Project Description:
Cosmetics Manufacturer requested that W&M Environmental (now owned by Braun Intertec) provide proper Confined Space Training for all workers who are required to work in permit-required confined spaces.
Project Details:
A confined space, as defined by OSHA, is a space that has a limited or restricted means for entry and exit, is not intended for continuous employee occupancy, and is large enough and so configured that an employee can bodily enter and perform assigned work.
A permit required confined space is a confined space that has one or more of the following hazards:
- 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.
Not having proper procedures and adequate training to enter permit-required confined spaces can result in injury, and in some extreme cases, death. The potential hazards can be an atmosphere that is flammable or explosive, lack of oxygen sufficient for normal respiratory functions, contact with or inhalation of toxic materials that would impede or prevent escape or general safety or work area hazards, such as the presence of steam or high pressured materials. To ensure the safety of entrants into permit required confined spaces, The team conducts surveys to evaluate if said confined space meets the criteria of a permit-required confined space (PRCS) and subsequently documents hazards, develops procedures, and designs employee training specific to those spaces.
The Solution:
In order to evaluate this particular confined space, we took on the task of surveying the space and training the client’s employees and other potential entrants of the space. Our team designed this training and PRCS entry procedures to account for maintenance and production employees who will perform work in confined spaces. Ultimately, this education and training allowed the client’s employees to enter permit-require confined spaces and perform the duties applicable to entrants, attendants, and/or entry supervisors.
