A short confined space presentation that I taught in the 145 class by the construction safety council

1. Introduction to Confined
Spaces
John Newquist CSP
johnanewquist@gmail.com
815-354-6853
1
Draft 2 25 2016

2. June 2015
• Chicago man has died after
being pulled from a silo holding
toxic material Monday afternoon
at a chemical plant in the city's
South Deering neighborhood
2

3. June 2015
• Washington Township OH
• The sheriff says 20-year-old
James Bradley Brown and
another plumber were working
on a septic system at a home on
Township Road 254 around 2:30
p.m. Tuesday.
• The office says Brown crawled
into the septic tank and lost
consciousness.
3

4. April 2015
• OSHA - Nebraska Railcar Cleaning Services
sent two employees into the rail car to work
without monitoring the air continuously for
explosive hazards as required, nor providing
the employees with emergency retrieval
equipment or properly fitted respirators
• The explosion blew the rail car’s escape
ladder off and killed the two men, trapping
one inside and hurling the other off the top of
the car. A third employee was injured.
• The workers who died were Dallas Foulk, 40,
and Adrian LaPour, 44.
• $963,000.
4

5. December 2014
• Carrillo and the other two victims used an
electric scissor lift to get to the bottom of the
tank, where they were welding.
• A spark apparently ignited gas, which
exploded, Garcia said, and the men
suffocated.
• They had two buckets of water to put out any
fire.
• $10,500 to Best Mechanical
5

6. February 2015
• New York City
• Manhole blew off
• Ice and salt damaged electrical
wires in the electrical vault.
• Con Edison said 600 fires have
erupted in New York City
manholes since Sunday
6

7. December 2014
• The crews were preparing
underground utility passages as
part of a regional railway project
• Fell 40 feet
• Successful rescue
7

8. September 2014
• Idaho.
• Jody Taylor says his son, 19-year-old Bo Taylor,
and a co-worker, 46-year-old Trent Sorensen
both died. Jody says it was a toxic
combination of fumes inside a manhole that
caused his son to pass out, then drown in the
water below.
• "The sealant we figure is what put off the
fumes with the reaction of PVC liner, the
fumes reacted with each other," said Taylor Example of a PVC lining

9. July 2014
• Schmid, who manages the
hatchery, was working in a
chamber approximately 15 feet
underground and was operating
a gasoline-powered pump.
• Air monitoring tests revealed
carbon monoxide levels were
five times the permissible
exposure limit, San Marcos TX
Fire Marshal Ken Bell said.
9

10. Learning Objectives
• Define "CONFINED SPACE"
• Recognize multiple hazards associated with confined space entry and
how they may change
• Discuss the abnormal behavior and emergency procedures associated
with confined space entries.
• Understand your role and responsibilities as it applies to confined
spaces
10

11. What The Statistics Tell Us
• Over 224,000 worksites have
permit spaces
• Over 2.1 million workers enter
permit spaces annually
• 60% are would-be rescuers
• Nearly 90% die of suffocation
• More than 95% had no formal
training
• They all could have been
prevented!!!!!!
Compliance with 1910.146 will save:
- at least 53 worker deaths
- 4,900 lost workday cases
- 5,700 non lost-time accidents ANNUALLY
11

12. Standard
Permit-Required Confined Spaces
• 29 CFR 1910.146
• Four revisions since was made law by
OSHA
12
1910.146(c)(2)
If the workplace contains permit spaces, the employer shall inform exposed employees, by posting
danger signs or by any other equally effective means, of the existence and location of and the
danger posed by the permit spaces.

