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Confined Spaces

Confined Spaces. Office of Environmental Health & Safety East Carolina University 210 East Fourth St. Greenville, NC 27858 (252) 328-6166 safety@ecu.edu. Rescuers Account for Over 60% of Confined Space Fatalities. Confined Space Tragedies.

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Confined Spaces

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  1. Confined Spaces Office of Environmental Health & Safety East Carolina University 210 East Fourth St. Greenville, NC 27858 (252) 328-6166 safety@ecu.edu

  2. Rescuers Account for Over 60% of Confined Space Fatalities

  3. Confined Space Tragedies • Three construction supervisors die from asphyxiation in a manhole. Oxygen levels 18.5 – 20 and Methane levels 300 – 600 ppm • UNC-Charlotte manhole explosion – April 2006

  4. Training Outline • What is a Confined Space? • Confined Spaces on Campus • Confined Space Hazards • PPE & Equipment Requirements • The Entry Permit • Duties of Authorized Entrants, Attendants and Entry Supervisor • Rescue and Emergency Services • Contractors

  5. Regulatory Requirement • OSHA 29 CFR 1910.146: Permit-Required Confined Spaces - (Jan 1993) • 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

  6. What is a Confined Space? • Large enough that an employee can enter and perform assigned work • Has limited or restricted means for entry or exit • Not designed for continuous employee occupancy

  7. Examples • tanks • pits • tunnels • vaults • boilers • sewers • shafts • ventilation ducts • crawl spaces

  8. Permit-RequiredConfined Space • Contains or has the potential to contain a hazardous atmosphere • Contains a material that has the potential for engulfing an entrant • 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 • Contains any other recognized serious safety or health hazard

  9. ECU Confined Spaces Main Campus

  10. ECU Confined Spaces Health Sciences Campus

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

  12. Oxygen Deficiency • Normal air contains 21% Oxygen (O2). An O2 level of 19.5% or less is considered O2 deficient. • A reduction in O2 can be caused by rusting, decomposition, or replacement by another gas. • Lack of O2 can cause a person to collapse and die.

  13. Oxygen Deficiency

  14. Oxygen Enrichment • O2 levels above 23.5% are considered “Oxygen Enriched.” • Oxygen Enriched atmospheres create fire and explosion hazards. • Cause flammable materials such as clothing to burn rapidly when ignited and may cause non-flammable materials to ignite.

  15. Hydrogen Sulfide Exposure

  16. Carbon Monoxide Exposure CO Poisoning can be reversed if caught in time.

  17. Welding in Confined Spaces • Continuous ventilation should be provided in the confined space. Pure oxygen should never be used for ventilation. • Conduct continuous monitoring throughout the entry to ensure that the area remains safe for entrants. • Gas cylinders and welding power sources should remain outside the confined space. Remember to follow all Confined Space Entry and Welding Safety Guidelines

  18. Physical Hazards • Engulfment • Temperature Extremes • Electrical Hazards • Noise • Slippery Surfaces

  19. Entry • "Entry" is when a person passes through an opening into a permit-required confined space • Any part of the entrant's body breaks the plane of an opening into the space

  20. Before Entry • Ventilate, eliminate, or control the space’s atmospheric hazards • Blind or disconnect and cap all input lines so that no hazardous materials can enter the space • Lockout/Tagout • When entrance covers are removed, guard the opening immediately

  21. Atmospheric Monitoring • Test permit space before entry • Periodically monitor permit space to determine if entry conditions are maintained • Test all areas (top, middle, & bottom) • Observe status of existing hazards and those created during entry operations

  22. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) • Full-body Harness • Respirator (half-mask, PAPR, Air-line Respirator, etc.) • Tyvek Suit • Gloves (Nitrile, Welding, etc.) • Safety Glasses/Goggles

  23. Equipment Requirements • Testing and monitoring equipment • Ventilating equipment • Communications equipment • Lighting equipment • Barriers • Equipment needed for safe entry and exit • Emergency equipment • Other equipment for safe entry

  24. The Entry Permit • Permit must be completed before entry is authorized • Entry supervisor must sign the permit • Permit must be made available at the time of entry so entrants can confirm that pre-entry preparations have been completed

  25. The Entry Permit • Duration may not exceed the time identified on the permit • Retain each canceled entry permit for at least 1 year to facilitate review of the program • Problems encountered during entry shall be noted on the permit so that appropriate revisions can be made to the program

