Washington Administrative Code › Title 296 - Labor and Industries, Department of › Chapter 296-809 - Confined spaces › Section 296-809-099 - Definitions

Current through Register Vol. 24-14, July 15, 2024
Acceptable entry conditions.
The conditions that
				must exist in a permit-required confined space to allow safe entry and
				work.
Alternative methods.
Permit-required confined
				space using alternative methods. An alternative process for entering a permit
				space under very specific conditions outlined in WAC
				296-809-60002 and
				296-809-60004. The employer must
				complete documentation as required to communicate to the workers the space
				conditions. For an example, see Appendix J Alternative Method Documentation by
				visiting the labor and industries web site at
				http://www.lni.wa.gov/safety/rules/chapter/809/.
Atmospheric hazard.
See definition of hazardous
				atmosphere.
Atmospheric testing.
See definition of monitoring
				or testing.
Attendant.
An individual stationed outside one or
				more permit-required confined spaces to monitor the entrants. Attendants must
				perform the duties required in WAC
				296-809-50020.
Barrier.
A physical obstruction that blocks or
				limits access.
Blanking or blinding.
The absolute closure of a
				pipe, line, or duct by fastening a solid plate (such as a spectacle blind or a
				skillet blind) that completely covers the bore. It is capable of withstanding
				the maximum pressure of the pipe, line, or duct with no leakage beyond the
				plate.
Calibration.
Checking a direct reading instrument
				against an accurate standard such as a calibration gas to determine deviation
				and correct for analytical errors.
Competent person.
A person capable of identifying
				existing and predictable hazards in the surroundings or working conditions
				including those that are unsanitary, hazardous, or dangerous to employees, and
				has the authorization to take prompt corrective measures to eliminate them.
				They must be knowledgeable in this chapter.
Confined space.
A space that is
all
of the following:
(a) Large enough and arranged so an employee could fully enter
				the space and work.
(b)Has limited or restricted entry or exit. Examples of spaces
				with limited or restricted entry are tanks, vessels, silos, storage bins,
				hoppers, vaults, excavations, and pits.
(c)Not primarily designed for continuous human occupancy.
Note:
See Appendix A Frequently Asked Questions and
						Examples of Confined Spaces by visiting the labor and industries web site at
						http://www.lni.wa.gov/safety/rules/chapter/809/ .
Control.
The action taken to reduce the level of
				any hazard inside a confined space using engineering methods (for example,
				ventilation), and then using these methods effectively to maintain the reduced
				hazard level. Control also refers to the engineering methods used for this
				purpose. Personal protective equipment is not a control.
Controlling contractor (employer).
The employer
				that has overall responsibility for construction at the worksite. If the
				controlling contractor (employer) owns or manages the property, then it is both
				a controlling employer and a host employer.
Double block and bleed.
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. See also chapter 296-803 WAC, Lockout/tagout (control of
				hazardous energy)http://www.lni.wa.gov/safety/rules/chapter/803/ .
Early-warning system.
The method used to alert
				authorized entrants and attendants that an engulfment hazard may be developing.
				Examples of early-warning systems include: Alarms activated by remote sensors;
				and lookouts with equipment for immediately communicating with the authorized
				entrants and attendants.
Emergency.
Any occurrence (including any failure
				of power, hazard control or monitoring equipment) or event internal or external
				to the permit-required confined space that could endanger authorized
				entrants.
Energy-isolating device.
A mechanical device that
				physically prevents transmitting or releasing energy. This includes, but is not
				limited to:
* Manually operated electrical circuit breakers.
* Disconnect switches.
* Manually operated switches that disconnect the conductors of
				a circuit from all ungrounded supply conductors if no pole of the switch can be
				operated independently.
* Line valves.
* Blocks.
* Similar devices.
Note:
Push buttons, selector switches and other
						control circuit-type devices are not energy isolating devices.
Engulfment.
The surrounding and effective capture
				of a person by a liquid or finely divided (flowable) solid substance that can
				be inhaled 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.
Enter (entry).
The action where any part of a
				person's body breaks the plane (passes through an opening) into a confined
				space. Entry occurs as soon as any part of the entrant's body breaks the plane
				of the opening into the space whether or not such action is intentional or any
				work activities are actually performed in the space.
Note:
When the opening is large enough for the
						worker to fully enter the space, a permit is required even for partial body
						entry. Permits are not required for partial body entry, where the opening is
						not large enough for full entry, although other rules such as chapter 296-803
						WAC, Lockout/tagout (control of hazardous energy), and chapter 296-841 WAC,
						Airborne contaminants, may apply.
Entrant.
An employee who is authorized by the
				employer to enter a permit-required confined space.
Entry employer.
Any employer who has an employee
				enter a permit space.
Note:
An employer cannot avoid the duties of the
						standard merely by refusing to decide whether its employees will enter a permit
						space. DOSH considers the failure to decide as an implicit decision to allow
						employees to enter those spaces, if they are working in the proximity of the
						space without the required worker protections.
Entry permit (permit).
The written or printed
				document that is provided by you to allow and control entry into a
				permit-required confined space and that contains the information required in
				WAC 296-809-500 Permit entry
				procedures.
Entry rescue.
Occurs when a rescue service enters
				a permit space to rescue one or more employees.
Entry supervisor.
The qualified and trained person
				(such as the employer, crewleader, or crewchief) responsible for identifying
				permit-required confined spaces and performing responsibilities and job duties
				as outlined by WAC
				296-809-50018. For
				example:
(a)Determining if acceptable entry conditions are present at a
				permit-required confined space where entry is planned;
(b) Authorizing entry and overseeing entry operations;
				and
(c)Terminating entry as required by this standard.
