Confined Space Procedure

Confined Space is any space that is large enough for an employee to enter, has limited means for entry and exit and is not designed for continuous employee occupancy (e.g. manholes, sewers, tunnels,boilers, storage tanks, pits).

Confined space has 2 categories :

A permit required confined space has one or more of the following characteristics:

• A potential to contain a hazardous atmosphere; 
• Material that can cause the engulfment of an employee; 
• An internal configuration that might cause an employee to be trapped or asphyxiated by inwardly converging walls or by a floor that slopes downward and tapers to a smaller cross section; or 
• Contains any other recognized serious health or safety hazard.

A non-permit required confined space is a confined space that does not contain any hazard capable of causing death or serious physical harm, and has no atmospheric hazard, nor the potential for any atmospheric hazard.

Confined Space Procedure :

Each facility must have implemented written procedures for confined spaces, which must cover as a minimum, the following:

Permit-required confined spaces:

• Confined spaces that have a medium or high risk identified in the risk assessment must have a permit for entry.
• Unauthorized employees must be restricted from entering permit-required confined spaces.
• Warning signs must be posted on all access points. The sign must read: “DANGER – PERMIT REQUIRED CONFINED SPACE, DO NOT ENTER”.

Responsibilities of permit-required confined space entrants, entrant supervisors and attendants.

Entry-permit requirements:

• Confined space name.
• Entry purpose, date and duration of work including entry expiry date and time.
• List of authorized entrants, entry attendants and entry supervisor.
• The hazards associated with the confined space and how to control them.
• Isolation procedures.
• Acceptable entry conditions.
• Required atmospheric testing and ongoing monitoring results.
• Rescue and emergency requirements.
• Communication procedures for attendants and entrants.
• Required entry equipment (e.g., tripod and winch, full body harness).
• Details of other permits (e.g. hot work).

Annual calibration and pre-entry self calibration for all monitoring and test equipment.

Each facility must have an annual documented process for confined space entry procedures that includes employees, contractors and subcontractors.

Requirements for classifying a confined space as a non-permit confined space. 

• Ensure the confined space doesn't contain an actual or potential hazardousatmosphere.
• Ensure the confined space doesn't contain hazards capable of causing death or serious physical harm. This includes any recognized health or safety hazards including engulfment in solid or liquid material, electrical shock, or moving parts.
• Entering to remove hazards, the space must be treated as a permit-required confined space until hazards have been eliminated.
• Reclassify a non-permit confined space to a permit-required confined space, if necessary, when changes in the use or configuration of the space increase the hazards to entrants