Underground Construction - March 2020 - 21
Working in Confined Spaces:
Be Safe, Not Sorry
Bruce Magee
In construction and industry, some potential hazards are visibly
manifest, such as the risk of falls from heights. Others are more
hidden. A confined space may not look dangerous, but workers
perish each year because someone assumed the air inside was safe
to breathe, when testing would have revealed that it wasn't.
In 2017, 166 workers died in incidents involving confined
spaces, a 15-percent increase from the previous year, according to
the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The real tragedy is that such fatalities are potentially preventable by understanding and following OSHA requirements
for entering confined spaces. But significant confusion remains
around which of the two confined space standards to follow, and
that confusion can result in all-too-common noncompliance.
Tale of Two Standards
OSHA introduced the confined space standard for general industry
(1910.146) first. It was intended for static environments, not agriculture, construction or shipyard work. In 2015, OSHA introduced
the Confined Spaces in Construction standard (1926.1203) to
guard against the unique hazards of confined space operations in
dynamic environments.
The new standard caused some confusion, and enforcement was
deferred to 2016. Part of the confusion stemmed from the many
references to home construction in a related "Frequently Asked
Questions"document, which led some people in industry to think
the standard did not apply to construction activities in plants.
It does. It also applies to companies that are repairing an
existing facility or replacing structures and their components, or
performing a large, complex maintenance project. Maintenance
work that does not involve new equipment or structures is covered
under the General Industry standard.
The Confined Spaces in Construction standard doesn't apply to
excavations, which are regulated by ยง1926 subpart P - Excavations,
except when workers have to enter a confined space (such as a
pipe) within the excavation. In that case, instead of following the
Excavation standard when measuring the atmosphere for levels of
oxygen and flammable gasses, the contractor must follow the morstringent Confined Spaces in Construction standard.
UConOnline.com | MARCH 2020
21
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Underground Construction - March 2020
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Underground Construction - March 2020
Contents
Underground Construction - March 2020 - FC
Underground Construction - March 2020 - IFC
Underground Construction - March 2020 - Contents
Underground Construction - March 2020 - 4
Underground Construction - March 2020 - 5
Underground Construction - March 2020 - 6
Underground Construction - March 2020 - 7
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