City of Fort Dodge, Iowa

From the November 2017 issue of Occupational Health & Safety:

Employers must have all confined spaces identified and those considered hazardous marked with "Permit Required."

OSHA defines a confined space as "large enough that a person can bodily enter, has limited or restricted means for entry or exit, and is not designed for continuous occupancy." And if the space has one or more of the following—potential for hazardous atmosphere, potential for engulfment, entrapping internal configuration, or any other serious hazard—OSHA requires these spaces be classified and marked as "Permit Required."

OSHA requires employers to have a written confined space program that includes specific procedures for rescue in all permit required confined spaces identified at their facilities.

Employers must have a rescue team available while employees are working in a permit required confined space. The OSHA standard, however, has a caveat: Your rescue team must be able to respond in a "timely manner." So what is a "timely manner," knowing seconds count when an incident occurs?

OSHA defines "timely manner" based on the hazards associated with the space. An exception does exist and must be noted: "If entering an Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health (IDLH) Permit Required Confined Space, the rescue team is required to be at the space, onsite, and ready to rescue prior to entry (refer to 1910.134)."