Do not enter a permit space on your own

Confined space 5 min 29 CFR 1926.1203 · 29 CFR 1926.1204

Plumbing, HVAC, Demolition

Why it matters

A permit-required confined space is one you can enter, not meant for people to stay in, with a tight way in and out, and with a hazard such as bad air, a liquid, or a shape that can trap you. Tanks, manholes, some vaults, and some pits qualify. A dropped tool is not a reason to climb in.

The talk

A permit-required confined space is a space you can get your body into. It is not a place meant for people to stay and work the way you work on an open floor. The way in and the way out are limited. And it has a hazard: bad air, a liquid that can fill it, or a shape that can trap you. Tanks fit that picture. Manholes fit. Some vaults fit. Some pits fit. The name painted on the opening does not decide it. If the space matches that picture, you treat it as a permit space until the competent person says it is not. A pump room you walk into all day is not the same as a tank you have to climb down into.

Do not go in because a tool fell in. A wrench at the bottom of a tank is not a reason to climb after it. People get hurt following a tool, and they get hurt following a partner. Entry happens only under the site permit program. That means a written permit for this entry, a test of the air, an attendant who stays outside, and a rescue plan. The rescue plan is not a promise that the crew will climb in after you. If that is the whole plan, it is not a plan. The tool can stay down there until the entry is set up the right way. The rules for this are 1926.1203 and 1926.1204.

The attendant stays outside. The attendant does not leave to grab a fitting, and the attendant does not climb in to help. If the attendant leaves, nobody is there to call when the person inside goes quiet. Read the permit before anyone goes through the opening. If there is no permit, you do not enter. If the air has not been tested, you do not enter. If you do not know who the attendant is, you do not enter. Plumbing, HVAC, and demolition crews all run into these spaces. The trade on your hard hat does not change the rule. The space does.

Key points

A permit space is one you can enter, not meant for people to stay in, with limited entry and a real hazard.
Tanks, manholes, some vaults, and some pits can be permit spaces.
Do not go in because a tool fell in.
Entry needs a written permit, an air test, an attendant outside, and a rescue plan.
The rescue plan is not climbing in after the person inside.
The attendant does not leave and does not enter.
No permit, no air test, or no attendant means you stay out.

Do this

Treat tanks, manholes, and tight vaults or pits as permit spaces until a competent person says otherwise.
Use the site permit program for every entry.
Keep an attendant outside for the whole entry.
Follow a rescue plan that does not send another worker in after you.
Leave a dropped tool where it fell until the entry is set up.

Do not do this

Do not climb in after a tool that fell into a tank, manhole, vault, or pit.
Do not enter without a written permit.
Do not enter before the air is tested.
Do not let the attendant leave or climb in.
Do not call it a rescue plan if the plan is to climb in after them.

Talk about it

Which openings on this job are permit spaces, and which ones are we not sure about?
If a tool falls in, what do we do instead of climbing after it?
Who is the attendant today, and what does the rescue plan actually say?

This is a short crew briefing. It does not replace a competent person, training, or the law.

Blank sign-in sheet

Name	Signature	Time