ASSE Suggests Changes to OSHA Confined Space Standard Proposal
July 30, 2008 // Published as a news service by IHS
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The proposed rule for confined spaces in construction is complicated, introduces unnecessarily new terminology and burdensome requirements, fails to recognize current and widely understood safety practices that were proven successful in general industry and construction and inadequately addresses several confined space issues, according to the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE).
ASSE member Gary Lopez, CSP, senior director of safety for Ranger Construction Industries Inc., a former member of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Z117 Accredited Standards Committee for Confined Space Entry and chair of the ASSE standards development committee testified during an informal public hearing at the U.S. Department of Labor on the proposed rule for confined spaces in construction.
Lopez said the proposed rule is not in harmony with ANSI Z117.1-2003 voluntary consensus standard adopted throughout general industry and construction and among safety and health professionals managing confined space hazards in workplaces countrywide.
"Confined spaces in general industry are no less hazardous to enter than construction industry confined spaces," said Lopez.
"The real difference is the risks presented in construction are less predictable than in general industry. This is because most general industry confined spaces are 'fixed,' meaning that they have either been entered before or have a history of use that helps in determining risks and precautions. As a result, they are easier to address during the entry permit risk assessment process."
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published the proposed Confined Spaces in Construction Standard Nov. 28, 2007.
Workplace spaces are considered "confined" because their configurations hinder the activities of employees who must enter, work in and exit them. A confined space has limited or restricted means for entry or exit and is not designed for continuous employee occupancy.
Confined spaces include, but are not limited to, underground vaults, tanks, storage bins, manholes, pits, silos, process vessels and pipelines.
OSHA uses the term "permit-required confined space" (permit space) to describe a confined space that has one or more of the following characteristics:
- Contains or has the potential to contain a hazardous atmosphere.
- Contains a material that has the potential to engulf an entrant.
- Has walls that converge inward or floors that slope downward and taper into a smaller area, which could trap or asphyxiate an entrant
- Contains any other recognized safety or health hazard such as unguarded machinery, exposed live wires or heat stress.
Lopez said the proposed rule does not take into account the reason a controlling contractor or host employer often retains a contractor is due to the contractor's expertise in confined space entry.
Giving a host employer or controlling contractor responsibility for information about the confined space makes little sense in such situations and could prove dangerous due to their lack of familiarity with confined space hazards.
Source: American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE).