Confined space entry equipment

The Industry Leader in Breathing Air Filtration Confined Space Entry Equipment... 

Permit-Required Confined Space Entry Equipment In its permit-required confined spaces standard (1910.146), OSHA specifies the equipment required to make a safe and approved confined space entry into permit-required confined spaces. Note that the employer, at no cost, must provide this equipment to the employee. The employer is also required not only to procure this equipment at no cost to the employee but also to maintain the equipment properly. Most importantly, the employer is also required to ensure that employees use the equipment properly. We will come back to this important point later. For now, let s take a look at the type of equipment required for making a safe and legal permit-required confined space entry. 

Explain and demonstrate how to use required confined space entry equipment. 

Entry into Confined Spaces. In 1993 OSHA adopted a confined space entry rule (93) requiring employers to evaluate the workplace to (/) determine if it contains any confined spaces, (2) mark or identify such confined spaces, and (2) develop and implement a permit program for entry into such spaces. The program must include a permit system which specifies the steps to be taken to identify, evaluate, control, and monitor possible electrical, mechanical, and chemical ha2ards select and use equipment institute stand-by attendance and estabflsh communications. The reference standard (93) should be studied for details. 

Included ia the OSHA regulations are standards for safe work practices such as lock-out/tag-out and confined space entry, personal protective equipment, storage of hazardous materials, welding process, forklift operation, and requirements for fire protection. Basically, all activities within a chemical facihty are covered by OSHA standards. 

Introduction of non-flameproof electrical equipment into restricted area Mechanical isolation, e.g. conveyors, lifts Confined space entry Radioactive areas... 

Injuries and fatalities from asphyxiation are often associated with personnel entry into inerted equipment or enclosures. Guidance on safe procedures for confined space access are provided by OSHA (OSHA, 29 CFR 1910.146, Confined Space Entry Standard, 2000), the American National Standards Institute (ANSI, Z117.1, Safety Requirements for Confined Spaces, 2003), Hodson (Hodson, Safe Entry into Confined Spaces, Handbook of Chemical Health and Safety, American Chemical Society, 2001), and BP (BP, Hazards of Nitrogen and Catalyst Handling, 2003). OSHA has established 19.5 vol % as the minimum safe oxygen concentration for confined space entry without supplemental oxygen supply (see Table 23-18). Note that OSHA imposes a safe upper limit on 02 concentration of 23.5 vol % to protect against the enhanced flammability hazards associated with 02-enriched atmospheres. 

The mechanical integrity procedures must also embody the safe work practices as well as the detailed equipment procedures. Safe work practices include Lock and Tag, Confined Space Entry, Welding, Burning and Open Flame, and similar essential personnel safety procedures. Detailed equipment procedures include generic procedures, equipment specific procedures, and manufacturers procedures. 

There may be many people involved with modifications while the rest of the plant is operating. Special extra emphasis on equipment preparation, lock out, barricading, confined space entry, etc., is vital. 

Develop and implement safe work practices —lockout —confined space entry —opening process equipment or piping —entrance control Safe work practices shall apply to employees and oontraa employees (e) Develop and implement safe work practices —lockout —confined space entry —opening process equipment or piping —entrance control Safe work practices shall apply to emptoyees and contract employees... 

The development and implementation of safety procedures for non-routine work are required by OSHA and EPA. These specifically include hot work (such as welding), lockout or tagout, line-breaking, and confined-space entry. Other examples of non-routine work for which procedures should be developed would be excavation, electrical hot work (on energized conductors), hot-tapping (on pressurized piping), and, in some instances, personal protective equipment. 

Safety and loss prevention professionals may also look for potential joint ventures within the public sector (such as municipalities) for various specialty services, such as confined-space injury and rescue. Often the expenditure required to acquire equipment for such specialty areas can be extremely cost prohibitive however, compliance with the OSH A standard must be achieved and maintained. A joint venture with a local fire department that already owns the confined-space equipment may be a viable option, considering the capital expenditure for equipment, cost of training, and potential legal risks. Some safety and loss prevention professionals have been able to enter into joint ventures with municipalities or volunteer fire organizations to have such activities as confined-space entry and rescue performed by these organizations. 

