Confined Space Entry

Trainer:
Muhammad Sajjad Liaqat
Training Outline
 What is a Confined Space(CS)?
 Confined Space Hazards
 PPE & Equipment Requirements
 Practical Activity (Gas Testing)
 The Entry Permit
 Roles & responsibilities
 Rescue and Emergency Services
RESCUERS account
for Over 60% of
Confined Space
Fatalities
Regulatory Requirement
 Identify Confined Spaces in Workplace
 Identify hazards in these spaces
 Identify procedures for controlling these hazards
 Train employees on confined space entry
 Keep records of compliance & training for all
confined space activities

(OSHA 29 CFR 1910.146)

What is a Confined Space?
 Large enough that an
employee can enter and perform assigned work
 Limited or restricted means for entry or exit/egress
 Not designed for continuous employee occupancy
 Contains or has potential to contain a hazardous
atmosphere
Confined Space Entry
o Contains a material that has the potential for
engulfing an entrant
o Internal configuration that might cause entrant
to be trapped or asphyxiated by inwardly
converging walls or floor that slopes
downward and tapers to a smaller cross section
o Contains any other recognized serious safety
or health hazard
Examples
 Tanks
 Pits
 Tunnels
 Vaults
 Boilers
 Silos
 Sewers
 Crawl spaces
 Ventilation ducts
 Excavations >4ft
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) or IDLH
Oxygen Deficiency
o Normal air contains 21% Oxygen (O2). An O2
level of 19.5% or less is considered O2
deficient.
o A reduction in O2 can be caused by rusting,
decomposition, or replacement by another gas.
o Lack of O2 can cause a person to collapse and
die.
Oxygen Deficiency
Oxygen Content Signs and Symptoms
(% by volume) (at Atmospheric Pressure)

Minimum permissible levels that work can be performed without

19.5% respirators. Below this level, workers shall be required to wear supplied
air respirators.

17% Hypoxia symptoms, accelerated breathing and heart rate appear

Accelerated breathing, increased heart rate, poor muscular coordination,

14-16%
fatigue, impaired perception and judgment.

12% Unconsciousness without warning, poor judgment, blue lips

Nausea, vomiting, and unconsciousness; 8 minutes 100% fatal; 6

6-10%
minutes, 50% fatal; 4-5 minutes, recovery with treatment.

<6% Coma in 40 seconds, spasmatic breathing, convulsions, and death

Oxygen Enrichment

o O2 levels above 23.5% are considered “Oxygen

Enriched.”
o Oxygen Enriched atmospheres create fire and
explosion hazards.
o Cause flammable materials such as clothing to
burn rapidly when ignited and may cause non-
flammable materials to ignite.
Hydrogen Sulfide Exposure

Concentration Effect

1 ppm Smell of rotten egg

10 ppm 8 hr. TWA

15 ppm 15 min. STEL

100 ppm Lose sense of smell

300 ppm Loss of consciousness (approx. 20 min.)

Immediate respiratory arrest, loss of consciousness,
1000 ppm
followed by death
Carbon Monoxide Exposure

Concentration Effect

35 ppm 8 hr. TWA

200 ppm Ceiling, faint signs of discomfort may begin to appear

600 ppm Headache and discomfort after 1 hour

2500 ppm Loss of consciousness after approximately 30 minutes

4000 ppm Quickly fatal

CO Poisoning can be reversed if caught in time.

 Welding in Confined Spaces
o Continuous ventilation should be
provided in CS.
Pure oxygen should never be used for ventilation.

o Conduct continuous monitoring

throughout the entry to ensure that the
area remains safe for entrants.

o Gas cylinders and welding power

sources should remain outside the
confined space.

Remember to follow all Confined Space Entry and Welding Safety Guidelines
Physical Hazards

o Engulfment
o Temperature Extremes
o Electrical Hazards
o Noise
o Slippery Surfaces
Confined Space Entry
o "Entry" is when a person
passes through an opening
into a permit-required
confined space
o Any part of the entrant's body
breaks the plane of an
opening into the space
Before Entry
o Ventilate, eliminate, or control the
space’s atmospheric hazards
o Blind or disconnect and cap all input
lines so that no hazardous materials
can enter the space
o Lockout/Tag out (LOTO)
o When entrance covers are removed,
guard the opening immediately
 Atmospheric Monitoring
o Test permit space before entry
o Periodically monitor permit
space to determine if entry
conditions are maintained
o Test all areas (top, middle, & bottom)