  26. 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

  27. 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

  28. 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

  29. Duties of Authorized Entrants • Understand all potential hazards • Know what equipment to use & how to use it properly • Communicate with attendant regularly • If the unexpected occurs – alert the attendant

  30. Duties of Authorized Entrants 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

  31. Duties of Attendants • "Attendant" - stationed outside permit space; monitors entrants • Know the hazards including signs, symptoms and consequences of exposure • Continuously maintains accurate count of entrants in permit space • Remains outside the permit space during entry until relieved by another attendant

  32. Duties of Attendants • Communicate with entrants to monitor entrant status and to alert entrants if the need to evacuate arises • Monitor activities inside & outside the space and keep unauthorized individuals away. • Summon Emergency Services • Perform non-entry rescues when applicable and they have training • Perform no duties that might interfere with primary duty to monitor and protect entrants

  33. Duties of Entry Supervisor • "Entry supervisor" - person responsible for determining if acceptable entry conditions are present, for authorizing entry, overseeing entry operations, and for terminating entry as required • 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 • Know the hazards including signs, symptoms, and consequences of exposure

  34. Duties of Entry Supervisor • 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 • Verify that rescue services are available and that the means for summoning them are operable • Remove unauthorized individuals who enter or attempt to enter the space

  35. Rescue and Emergency Services • Self-Rescue • Non-entry Rescue • Greenville Fire/Rescue – Call 911 • ECU shall inform GFR of the hazards they may encounter on site • Provide the rescue provider with access to all permit spaces so they can develop rescue plans and practice rescue operations

  36. Rescue Equipment • Each entrant shall use a full body harness (and a retrieval line if feasible) • A mechanical retrieval device (Tripod) shall be available for vertical type permit spaces more than 5 feet deep • Retrieval systems shall be used unless they increase the overall risk of entry or would not contribute to the rescue

  37. Program Review • Review entry operations when there is reason to believe that measures taken may not protect employees and revise the program before subsequent entries • Review the permit space program annually and revise the program as necessary to ensure that employees participating in entry operations are protected • If you have any questions, concerns, or recommendations let your supervisor and/or EH&S know.

  38. ECU Shall… • Inform contractor that workplace contains permit spaces and entry is allowed only in compliance with permit space program • Inform contractor of the hazards that make the space a permit space • Inform contractor of precautions for the protection of employees in or near permit spaces where they will be working • Coordinate entry operations with the contractor, when both University personnel and contractor personnel will be working in or near permit spaces.

  39. Contractors Shall… • All contractors performing work in Confined Spaces on ECU Campus must have a Confined Space Program. • Contractors must have their own equipment including monitoring device and rescue equipment. • Coordinate with employer when both host personnel and contractor personnel will be working in or near spaces • Debrief employer at the conclusion of entry • Contractor shall inform the employer of the of any hazards confronted or created

  40. QUESTIONS? safety@ecu.edu 328-6166

  41. Quiz

  42. 1. Which of the following is not a Confined Space? A. Boiler B. Manhole C. Tank D. Small Mechanical Room 2. The leading cause of death in confined spaces accidents is A. Asphyxiation B. Burns C. Electrocution D. Falls 3. The higher the O2 level inside the space the better. (True/False)

  43. 4. If you need to enter a space briefly “just to take a quick look,” you do not need a permit. (True/False) 5. One of the characteristics of a confined space is that it is not designed for people to work in continuously. (True/False) 6. It is OK for the Attendant to go to the shop for supplies/parts as long as the monitoring results are within acceptable limits. (True/False) 7. If you get a permit for a particular confined space for one day, but don’t use it; you can save it for the next time you need to enter that space. (True/False)

  44. 8. Atmospheric testing of the confined space must be done at the______. A. Top B. Middle C. Bottom D. All of the above. 9. When welding in a confined space… A. EH&S must be notified when permit is requested B. Pure O2 should be used to ventilate the space C. All Welding Safety as well as Confined Space Guidelines should be followed D. A & C only E. All of the above

  45. 10. When a contractor is working in a confined space on campus… A. The contractor must have their own CS Program B. The contractor should be prevented from entering the space if they do not have all the necessary equipment C. If a contractor is entering the space with ECU employees; it is OK for the ECU employee to monitor for all entrants D. A & B Only E. All of the above

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