29 C.F.R. § 1910.146
(b)
Definitions. Acceptable entry conditions means the conditions that must exist in a permit space to allow entry and to ensure that employees involved with a permit-required confined space entry can safely enter into and work within the space.
Attendant means an individual stationed outside one or more permit spaces who monitors the authorized entrants and who performs all attendant's duties assigned in the employer's permit space program.
Authorized entrant means an employee who is authorized by the employer to enter a permit space.
Blanking or blinding means the absolute closure of a pipe, line, or duct by the fastening of a solid plate (such as a spectacle blind or a skillet blind) that completely covers the bore and that is capable of withstanding the maximum pressure of the pipe, line, or duct with no leakage beyond the plate.
Confined space means a space that:
(1)
Is large enough and so configured that an employee can bodily enter and perform assigned work; and
(2)
Has limited or restricted means for entry or exit (for example, tanks, vessels, silos, storage bins, hoppers, vaults, and pits are spaces that may have limited means of entry.); and
(3)
Is not designed for continuous employee occupancy. Double block and bleed means the closure of a line, duct, or pipe by closing and locking or tagging two in-line valves and by opening and locking or tagging a drain or vent valve in the line between the two closed valves.
Emergency means any occurrence (including any failure of hazard control or monitoring equipment) or event internal or external to the permit space that could endanger entrants.
Engulfment means the surrounding and effective capture of a person by a liquid or finely divided (flowable) solid substance that can be aspirated to cause death by filling or plugging the respiratory system or that can exert enough force on the body to cause death by strangulation, constriction, or crushing.
Entry means the action by which a person passes through an opening into a permit-required confined space. Entry includes ensuing work activities in that space and is considered to have occurred as soon as any part of the entrant's body breaks the plane of an opening into the space.
Entry permit (permit) means the written or printed document that is provided by the employer to allow and control entry into a permit space and that contains the information specified in paragraph (f) of this section.
Entry supervisor means the person (such as the employer, foreman, or crew chief) responsible for determining if acceptable entry conditions are present at a permit space where entry is planned, for authorizing entry and overseeing entry operations, and for terminating entry as required by this section.
Hazardous atmosphere means an atmosphere that may expose employees to the risk of death, incapacitation, impairment of ability to self-rescue (that is, escape unaided from a permit space), injury, or acute illness from one or more of the following causes:
(1)
Flammable gas, vapor, or mist in excess of 10 percent of its lower flammable limit (LFL);
(2)
Airborne combustible dust at a concentration that meets or exceeds its LFL;
(3)
Atmospheric oxygen concentration below 19.5 percent or above 23.5 percent;
(4)
Atmospheric concentration of any substance for which a dose or a permissible exposure limit is published in subpart G, Occupational Health and Environmental Control, or in subpart Z, Toxic and Hazardous Substances, of this part and which could result in employee exposure in excess of its dose or permissible exposure limit;
(5)
Any other atmospheric condition that is immediately dangerous to life or health. Hot work permit means the employer's written authorization to perform operations (for example, riveting, welding, cutting, burning, and heating) capable of providing a source of ignition.
Immediately dangerous to life or health (IDLH) means any condition that poses an immediate or delayed threat to life or that would cause irreversible adverse health effects or that would interfere with an individual's ability to escape unaided from a permit space.
Inerting means the displacement of the atmosphere in a permit space by a noncombustible gas (such as nitrogen) to such an extent that the resulting atmosphere is noncombustible.
Isolation means the process by which a permit space is removed from service and completely protected against the release of energy and material into the space by such means as: blanking or blinding; misaligning or removing sections of lines, pipes, or ducts; a double block and bleed system; lockout or tagout of all sources of energy; or blocking or disconnecting all mechanical linkages.
Line breaking means the intentional opening of a pipe, line, or duct that is or has been carrying flammable, corrosive, or toxic material, an inert gas, or any fluid at a volume, pressure, or temperature capable of causing injury.
Non-permit confined space means a confined space that does not contain or, with respect to atmospheric hazards, have the potential to contain any hazard capable of causing death or serious physical harm.
