Confined Space Awareness

Why it matters

Crawl spaces, vaults, pits, tanks, large ducts: spaces big enough to enter but not meant to work in can hold bad air you cannot see or smell. When someone goes down, the urge is to jump in after them, and that is how one victim becomes two. Awareness means knowing which spaces need a permit before anyone’s head crosses the plane.

Hazards

• ⚠ Oxygen-deficient air from rust, microbes, or displacement by other gases
• ⚠ Toxic gases: sewer gas, carbon monoxide from nearby engines, solvent vapors
• ⚠ Flammable atmospheres from fuel vapors or gas leaks
• ⚠ Engulfment by water, sewage, or loose material
• ⚠ Untrained rescue attempts multiplying the victims

Controls and safe practices

• ✓ Identify and mark confined spaces on this site before work begins. When in doubt, treat it as permit-required.
• ✓ Never enter a permit space without atmospheric testing, a permit, and an attendant outside.
• ✓ Test the air top, middle, and bottom before entry and continuously during work.
• ✓ Ventilate before and during entry. Keep engines and generators away from openings.
• ✓ The attendant never enters. Rescue is by retrieval equipment or the trained rescue team.
• ✓ If you feel dizzy or your monitor alarms, get out immediately and report it.

Crew discussion questions

1. Which spaces on this job qualify as confined spaces? Crawl spaces? The utility vault?
2. Who is trained and equipped for entry, and who is the attendant?
3. Where is the gas monitor and when was it bump-tested?
4. What is our rescue plan, specifically, if someone goes down inside?

Applicable OSHA standards

29 CFR 1926.1203, 29 CFR 1926.1204

More toolbox talks

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• Housekeeping, Slips, and Trips
• Aerial Lift Safety
• Forklift and Telehandler Safety
• Power Tool Safety

Talks by trade

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Safety documents

Site-specific safety plan, $49JHA, $29Written safety program, $149