13. If confined spaces are to be entered the
employer must…
• Post the space and prevent
unauthorized entry
• Develop a program
• Assess the space prior to and
continually during each entry,
including atmospheric monitoring
• Train employees in required roles
– entrant, attendant, supervisor,
rescuers
• Isolate the space from other
energy sources & materials
• Have effective rescue procedures
13

14. Confined Space
• Confined space is space that:
• Is large enough & so configured
that employee can bodily enter
& perform assigned work
• Has limited or restricted means
for entry or exit (i.e. tanks,
vessels, silos, pits, vaults or
hoppers)
• Is not designed for continuous
employee occupancy
14

15. Which are Confined Spaces?
15

16. Permit-Required
Confined Space
Permit-Required Confined Space is
confined space that has one or
more of following characteristics:
• Contains or has potential to
contain hazardous atmosphere
• Contains material that has
potential for engulfing entrant
Which hazard is present here? Engulfment or Hazardous Atmosphere?
16

17. Permit-Required
Confined Space
• Contains or has a potential to
contain a hazardous atmosphere;
• Contains a material that has the
potential for engulfing an Entrant;
• 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
• Contains any other recognized
serious safety or health hazard.
17

18. Dangers of Confined Spaces
• Personnel did not recognize a
permit required confined space
• Personnel trusted their senses
• Personnel underestimated the
danger
• Personnel did not stay on guard
• Personnel tried to rescue others
18

19. Risk Factors in Construction
• Daily change vs. fixed establishment
• Many contractors at onsite who may
create problems for you
• Turnover; who is responsible to train new
employees?
• Several tasks during the day
Factors increasing the health risk of
construction workers include:
19

20. 29 CFR 1910.146
Permit-Required Confined Spaces
• Scope & application
• Definitions
• General requirements
(to include dev. of
written plan)
• Permit-required
confined spaces
• Permit system
• Entry permit
• Training
• Duties of authorized
entrants
• Duties of attendants
• Duties of entry
supervisors
• Rescue & emergency
services
• Employee participation
20

21. Definitions
Atmospheric Hazards
o Oxygen Levels - below 19.5 % or
above 23.5%
o Flammable/Explosive – exceeds
10% of Lower Explosive Limit (LEL)
o Toxic Substances – exceed
Permissible Exposure Limits (PEL)
21

22. Definitions
• Attendant
• Individual stationed outside one or
more permit spaces who monitors
authorized entrants & performs all
attendant’s duties assigned in
employer’s permit space program
22

23. Duties of Attendants
• Knows hazards that may be
faced during entry
• Aware of possible behavioral
effects of hazard exposure in
authorized entrants
• Continuously maintains accurate
count of authorized entrants
• Remains outside permit space
during entry operations until
relieved by another attendant
23

24. Duties of Attendants
• Communicates with authorized
entrants
• Monitors activities inside & outside
space
• Summons rescue & other
emergency services
• Performs non-entry rescues as
specified by employer's rescue
procedure
• Performs no duties that might
interfere with primary duty to
monitor & protect authorized
entrants
24

25. Definitions
• Authorized entrant
• Employee authorized by employer
to enter permit space
25

26. Duties of Authorized Entrants
• Know hazards that may be faced
during entry, including information
on mode, signs or symptoms &
consequences of exposure
• Properly use equipment as
required by paragraph (d)(4)
• Communicate with attendant as
necessary to enable attendant to
monitor entrant status & enable
attendant to alert entrants of need
to evacuate space as required by
paragraph (i)(6)
26

27. Duties of Authorized Entrants
• Alert attendant whenever:
• Entrant recognizes any warning
sign or symptom of exposure to
dangerous situation
• Entrant detects prohibited
condition
• Exit from permit space as quickly
as possible whenever:
27
The alarm for Methane set at 10%
of the LEL reading 57%

28. Duties of Authorized Entrants
• Exit from permit space…
• Order to evacuate is given by
attendant or entry supervisor
• Entrant recognizes any warning
sign or symptom of exposure to a
dangerous situation
• Entrant detects prohibited
condition
• Evacuation alarm activated
28

29. Definitions
• Engulfment
• Surrounding & effective capture of
person by liquid or finely divided
(flowable) solid substance that can be
aspirated to cause death by filling or
plugging respiratory system
• Can exert enough force on body to
cause death by strangulation,
constriction or crushing
• Trenches deeper than 4ft
• Engulfment hazard: cave-in
• Preventive measure: shoring &
evacuation route
29

30. Definitions
• Entry
• Action by which person passes
through opening into permit-
required confined space
• Entry includes ensuing work
activities in space and is
considered to have occurred as
soon as any part of entrant’s
body breaks plane of opening
into space
30