Oxygen deficient atmosphere means an atmosphere containing less than 19.5 percent oxygen by volume.
Oxygen enriched atmosphere means an atmosphere containing more than 23.5 percent oxygen by volume.
Permit-required confined space (permit space) means a confined space that has one or more of the following characteristics:
(1)
Contains or has a potential to contain a hazardous atmosphere;
(2)
Contains a material that has the potential for engulfing an entrant;
(3)
Has an internal configuration such that an entrant could be trapped or asphyxiated by inwardly converging walls or by a floor which slopes downward and tapers to a smaller cross- section; or
(4)
Contains any other recognized serious safety or health hazard. Permit-required confined space program (permit space program) means the employer's overall program for controlling, and, where appropriate, for protecting employees from, permit space hazards and for regulating employee entry into permit spaces.
Permit system means the employer's written procedure for preparing and issuing permits for entry and for returning the permit space to service following termination of entry.
Prohibited condition means any condition in a permit space that is not allowed by the permit during the period when entry is authorized.
Rescue service means the personnel designated to rescue employees from permit spaces.
Retrieval system means the equipment (including a retrieval line, chest or full-body harness, wristlets, if appropriate, and a lifting device or anchor) used for non-entry rescue of persons from permit spaces.
Testing means the process by which the hazards that may confront entrants of a permit space are identified and evaluated. Testing includes specifying the tests that are to be performed in the permit space.
(d)
Permit-required confined space program— (permit space program). Under the permit space program required by
paragraph (c)(4) of this section, the employer shall:
(1)
Implement the measures necessary to prevent unauthorized entry;
(2)
Identify and evaluate the hazards of permit spaces before employees enter them;
(3)
Develop and implement the means, procedures, and practices necessary for safe permit space entry operations, including, but not limited to, the following:
(i)
Specifying acceptable entry conditions;
(ii)
Providing each authorized entrant or that employee's authorized representative with the opportunity to observe any monitoring or testing of permit spaces;
(iii)
Isolating the permit space;
(iv)
Purging, inerting, flushing, or ventilating the permit space as necessary to eliminate or control atmospheric hazards;
(v)
Providing pedestrian, vehicle, or other barriers as necessary to protect entrants from external hazards; and
(vi)
Verifying that conditions in the permit space are acceptable for entry throughout the duration of an authorized entry.
(4)
Provide the following equipment (specified in
paragraphs (d)(4)(i) through (d)(4)(ix) of this section) at no cost to employees, maintain that equipment properly, and ensure that employees use that equipment properly:
(ii)
Ventilating equipment needed to obtain acceptable entry conditions;
(iii)
Communications equipment necessary for compliance with paragraphs
(h)(3) and (i)(5) of this section;
(iv)
Personal protective equipment insofar as feasible engineering and work practice controls do not adequately protect employees;
(v)
Lighting equipment needed to enable employees to see well enough to work safely and to exit the space quickly in an emergency;
(vi)
Barriers and shields as required by paragraph (d)(3)(v) of this section.
(vii)
Equipment, such as ladders, needed for safe ingress and egress by authorized entrants;
(viii)
Rescue and emergency equipment needed to comply with
paragraph (d)(9) of this section, except to the extent that the equipment is provided by rescue services; and
(ix)
Any other equipment necessary for safe entry into and rescue from permit spaces.
(5)
Evaluate permit space conditions as follows when entry operations are conducted—
(i)
Test conditions in the permit space to determine if acceptable entry conditions exist before entry is authorized to begin, except that, if isolation of the space is infeasible because the space is large or is part of a continuous system (such as a sewer), pre-entry testing shall be performed to the extent feasible before entry is authorized and, if entry is authorized, entry conditions shall be continuously monitored in the areas where authorized entrants are working;
(ii)
Test or monitor the permit space as necessary to determine if acceptable entry conditions are being maintained during the course of entry operations; and
(iii)
When testing for atmospheric hazards, test first for oxygen, then for combustible gases and vapors, and then for toxic gases and vapors.