o Observe status of existing

hazards and those created
during entry operations
Personal Protective
Equipment (PPE)

o Full-body Harness
o Respirator (half-mask, Air-line
Respirator, etc.)
o Tyvek Suit
o Gloves (Nitrile, Welding, etc.)
o Safety Glasses/Goggles
Equipment Requirements

o Testing and monitoring equipment

o Equipment needed for safe entry and exit
o Ventilating equipment
o Communications equipment
o Lighting equipment
o Barriers
o Emergency equipment
o Other equipment for safe entry
Gas Testing Video

Device: iMX4
Gas Testing

GROUP ACTIVITY
The Entry Permit

o Permit must be completed before

entry is authorized
o Entry supervisor must sign the
permit
o Permit must be made available at
the time of entry so entrants can
confirm that pre-entry
preparations have been completed
The Entry Permit
o Duration may not exceed the time identified on
the permit
o Retain each canceled entry permit for at least 1
year to facilitate review of the program
o Problems encountered during entry shall be
noted on the permit so that appropriate
revisions can be made to the program
Contents of The Entry Permit

1. Permit space to be entered

2. Purpose of the entry
3. Date and the authorized duration of the
entry permit
4. Authorized entrants
5. Attendants
6. Entry supervisor with a space for the
signature
Contents of The Entry Permit
7. Hazards of the permit space
8. Measures used to isolate the permit space and
to eliminate or control permit space hazards
before entry
9. Acceptable entry conditions
10. Results of initial and periodic tests, names
or initials of the testers and when the tests
were performed
Contents of The Entry Permit

11. Rescue and emergency services

12. Communication procedures
13. Equipment (personal protective equipment,
testing equipment, communications
equipment, alarm systems, rescue equipment,
etc.)
14. Any other information necessary in order to
ensure employee safety
Duties of Authorized
Entrants

o Understand all potential hazards

o Know what equipment to use & how to use it
properly
o Communicate with attendant regularly
o If the unexpected occurs – alert the attendant
Duties of Authorized Entrant

EVACUATE the confined space when:

 Order to evacuate is given by the attendant or
the entry supervisor
 Entrant recognizes any warning sign or
symptom of exposure to a dangerous situation
 Evacuation alarm is activated
 Duties of Attendant
o "Attendant" - stationed outside
permit space; monitors entrants
o Know the hazards including signs,
symptoms and consequences of
exposure
o Continuously maintains accurate
count of entrants in permit space
(Entry Log)
o Remains outside the permit space
during entry until relieved by
another attendant
Duties of Attendants
o Communicate with entrants to monitor entrant status
and to alert entrants if the need to evacuate arises
o Monitor activities inside & outside the space and keep
unauthorized individuals away.
o Summon Emergency Services
o Perform non-entry rescues when applicable and
they have training
o Perform no duties that might interfere with
primary duty to monitor and protect entrants
Duties of Entry Supervisor
o "Entry supervisor" - person responsible for
determining if acceptable entry conditions are
present, for authorizing entry, overseeing entry
operations, and for terminating entry as required
o An entry supervisor also may serve as an attendant or
as an entrant, as long as that person is trained and
equipped to do so
o Know the hazards including signs, symptoms, and
consequences of exposure
Duties of Entry Supervisor
o Verify that the entry permit is complete, all
tests have been conducted and all
procedures and equipment are in place
before allowing entry to begin
o Verify that rescue services are available and
that the means for summoning them are
operable
o Remove unauthorized individuals who enter
or attempt to enter the space
 Rescue and Emergency
Services
o Self-Rescue
o Non-entry Rescue
o Work Area Fire/Rescue – Call 911
o Supervisor/Standby Man shall inform Rescuers of the
hazards they may encounter on site
o Provide the rescue provider with access to all permit
spaces so they can develop rescue plans and practice
rescue operations
 Rescue Equipment
o Each entrant shall use a full body
harness (and a retrieval line if feasible)
o A mechanical retrieval device (Tripod) shall be
available for vertical type permit spaces more than 5
feet deep
o Retrieval systems shall be used unless they increase
the overall risk of entry or would not contribute to the
rescue
CS Rescue Operation
Video
QUESTIONS?
Quiz