OSHA has many requirements for confined spaces training, but compliance doesn’t have to be difficult.
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Permit-required confined space training must include three key issues:
- Nature of the hazards
- Actions to take when exposed to hazards
- How to arrange for a rescue
So says Michael Lawrence, principal of Summit Safety Technologies (Long Beach, CA), accomplished safety manager and technical trainer and speaker at BLR’s upcoming webinar on confined spaces.
Furthermore, says Lawrence, training must establish worker proficiency and include new or revised procedures to ensure compliance with permit space standards. It must also be verified through a written certification. "Your certification has to have the employee’s name, and the signatures or the initials of the trainers, and the date of training. And that certification has to be made available for inspection by the employee or their authorized representatives."
Confined space safety training should be conducted:
- Before new employees begin any confined space work
- When there is a change in assigned duties
- When there is a change in the permit space program or operations
- When there are any issues with the employee’s confined space performance
For employers with confined spaces that do business in California, having an effective confined space program in place is necessary to ensure employee safety as well as compliance with the state’s complex regulations. BLR’s upcoming live webinar will give you the tools and information you need. Click here for details.
OSHA-Compliant Training Content
Entrants should be trained on:
- Hazards, including mode, symptoms, and consequences of exposure to hazards
- Equipment required for entry, including the proper use of PPE
- Procedures and means to alert the attendant
- Evacuation procedures
- Lockout/tagout procedures and equipment as necessary
Attendants should be trained on:
- Hazards, including mode, symptoms, and consequences of exposure to hazards
- Behavioral effects of hazard exposure in entrants
- Nonentry rescue procedures
- Procedures and means to alert entrants to evacuate
- Conditions that warrant evacuation of a permit space
- Procedures and means to summon evacuation and rescue services
- Actions when unauthorized entrants approach or enter a permit space
Supervisors should be trained on:
- Hazards, including mode, symptoms, and consequences of exposure to hazards
- Entry permit and verification process (what tests were performed, what procedures and equipment are in place, etc.)
- Emergency or rescue services and procedures
- Actions when unauthorized entrants approach or enter a permit space
Join us on March 12 for an in-depth webinar in which you’ll focus on ways to ensure compliance under Cal/OSHA’s confined space requirements. Learn More.
Confined Space Compliance California Style
California’s Confined Space Special Emphasis Initiative, which has been in place since 2012, and recent citations and fines regarding confined space incidents in the workplace illustrate Cal/OSHA’s commitment to preventing worker deaths and injuries.
For instance, in 2013 Cal/OSHA assessed more than $50,000 in citations on an employer whose worker was struck and killed by a 1,200-pound slab of concrete while he was chipping concrete inside a cement mixer.
This came on the heels of another penalty assessment of $73,995 against a California employer whose employee was accidentally cooked to death in an industrial pressure cooker. In that case, Cal/OSHA had concluded that the employer had not identified the ovens as "a permit-required confined space" and failed to post danger signs or other means to warn its workers of the dangers presented.
Also, earlier that year, the agency held a California scaffolding company was liable for more than $75,000 in violations after a worker was seriously injured when he fell 30 feet inside of a tank, and Cal/OSHA concluded that the employer had an inadequate rescue retrieval program and fall protection system in place.
It’s clear that confined space hazards present ongoing challenges for safety professionals. Having an effective confined space program in place is necessary to ensure employee safety as well as to ensure ongoing compliance with California’s complex confined space regulations, both for general industry and construction.
Join us for an in-depth webinar on March 12. Our presenter, a seasoned safety professional who has helped many companies develop and implement effective confined space programs, will provide participants with detailed guidance on how to ensure that your confined space programs are effective and in compliance with Cal/OSHA regulations.
You and your colleagues will learn:
- What constitutes a confined space—and why understanding the definition is critical
- A summary of recent Cal/OSHA confined space violations, citations, and fines
- How to classify spaces using the “Confined Space Decision Chart”
- Recommended methods for evaluating configuration, physical, psychological, and atmospheric hazards in confined spaces
- Strategies for identifying and controlling the three types of atmospheric hazards that may exist in confined spaces
- Recommended safe-entry procedures for confined spaces and why permit completion is so important
- How to successfully use the Cal/OSHA “Confined Space Entry Checklist”
- How Cal/OSHA and federal OSHA confined space regulations and requirements differ
- The critical elements that must be included in a best-in-class confined space program
- How the Cal/OSHA Confined Space Special Emphasis Program affects your organization
- The Cal/OSHA rules on confined spaces in construction
- Ways to develop an effective rescue strategy that does not put the rescuers at risk
- Recommended confined space permitting and documentation best practices, and supervisory, entrant, and attendant responsibilities
- Three topics employers must include in confined space training
- Strategies and evaluating outside resources to help you develop your confined space program
About Your Speaker
Michael Lawrence is principal of Summit Safety Technologies based in Long Beach, California. Lawrence is an accomplished safety manager and technical trainer and has been training adult workers and safety professionals for many years. He is a frequent speaker and is recognized for his expert knowledge of safety regulations, safety management systems, business continuation planning, emergency preparedness, and quality management systems.
Mr. Lawrence has more than 30 years’ experience in safety management, technical training, instructional design, and quality management, with skills that were honed during his 16 years in the semiconductor manufacturing industry and 14 years in naval aviation. This experience includes many years in electronics/electrical technology and maintenance. With over 3 decades of experience as a frontline worker, supervisor, manager, and business owner, he brings a refreshing down-to-earth approach in the effective sharing of knowledge and experience. He is certified in Safety & Health Systems for Small Business and Instructional Design and as a Performance-Based Equipment Trainer (PBET).
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