31. Definitions
• Entry Supervisor
• (35%) of the workers killed in confined
spaces were supervisors
• Person (such as employer, foreman or
crew chief) responsible for determining if
acceptable entry conditions are present
at permit space where entry is planned,
for authorizing entry & overseeing entry
operations & for terminating entry
• Note: entry supervisor may serve as
attendant or authorized entrant, as long
as that person is trained & equipped as
required for each role filled
• Duties of entry supervisor may be passed
from one individual to another during entry
operations
31

32. Duties of Entry Supervisor
• Knows hazards that may be faced
during entry, including information
on mode, signs or symptoms &
consequences of exposure
• Verifies, by checking that
appropriate entries have been
made on permit, all tests specified
by permit have been conducted &
all procedures & equipment
specified by permit are in place
before endorsing permit & allowing
entry to begin
• Terminates entry & cancels permit
as required by paragraph (e)(5)
32

33. Duties of Entry Supervisor
• Verifies that rescue services are
available & means for summoning are
operable
• Removes unauthorized individuals
who enter or attempt to enter permit
space during entry operations
• Determines, whenever responsibility
for permit space entry operation is
transferred & at intervals dictated by
hazards & operations performed
within space, that entry operations
remain consistent with terms of entry
permit & acceptable entry conditions
are maintained
33

34. Duty of Host Employer
• 1910.146(c)(8)
• Inform the contractor that the workplace
contains permit spaces
• Apprise the contractor of the elements,
including the hazards identified and the host
employer's experience with the space
• Apprise the contractor of any precautions or
procedures that the host employer has
implemented
• Coordinate entry operations with the
contractor, when both host employer
personnel and contractor personnel will be
working in or near permit spaces
• Debrief the contractor at the conclusion of
the entry operations
34

35. Duty of Host Employers
• 1910.146(c)(8) When an employer
(host employer) arranges to have
employees of another employer
(contractor) perform work that
involves permit space entry, the
host employer shall: …
• 1910.146(c)(8)(v) Debrief the
contractor at the conclusion of the
entry operations regarding the
permit space program followed
and regarding any hazards
confronted or created in permit
spaces during entry operations.
35

36. Host Employers
• Include the debrief in your "Permit
Termination" procedures, as well as on
the actual entry permit or the
“reclassification” form.
• Have the contractor supervisor sign-off
on the terminated contractor and answer
two yes/no questions:
• Do you have any questions or concerns
regarding the permit space program
followed?
• Do you have any questions or concerns
regarding any hazards confronted or
created during entry?
• Provide a space for them to make
comments
36

37. Duties of Entry Supervisor
• Best Practice
• Verify Completion
• The entry supervisor should
remain for at least 30 minutes
after the entry to ensure the
security of the site and that no
hazards remain (ex. Fires)

38. Definitions
• Hazardous atmosphere
• Atmosphere that may expose
employees to risk of death,
incapacitation, impairment of
ability to self-rescue (i.e. unaided
escape from permit space), injury
or acute illness from one or more
following causes:
• Flammable gas, vapor or mist in
excess of 10% of Lower Flammable
Limit (LFL)
38

39. Definitions
• Hazardous atmosphere
• Airborne combustible dust at
concentration that meets or
exceeds LFL
• Note: concentration may be
approximated as condition in
which dust obscures vision at
distance of 5 ft or less
• Atmospheric oxygen concentration
<19.5% or >23.5%
39

40. Definitions
• Hazardous atmosphere
• Atmospheric concentration of any
substance for which dose or PEL
could result in employee exposure
in excess of dose or PEL
• Note: atmospheric concentration
of any substance not capable of
causing death, incapacitation,
impairment of ability to self-
rescue, injury or acute illness due
to health effects is not covered
40

41. Definitions
• Hazardous atmosphere
• Any other atmospheric condition
that is IDLH
• Note: for air contaminants which
OSHA has no dose or PEL, other
sources of information, such as
MSDSs that comply with 29 CFR
1910.1200, published information
& internal documents can provide
guidance in establishing
acceptable atmospheric conditions
41