(iv)
Provide each authorized entrant or that employee's authorized representative an opportunity to observe the pre-entry and any subsequent testing or monitoring of permit spaces;
(v)
Reevaluate the permit space in the presence of any authorized entrant or that employee's authorized representative who requests that the employer conduct such reevaluation because the entrant or representative has reason to believe that the evaluation of that space may not have been adequate;
(vi)
Immediately provide each authorized entrant or that employee's authorized representative with the results of any testing conducted in accord with
paragraph (d) of this section.
(6)
Provide at least one attendant outside the permit space into which entry is authorized for the duration of entry operations;
(7)
If multiple spaces are to be monitored by a single attendant, include in the permit program the means and procedures to enable the attendant to respond to an emergency affecting one or more of the permit spaces being monitored without distraction from the attendant's responsibilities under paragraph (i) of this section;
(8)
Designate the persons who are to have active roles (as, for example, authorized entrants, attendants, entry supervisors, or persons who test or monitor the atmosphere in a permit space) in entry operations, identify the duties of each such employee, and provide each such employee with the training required by
paragraph (g) of this section;
(9)
Develop and implement procedures for summoning rescue and emergency services, for rescuing entrants from permit spaces, for providing necessary emergency services to rescued employees, and for preventing unauthorized personnel from attempting a rescue;
(10)
Develop and implement a system for the preparation, issuance, use, and cancellation of entry permits as required by this section;
(11)
Develop and implement procedures to coordinate entry operations when employees of more than one employer are working simultaneously as authorized entrants in a permit space, so that employees of one employer do not endanger the employees of any other employer;
(12)
Develop and implement procedures (such as closing off a permit space and canceling the permit) necessary for concluding the entry after entry operations have been completed;
(13)
Review entry operations when the employer has reason to believe that the measures taken under the permit space program may not protect employees and revise the program to correct deficiencies found to exist before subsequent entries are authorized; and
(14)
Review the permit space program, using the canceled permits retained under
paragraph (e)(6) of this section within 1 year after each entry and revise the program as necessary, to ensure that employees participating in entry operations are protected from permit space hazards.
(f)
Entry permit. The entry permit that documents compliance with this section and authorizes entry to a permit space shall identify:
(1)
The permit space to be entered;
(2)
The purpose of the entry;
(3)
The date and the authorized duration of the entry permit;
(4)
The authorized entrants within the permit space, by name or by such other means (for example, through the use of rosters or tracking systems) as will enable the attendant to determine quickly and accurately, for the duration of the permit, which authorized entrants are inside the permit space;
(5)
The personnel, by name, currently serving as attendants;
(6)
The individual, by name, currently serving as entry supervisor, with a space for the signature or initials of the entry supervisor who originally authorized entry;
(7)
The hazards of the permit space to be entered;
(8)
The measures used to isolate the permit space and to eliminate or control permit space hazards before entry;
(9)
The acceptable entry conditions;
(10)
The results of initial and periodic tests performed under
paragraph (d)(5) of this section, accompanied by the names or initials of the testers and by an indication of when the tests were performed;
(11)
The rescue and emergency services that can be summoned and the means (such as the equipment to use and the numbers to call) for summoning those services;
(12)
The communication procedures used by authorized entrants and attendants to maintain contact during the entry;
(13)
Equipment, such as personal protective equipment, testing equipment, communications equipment, alarm systems, and rescue equipment, to be provided for compliance with this section;
(14)
Any other information whose inclusion is necessary, given the circumstances of the particular confined space, in order to ensure employee safety; and
(15)
Any additional permits, such as for hot work, that have been issued to authorize work in the permit space.
(h)
Duties of authorized entrants. The employer shall ensure that all authorized entrants:
(1)
Know the hazards that may be faced during entry, including information on the mode, signs or symptoms, and consequences of the exposure;
(3)
Communicate with the attendant as necessary to enable the attendant to monitor entrant status and to enable the attendant to alert entrants of the need to evacuate the space as required by paragraph (i)(6) of this section;
(4)
Alert the attendant whenever—
(i)
The entrant recognizes any warning sign or symptom of exposure to a dangerous situation, or
(ii)
The entrant detects a prohibited condition; and
(5)
Exit from the permit space as quickly as possible whenever—
(i)
An order to evacuate is given by the attendant or the entry supervisor,
(ii)
The entrant recognizes any warning sign or symptom of exposure to a dangerous situation,
(iii)
The entrant detects a prohibited condition, or
(iv)
An evacuation alarm is activated.
