 CFR 1910.146(i)(4) · 29 CFR 1910.146(i)(7) · 29 CFR 1910.146(b) "Prohibited condition"

When to get out

Exit the permit space as quickly as possible whenever:

Do not stay to finish the job, and do not argue with an order to evacuate.

Reference: 29 CFR 1910.146(h)(5) · 29 CFR 1910.146(h)(5)(i) · 29 CFR 1910.146(h)(5)(ii) · 29 CFR 1910.146(h)(5)(iii) · 29 CFR 1910.146(h)(5)(iv) · 29 CFR 1910.146(d)(9)

Common test questions

What makes a space a confined space?

All three: it is large enough to bodily enter and work in, it has limited or restricted ways in or out, and it is not designed for continuous occupancy.

Rule: 29 CFR 1910.146(b)

In what order is the air tested before entry?

Oxygen first, then combustible gases and vapors, then toxic gases and vapors.

Rule: 29 CFR 1910.146(d)(5)(iii)

What oxygen levels make the air hazardous?

Below 19.5 percent or above 23.5 percent oxygen.

Rule: 29 CFR 1910.146(b)

Can the attendant go into the permit space?

No. The attendant stays outside the permit space during entry until relieved by another attendant.

Rule: 29 CFR 1910.146(i)(4)

What sign warns workers about a permit space?

A danger sign such as: DANGER - PERMIT-REQUIRED CONFINED SPACE, DO NOT ENTER.

Rule: 29 CFR 1910.146(c)(2)

Practice these in the course