42. Definitions
• Immediately Dangerous to Life and
Health (IDLH)
• Poses an immediate or delayed threat
to life, OR…
• Causes irreversible adverse health
effects, OR…
• Interferes with ability to escape
unaided from a permit space
• SDS’s used to determine need for
PPE
• If conditions meet or exceed IDLH
values, implement Job Hazard
Analysis and provide PPE
42

43. Definitions
• Isolation
• Process by which permit space is
removed from service &
completely protected against
release of energy & material into
space by such means as: blanking
or blinding; misaligning or
removing sections of lines, pipes
or ducts; double block & bleed
system; lockout or tagout of all
sources of energy; or blocking or
disconnecting all mechanical
linkages
43

44. Definitions
• Line breaking
• Intentional opening of pipe, line or
duct that is or has been carrying
flammable, corrosive or toxic
material, inert gas or any fluid at
volume, pressure or temperature
capable of causing injury
44

45. QUALIFIED PERSON
• Designated by the employer in
writing, as CAPABLE (by education,
training, or both) of:
Anticipating, recognizing, and
evaluating employee exposure to
hazardous substances or other unsafe
conditions in a confined space; AND
of
Specifying necessary control and/or
protective action to ensure employee
safety
45

46. Definitions
• Rescue service
• Personnel designated to rescue
employees from permit spaces
• Note: rescue personnel may be
industry emergency personnel,
outside rescue service or
combination of teams
46

47. Rescue & Emergency Services
• Rescue and emergency services
• Employer who designates rescue
& emergency services, pursuant to
paragraph (d)(9) shall:
• Evaluate prospective rescuer's ability
to respond to rescue summons in
timely manner, considering hazard(s)
identified
47

48. Definitions
• Retrieval system
• Equipment (including retrieval line, chest or full-body harness, wristlets, if
appropriate, & lifting device or anchor) used for non-entry rescue of persons
from permit spaces
48

49. Definitions
• Testing
• Process by which hazards that may
confront entrants are identified &
evaluated
• Testing includes specifying tests to
be performed in permit space
• Note: testing enables employers
to devise & implement adequate
control measures for protection of
authorized entrants & determine if
acceptable entry conditions are
present immediately prior to &
during entry
49

50. Manhole Opening
Death
• Summary Nr: 201260031 Event: 08/16/1996
Employee Dies Of Asphyxia In Manhole
• Employee #1, a laborer, and his foreman arrived at
a manhole to open a mechanical valve at the
bottom of the manhole.
• While Employee #1 was removing the manhole
cover, the foreman was 5 ft away at his truck
getting the air tester.
• When the foreman turned around to go back to
the manhole, he saw the top of Employee #1's
head disappear into it.
• The foreman then looked down into the manhole
and saw that Employee #1 was unconscious.
• The foreman tested the air in the manhole and
obtained a reading of 14% oxygen.
• He immediately called 911, and Employee #1's
body was retrieved by the local fire department
with the use of SCBAs. OSHA's testing of the
manhole showed oxygen levels of between 12 and
14 percent.
• Tests for carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide, and
flammable vapors were negative.
• Tests for carbon dioxide were positive, with a
reading of 35,000 ppm.
50

51. Opening Manholes
• Weight can be 50-70 pounds
51

52. Testing Protocol
• Before employee enters space,
internal atmosphere shall be
tested, with calibrated direct-
reading instrument, for following
conditions in order given
• Oxygen content
• Flammable gases & vapors
• Potential toxic air contaminants
52

53. Testing
• Monitor for YOUR
hazards
• Calibrate your monitor –
ensure the validity of
your sensors
• Calibration must occur in
clean air
53

54. General Requirements
• Before it begins work at a
worksite, each employer
must ensure that a
competent person identifies
all confined spaces in which
one or more of the
employees it directs may
work, and identifies each
space that is a permit space,
through consideration and
evaluation of the elements
of that space, including
testing as necessary
1926.1203(a)(1)