The employer shall develop and implement safe work practices to provide for the control of hazards during operations such as lockout/tagout confined space entry opening process equipment or piping and control over entrance into a facility by maintenance, contractor, laboratory, or other support personnel. These safe work practices shall apply to employees and contractor employees. 

Nomoutine work which is conducted in process areas needs to be controlled by the employer in a consistent manner. Hie hazards identified involving the wmk that is to be accomplished must be communicated to those doing the work, but also to those operating personnel whose work could affect the safety of the process. A work authorization notice or permit must have a procedure that describes the steps the maintenance supervisor, contractor representative, or other person needs to follow to obtain the necessary clearance to get the job started. The work authorization procedures need to reference and coordinate, as applicable, lockout/tagout procedures, line breaking procedures, confined space entry procedures, and hot work authorizations. This procedure also needs to provide clear steps to follow once the job is completed in order to provide closure far those that need to know the job is now completed and equipment can be returned to normal. 

There s a fundamental limitation in traditional gas detection methods. Traditional portable gas detectors provide mobility, but don t communicate. Traditional fixed gas detectors communicate, but aren t portable. The X-zone breaks these limitations 1 combining the mobility of portable systems wHh the communication of forad systems. The result is a level of safety and security unmatched in the industry. This new solution provides flexibility in many applications — from performing confined space entries and area monitoring, to setting up wireless fence lines, to connecting auxiliary safety equipment and transferring alarms to stendtty attendants. With the X-zone, the limits of gas detection are now history. 

Work outside the normal routine needs special management control. This requires formal procedures, carefully followed, for such things as confined space entry, hot work, and line breaking and equipment opening. The procedures should cover the activities of operators, plant maintenance workers, contractors, and any others who may become involved. Written documents should spell out responsibilities, approval mechanisms, tagout procedures, and methods for verification of proper completion. 

Ventilation is the best method for making a confined space atmosphere safe and fi ee of hazardous air. Planning the confined space entry operation and selecting the proper ventilation equipment is critical. 

The permit-required confined spaces standard defines a "confined space " lists specific employee training requirements, equipment, and personal protective equipment required prior to entry and communications and emergency procedures. Appendix A to the 1910 standard also includes an informative Permit-Required Confined Space Decision Flow Chart, as well as an example of a Confined Space Entry Permit. 

For permit-required confined space entry operations, respiratory protection is a key piece of safety equipment, one always required for entry into an immediately dangerous to life or health (IDLFi) space and one that must be readily available for emergency use and rescue if conditions change in a non-IDLH space. Remember, however, that only air-supplying respirators should be used in confined spaces where there is not enough oxygen. 

Application— Airline respirators used in industrial applications for confined space entry (IDLFi atmosphere) must be equipped with an emergency escape bottle. 

If the atmosphere in a confined space is IDLH due to a high concentration of an air contaminant or oxygen deficiency, those who must enter the space to perform work must wear a pressure-demand SCBA or a combination pressiue-demand airline and SCBA that always maintains positive air pressure inside the respiratory inlet covering. Fully trained and equipped rescue must be onsite and ready to respond if needed. This is the best safety practice for confined space entry and is required at the company. 

Note In practice (in the real world of performing confined space entry operations), common routine often designates the entry supervisor as the "competent" or "qualified" person. The competent or qualified person is that entry supervisor who has had the appropriate training and experience and possesses the knowledge required to supervise, and bring about, correct confined space entries. An entry supervisor may also serve as an attendant or as an authorized entrant, as long as that person is trained and equipped as required by the confined space entry standard for each role he or she plays. Also, the duties of entry supervisor may be passed from one qualified individual to another qualified individual during the course of an entry operation. 

Under OSHA s program, the employer must also provide specified equipment to employees involved in confined space entry. The requirements under this specification and the required equipment are covered in the following section. 

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