New Confined Space Rules Designed to Save Lives

On a recent visit to a casthouse an editor of the Aluminium Plant Safety Blog viewed workers without the proper personnel equipment protection in a direct chill vertical casting pit. We were shocked to hear that the casting pit was not classified as a confined space. This casting pit was approximately 20 meters deep. We explained that a casting pit, maintenance pit under a furnace, etc. are examples of confined space. Some in our industry fail to acknowledge the hazards of confined space. The APSB has posted numerous incidents where a lack of following proper confined space protocol had resulted in injuries and fatalities. This is a constant hazard in our plants. In the United States the Occupational Safety & Health Administration has just revised their confined space guidelines. Here is the story:

Confined spaces – such as manholes, crawl spaces, and tanks – are not designed for continuous occupancy and are difficult to exit in the event of an emergency. People working in confined spaces face life-threatening hazards including toxic substances, electrocutions, explosions, and asphyxiation.

This webpage contains information on the new regulation, compliance assistance documents, and other resources OSHA has to help employers and workers understand the rule. OSHA will continue to publish new guidance products in the coming months, and will post them here. Please check the website often for updates.

Construction workers often perform tasks in confined spaces - work areas that (1) are large enough for an employee to enter, (2) have limited means of entry or exit, and (3) are not designed for continuous occupancy. These spaces can present physical and atmospheric hazards that can be prevented if addressed prior to entering the space to perform work. This page is a starting point for finding information about these spaces, the hazards they may present, and ways to safely work in them.

Congratulations to OSHA for clarifying a lot of the ambiguous information that was previously in their confined space guideline. It is our sincere hope that this guideline will be used by plants in the USA and overseas as a valuable reference on what is considered a confined space and how to safely perform job functions in those designated areas.

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