55. • the employer who identifies, or
who receives notice of, a permit
space must:
• Inform exposed employees by
posting danger signs or by any
other equally effective means, of
the existence and location of, and
the danger posed by, each permit
space; and
• Note to paragraph (b)(1). A sign
reading “DANGER -- PERMIT-
REQUIRED CONFINED SPACE, DO
NOT ENTER” or using other similar
language would satisfy the
requirement for a sign.
• (2) Inform, in a timely manner and
in a manner other than posting, its
employees’ authorized
representatives and the controlling
contractor of the existence and
location of, and the danger posed
by, each permit space.
1926.1203(b)(1)

56. • the employer who identifies, or who receives
notice of, a permit space must:
• Inform, in a timely manner and in a manner
other than posting, its employees’ authorized
representatives and the controlling contractor
of the existence and location of, and the danger
posed by, each permit space.
1926.1203(b)(2)

57. • Continuous forced air ventilation
must be used…..
1926.1203(b)(2)(v)

58. • The atmosphere within the space
must be continuously monitored
1926.1203(b)(2)(vi)

59. • Each employer who identifies, or
receives notice of, a permit space and
has not authorized employees it directs
to work in that space must take
effective measures to prevent those
employees from entering that permit
space, in addition to complying with all
other applicable requirements of this
standard.
1926.1203(c)(1)

60. • If any employer decides that employees it
directs will enter a permit space, that employer
must have a written permit space program that
complies with §1926.1204 implemented at the
construction site.
• The written program must be made available
prior to and during entry operations for
inspection by employees and their authorized
representatives.
1926.1203(d)(1)

61. Hazards of Confined Space - Ammonia
• Ammonia leaks
• Compressor rooms
• Alarms
• Detectors
• Emergency Ventilation
• ASHRA and Ammonia Industry
Guidelines need to be consulted
61

62. Hazards of Confined Space - Animals
• Insects or animals
• Stinging insects in insulation
jackets and pipe insulation
62

63. Hazards of Confined Space - Argon
• Several multiple fatalities where
argon is used.
• Inert, colorless, odorless.
• Much more heavier than air.
63

64. Hazards of Confined Space - Asbestos
• Common Fireproofing material
used pre- 1980s
• Found in pipe insulation, ceiling
tiles, and floor tiles
• Must comply with 1926.1101
64

65. Hazards of Confined Space- Biological Agents
• Sewers
• Sewage
• Bloodborne pathogens
• Needles
65

66. Hazards of Confined Space- Burns
• Burned by contact with hot
metal surfaces, such as an
agitator shaft assembly, heated
vessel jacket
• Inner shell of the cooker/dryer;
• Hot Pipes
• Hydrofluoric Acid and other
chemical burns
66

67. Hazards of Confined Space - Carbon Monoxide
• Colorless, odorless gas
• Fatal at 1000 ppm in air
• Dangerous at 200 ppm
• Any untested atmosphere must be suspect
• Carbon monoxide must be tested for
specifically
• Chemical asphyxiant
• Slightly lighter than air
• Primary source: incomplete combustion of
organic material
• Gasoline-fueled combustion engines
• PEL = 50 ppm
• TLV = 25 ppm –
• REL = 200 ppm –
• STEL = 35 ppm
• IDLH = 1500 ppm
• LEL = 12.5%; UEL = 74.2%
67

68. Carbon Monoxide:
Concentration of CO Necessary to Produce Symptoms
68

69. Hazards of Confined Space - Carbon Dioxide
• Colorless, odorless noncombustible
gas
• Heavier than air
• Common in solid and compressed
liquid forms
• Carbonation
• Inerting
• Organic decay (grain elevators,
sewers, storage bins, wells)
• Fermentation (digestors, molasses
pits, beer and wine vats)
PEL = 5,000 ppm
TLV = 5,000 ppm
STEL - 30,000 ppm
IDLH = 50,000 ppm
LEL = none
69

70. Hazards of Confined Space - Collapse
• Surface may collapse
70

71. Hazards of Confined Space - Corrosives
• Acid Neutralization Pit
71

72. Hazards of Confined Space - Elevation
• Elevated - permit space where
entrance portal or opening is above
grade ≥ 4 ft
• Usually requires knowledge of high
angle rescue procedures because
of difficulty in packaging &
transporting patient to ground
from portal
• Non-elevated - permit space with
entrance portal located ≤ 4 ft
above grade
• Will allow rescue team to transport
injured employee normally
72