(i)
Duties of attendants. The employer shall ensure that each attendant:
(1)
Knows the hazards that may be faced during entry, including information on the mode, signs or symptoms, and consequences of the exposure;
(2)
Is aware of possible behavioral effects of hazard exposure in authorized entrants;
(3)
Continuously maintains an accurate count of authorized entrants in the permit space and ensures that the means used to identify authorized entrants under
paragraph (f)(4) of this section accurately identifies who is in the permit space;
(4)
Remains outside the permit space during entry operations until relieved by another attendant;
(5)
Communicates with authorized entrants as necessary to monitor entrant status and to alert entrants of the need to evacuate the space under paragraph (i)(6) of this section;
(6)
Monitors activities inside and outside the space to determine if it is safe for entrants to remain in the space and orders the authorized entrants to evacuate the permit space immediately under any of the following conditions;
(i)
If the attendant detects a prohibited condition;
(ii)
If the attendant detects the behavioral effects of hazard exposure in an authorized entrant;
(iii)
If the attendant detects a situation outside the space that could endanger the authorized entrants; or
(iv)
If the attendant cannot effectively and safely perform all the duties required under paragraph (i) of this section;
(7)
Summon rescue and other emergency services as soon as the attendant determines that authorized entrants may need assistance to escape from permit space hazards;
(8)
Takes the following actions when unauthorized persons approach or enter a permit space while entry is underway:
(i)
Warn the unauthorized persons that they must stay away from the permit space;
(ii)
Advise the unauthorized persons that they must exit immediately if they have entered the permit space; and
(iii)
Inform the authorized entrants and the entry supervisor if unauthorized persons have entered the permit space;
(9)
Performs non-entry rescues as specified by the employer's rescue procedure; and
(10)
Performs no duties that might interfere with the attendant's primary duty to monitor and protect the authorized entrants.
Notes, amendments, and revision history
Amendments
[58 FR 4549, Jan. 14, 1993; 58 FR 34845, 34846, June 29, 1993, as amended at 59 FR 26114, May 19, 1994; 63 FR 66038, 66039, Dec. 1, 1998; 76 FR 80739, Dec. 27, 2011]
Authority
Authority: 29 U.S.C. 653, 655, 657; Secretary of Labor's Order No. 12-71 (36 FR 8754), 8-76 (41 FR 25059), 9-83 (48 FR 35736), 1-90 (55 FR 9033), 6-96 (62 FR 111), 3-2000 (65 FR 50017), 5-2007 (72 FR 31159), 4-2010 (75 FR 55355), or 1-2012 (77 FR 3912), as applicable. Sections 1910.141, 1910.142, 1910.145, 1910.146, and 1910.147 also issued under 29 CFR part 1911.
Authority
Authority: 33 U.S.C. 941; 29 U.S.C. 653, 655, 657; Secretary of Labor's Order No. 12-71 (36 FR 8754); 8-76 (41 FR 25059), 9-83 (48 FR 35736), 1-90 (55 FR 9033), 6-96 (62 FR 111), 3-2000 (65 FR 50017), 5-2002 (67 FR 65008), 5-2007 (72 FR 31160), 4-2010 (75 FR 55355), 1-2012 (77 FR 3912), 08-2020 (85 FR 58393), or 07-2025 (90 FR 27878); 29 CFR part 1911; and 5 U.S.C. 553, as applicable.
Source
Source: 39 FR 23502, June 27, 1974, unless otherwise noted.
Source
Source: 39 FR 23502, June 27, 1974, unless otherwise noted. Redesignated at 40 FR 23072, May 28, 1975.
Amendments
[58 FR 4549, Jan. 14, 1993; 58 FR 34845, 34846, June 29, 1993, as amended at 59 FR 26114, May 19, 1994; 63 FR 66038, 66039, Dec. 1, 1998; 76 FR 80739, Dec. 27, 2011]