73. Hazards of Confined Space - Electric
• Shock
• Arc Blast
73

74. January 2015
• New York City
• Over 600 explosion in manholes
in the winter
• Salt and ice corrodes the
electrical coatings
74

75. Hazards of Confined Space - Elevation
• Elevated - permit space where
entrance portal or opening is above
grade ≥ 4 ft
• Usually requires knowledge of high
angle rescue procedures because
of difficulty in packaging &
transporting patient to ground
from portal
• Non-elevated - permit space with
entrance portal located ≤ 4 ft
above grade
• Will allow rescue team to transport
injured employee normally
75

76. Hazards of Confined Space - Engulfment
• Flyash
• Dirt
• Grain
• Water or other materials in the
space, such as sand or sugar, are
an “engulfment” hazard
•
76

77. Hazards of Confined Space - Ergonomic
• What is the person’s
capacity to lift?
• Is lift assist available?
77

78. Hazards of Confined Space - Falls
• Ladders Falls
• Corroded ladders
• Catwalks
• Portable Guardrails
78

79. Hazards of Confined Space - Falling Objects
• In particular, hazards are
prevalent in spaces that have
topside openings for entry and
where work is being done above
the worker.
79

80. Hazards of Confined Space - Fire
• Flammable/combustible gases
and vapors used or brought in
• Spraying
• Leaks of flammables in pipe or
corrosion
80

81. Hazards of Confined Space - Flooding
• Water reservoir could have quick
entry of water
• Trenches
• Sewers
81

82. Hazards of Confined Space - Heat
• Train the workforce
• Perform the heaviest work in the
coolest part of the day
• One GC stops outside work at
noon.
• Slowly build up tolerance to the
heat and the work activity (usually
takes up to two weeks)
• Drink plenty of cool water (one cup
every 15-20 minutes)
• Wear light, loose-fitting,
breathable (cotton) clothing
82

83. • "Hot work" means work involving
electric or gas welding, cutting,
brazing, or similar flame or spark-
producing operations.
• The CSB has identified over 60
fatalities since 1990 due to
explosions and fires from hot work
activities on tanks
• “Note that a number of these
involved explosions in adjacent
compartments - making sure the
atmosphere is safe where the
employee is working is not
sufficient to protect them’
Hazards of Confined Space – Hot Works
Danger in the Oil Field

84. Hot Works at a VPP Plant
• Hot Work Program
• The company’s hot work program consists of an evaluation of whether
the work will be open or non-open flame
• “Hot Work Permits Requirements Matrix.”
• Most stringent permit requirements apply in the case of open flame
work being performed in a hazardous area
• Written Risk Assessment Pre-Plan,
• Two management levels of approval,
• A standby fire watch with fire extinguisher,
• Constant monitoring of the Lower Explosive Limit and/or Oxygen levels,
and other appropriate safety measures.

85. Hazards of Confined Space - Hydrogen Sulfide
Well Water, Natural Gas, Crude Oil, Sewers
Rotten Eggs
Flammable
Heavier than
air
85

86. Hydrogen
Sulfide
86

87. Hazards of Confined Space - Lack of Lighting
• 1926.56 has guidance
• 10 foot candles – OSHA
• Really need more
87

88. Hazards of Confined Space - Lines
• Isolation procedures
• Blanking/blinding
• Double block and bleed
• Line breaking
Tank with lines entering it
Is the line or vessel de-pressurized?

89. Hazards of Confined Space - Lockout
• Grinding, crushing, or mixing
mechanisms
89

90. Hazards of Confined Space - Methane
• Colorless
• Odorless in pure form
• Flammable
• Can cause rapid
suffocation.
90

91. Hazards of Confined Space - Methylene
Chlorine
• Paint stripping
• Parts cleaners
• Cancer causing
• Very detailed OSHA regs for the
chemical
91

92. Hazards of Confined Space - Nitrogen
• The 23 year old worker who died
was taking samples inside a
tanker truck that held egg
products and nitrogen before he
was found unresponsive.
• Regulators say the company
didn't take proper precautions
for confined spaces and didn't
properly train employees on
hazards associated with
nitrogen.
92

93. Hazards of Confined Space - Noise
• Noise can be amplified because
of the design or acoustic
properties of a confined space.
• Excessive noise can
permanently damage hearing as
well as affect communications
regarding work performed or
warnings.
93

94. “Effective hearing conservation program?”
Monitoring
Engineering, work practice, and
administrative controls
Hearing protectors with an
adequate noise reduction
rating
Employee training and education
in hazards and protection
measures
Baselines and annual audiometry

95. Hazards of Confined Space - Obstructions
• Open - no obstacles, barriers or
obstructions within space (i.e.
water tank)
• Obstructed - permit space
contains some type of obstruction
that rescuer would need to
maneuver around, such as baffle
or mixing blade
• Large equipment, such as ladder or
scaffold brought into space for work
purposes, would be considered
obstruction if positioning or size of
equipment would make rescue more
difficult
95

96. Hazards of Confined Space - Oxygen
Deficiency
96

97. Caution
•Oxygen deficiency may
mean something else is
there
•Concentrations could
range from 1,000 to
10,000 ppm at 10% of
the LEL

98. Hazards of Confined Space – Pipe Leaks
• Connections or pipes to other
spaces, or leakage from adjacent
areas or soils.
98

99. Hazards of Confined Space - Portal Size
• Restricted - portal ≤ 24-28” in least
dimension
• Too small to allow rescuer to simply
enter space while using SCBA (28
inch may be too small.
• Too small to allow normal spinal
immobilization of injured employee
• Unrestricted - portal ≥ 24-28” in
least dimension
• These portals allow relatively free
movement into and out of permit
space
99

100. Hazards of Confined Space - Psychological
• These include claustrophobia or
other problems associated with
being in a dark, cramped or
isolated space.
100

101. Hazards of Confined Space - Radiological
• Nuclear Plants
• Research Labs
• Radon
101

102. Hazards of Confined Space - Space
Configuration
• Horizontal - portal located on side
of permit space
• Use of retrieval lines could be
difficult
• Vertical - portal located on top of
permit space; rescuers must climb
down, or at bottom of permit
space, rescuers must climb up to
enter space
• May require knowledge of rope
techniques or special patient
packaging to safely retrieve
downed entrant
102

103. Hazards of Confined Space - Silica
• Old killer of workers.
• Proposed OSHA std
103

104. Hazards of Confined Space - Solvents
• Ventilation is required or
overexposure can result
• Fire Hazard
• Electrical must be Class I if
within 20 feet during open
spraying with flammable paints
104

105. Hazards of Confined Space - Steam
• Superheated steam by be
several hundreds of degrees.
105

106. Hazards of Confined Space - Styrene
• PEL is 100 ppm
• NIOSH is 50 ppm
• Used in sewer relining
• Can have exposures over 900
ppm.
106

107. Hazards of Confined Space - Transport
• Vehicles
• Trains
• Construction Equipment
107

108. Hazards of Confined Space - Ventilation
• Too often no ventilation is
provided
• Utilities have had great success
with test purge ventilate.
• Constant ventilation can dilute
air in case of an unexpected
entry of a chemical
108

109. Hazards of Confined Space – Vent Pipes
• Analyze for sources of ignition
• Where do the sparks go?
• “Hot work was allowed near tanks that
contained flammables including those
that had known holes due to corrosion
“

110. Hazards of Confined Space - Waterproofing
• Volatile compounds
are heavier than air
and toxic.
• Death
• Hazards similar to a
confined space

111. Hazards of Confined Space - Welding
• Welding, cutting, brazing,
soldering
• Stainless steel welding, grinding
can have a health hazard with
hexavalent chromium.
• Will need a hot works program
111

112. Aug 2013
• MINDEN. NE
• A city employee died this morning from the effects
of being overcome by toxic gas in a manhole
Sunday afternoon.
• Robert Honomichl, 55, of Minden died after being
transported to Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney
in critical condition.
The workers were clearing a blockage in a sewer
line Sunday afternoon when they were overcome
by gas.
112

113. August 2013
• Steven Webb, 53, of House
Springs, MO
• He was overcome by exposure to
methyl ethyl ketone collapsed
and died inside an 18-foot-deep
vault manhole during
construction of the sanitary
sewer lift station.
The company was issued three willful
citations related to his death.
Should DOJ go criminal?
113

114. May 2013
• WAUCEDAH TOWNSHIP, Mich
• Worker climbed into the 12-foot-deep well in
Dickinson County's Waucedah Township on
Wednesday afternoon to make repairs.
• State police say a friend lowered dry ice into
the well that was to be used in the repair, but
the dry ice reacted and used up oxygen at the
bottom of the well. Police say the man lost consciousness
while trying to climb out and the friend
called 911. Rescue crews got the man out,
but he died.
114

115. Jan 2013
• Samir Storey, 39, was one of
several contract employees who
were cleaning a 10-by-40-foot tank
in the plant’s power generation
area during a scheduled
maintenance outage.
• According to his cousin, Jermel
Storey, a “clear, cloudy smoke”
entered the tank, triggering
emergency alarms, which trapped
Samir in the tank.
•Jermel Storey also was working on the
job.
•“My cousin screamed,” Jermel Storey
said recently of the accident. “Nobody
helped. It was like nothing ever
happened.”
• Samir Storey died “within minutes.”
115

116. 2010
• Tarrytown NJ
• Ruggiero, 47, a Tarrytown native and a
veteran public works foreman, was called in
on Labor Day to fix a sewer blockage.
• Shortly after 6:30 p.m., he entered a manhole
behind the Consolidated Engine Company
firehouse at 177 Sheldon Ave.
• Police said he was overcome by sewer gas and
fell while climbing into the hole.
• Kelly, 51, a friend of Ruggiero's who was
nearby, entered the hole in an attempt to
rescue Ruggiero, and was also overcome.
• Both men were pronounced dead at the
scene.
• Willful violations
116

117. Motel Fatality
• 2002 - IL
• Worker goes to restart
pump
• Passes out and dies
• 5 feet deep
117

118. Idaho 2000
• Allan Elias, 61, was ordered
to serve 17 years in Jail
• $6.3M in restitution
• Told workers to clean
cyanide tank without
respirators
• Employee suffered
permanent brain damage
118

119. Water Vault
• 1995 - IL
• Two workers sent to turn
on a water valve in a 22
foot deep dry well. Both
died.
• Ladders were rusty
• Stagnant water at the
bottom
• No Attendant
Example of a water
pit
119

120. Manufacturing
• 1995 - IL
• Open pit 45’ x’ 60’
• Argon gas had been
used instead of
compressed air to
operate a pump that
removed water from the
pit.
• 3 died
Typical Machine Pit 120

121. Electric Vault Fire
• 1992
• Workers trying to dry water
out a vault with a propane
heater
• Left on overnight
• Lit match to see and propane
cause explosion
• No monitoring performed
121

122. Machine Pit
• 1989 - IL
• Pit measured 12 ' x 20' x
12' deep
• Carbon Monoxide pulled
into pit from heating
operations
• 2 rescuers hospitalized
Typical Machine pit
122

123. Chemical Plant
• 1989
• Worker went into vessel
• Used 100% nitrogen to
cool himself off
• Passed out
123

124. A Mother’s View
• “One of the faults of the company
is that it had no rescue plan in
place. “
• “Well with my son the only rescue
plan the company had was to call
911. “
• “This was deemed a good plan by
OSHA. “
• “This is not a good plan for the
workers.
• "A trained rescue team needs to
be close to the workers working in
confined spaces."

125. Thank You!
• Google OSHA & Confined Space
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126. Background
• Classes: OSHA 10/30 Hour, Incident
Investigation, Confined Space, Excavation
Safety, Cranes Signaling and Rigging, Fall
Protection, Scaffold Safety, and many more
• Services: Mock OSHA Inspections, Site Safety
Audits, OSHA Litigation Consultation, Expert
Witness, Reducing Worker Compensation
Risk, Improving Site safety
126
• 34 years working with top
companies to achieve ZERO injuries
• Certified Safety Professional
• OSHA 1983-2012
• Founding Member of ANSI Z359
• 815-354-6853
• Johnanewquist@gmail.com