Note:
An entry supervisor also may serve as an
						attendant or as an authorized entrant, as long as that person is trained and
						equipped as required by this standard for each role he or she fills. The duties
						of entry supervisor may be passed from one individual to another during the
						course of an entry operation.
Hazard.
A physical hazard or hazardous atmosphere.
				See definitions below.
Hazardous atmosphere.
An atmosphere that may
				expose employees to the risk of death, incapacitation, impair their ability to
				self-rescue escape unaided from a permit-required confined space), injury, or
				acute illness caused by one or more of the following:
(a)Flammable gas, vapor, or mist in excess of ten percent of
				its lower flammable limit (LFL) or lower explosive limit (LEL).
(b) Airborne combustible dust at a concentration that meets or
				exceeds its LFL. The concentration may be approximated as a condition in which
				the dust obscures vision at a distance of 5 feet (1.52 m) or less.
(c) Atmospheric oxygen concentration below 19.5 percent or
				above 23.5 percent1.
(d) Atmospheric concentration of any substance which may exceed
				a permissible exposure limit (PEL)2.
(e) Any other atmospheric condition that is immediately
				dangerous to life or health3.
Notes:
1 1 percent (%) = 10,000 parts per
						million (ppm).
2 For additional information about
						atmospheric concentration, see chapter 296-62 WAC, General occupational health
						standards, Parts F, G, and I, and chapter 296-841 WAC, Airborne contaminants.
3 For immediately dangerous to
						life or health values see http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/idlh/idlhintr.html .
An airborne concentration of a substance that
						is not capable of causing death, incapacitation, impairment to self-rescue,
						injury or acute illness due to its health effects is not covered by this
						definition.
For air contaminants, that have no
						WISHA-determined doses or permissible exposure limits (PELs) use other sources
						of information that can provide guidance in establishing acceptable atmospheric
						conditions, such as: Safety data sheets required by WAC
						296-901-14014, published
						information and internal documents.
Hazard elimination.
The temporary or permanent
				action taken to remove a hazard from the work environment. For confined spaces,
				this definition includes isolation. It does not include the use of forced air
				ventilation. For a hazard to be considered eliminated, the conditions that
				create or cause the hazard must no longer exist within the confined
				space.
Host employer.
The employer that owns or manages
				the property where the work is taking place. In no case will there be more than
				one host employer.
Note:
If the owner of the property
						on which the construction activity occurs has contracted in writing with an
						entity for the general management of that property and has in writing
						transferred to that entity the information specified in WAC
						296-809-20006, DOSH will treat
						the contracted management entity as the host employer for as long as that
						entity manages the property. Otherwise, DOSH will treat the owner of the
						property as the host employer.
Hot work.
Operations capable of providing a source
				of ignition (for example, riveting, welding, cutting, burning, and
				heating).
Hot work permit.
A written authorization to
				perform hot work operations, for example, riveting, welding, cutting, burning,
				and heating, that can provide a source of ignition.
Immediately dangerous to life or health (IDLH).
Any of the following conditions:
(a)An immediate or delayed threat to life.
(b) Anything that would cause irreversible adverse health
				effects.
(c) Anything that would interfere with an individual's ability
				to escape unaided from a permit-required confined space.
Notes:
Some materials - hydrogen fluoride gas and cadmium
						  vapor, for example - may produce immediate transient effects that, even if
						  severe, may pass without medical attention, but are followed by sudden,
						  possibly fatal collapse twelve to seventy-two hours after exposure. The victim
						  "feels normal" after recovery from transient effects until collapse. Such
						  materials in hazardous quantities are considered to be "immediately" dangerous
						  to life or health (IDLH).
For immediately dangerous to life or health values see
						  http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/idlh/idlhintr.html .
Inerting.
The displacement of the atmosphere in a
				permit-required confined space by a noncombustible gas (such as nitrogen or
				argon) to such an extent that the resulting atmosphere is noncombustible.
				Inerting produces an IDLH oxygen-deficient atmosphere.
Isolation.
The process of removing a
				permit-required confined space from service and completely protecting the
				employees against the release of energy and material into the space by:
* Blanking or blinding;
* Misaligning or removing sections of lines, pipes, or ducts;
* Double block and bleed system;
* Machine guarding;
* Blocking or disconnecting all mechanical linkages;
* Placement of barriers to eliminate the potential for employee
				contact with a physical hazard; or
* Lockout of all sources of energy.
Note:
When using lockout, you must follow all the
						requirements of chapter 296-803 WAC, Lockout/tagout (control of hazardous
						energy).
Limited or restricted means of entry or exit.
A
				condition that has a potential to impede an employee's movement into or out of
				a confined space. A space has limited or restricted means of entry or exit, if
				an entrant's ability to escape in an emergency would be hindered. Examples
				include, but are not limited to, trip hazards, poor illumination, slippery
				floors, inclining surfaces and ladders.
Line breaking.
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.
Lockout.
Placing a lockout device on an
				energy-isolating device using an established procedure to make sure the machine
				or equipment cannot be operated until the lockout device is removed. For more
				information, see chapter 296-803 WAC, Lockout/tagout (control of hazardous
				energy).
Lockout device.
A device that uses a positive
				means, such as a key or combination lock, to hold an energy-isolating device in
				the "safe" or "off" position. This includes blank flanges and bolted slip
				blinds.
Lower flammable limit (LFL) or lower explosive limit
				(LEL).
The minimum concentration of a substance in air needed for an
				ignition source to cause a flame or explosion.
Mobile worker.
An employee who performs work in
				multiple locations such as: Customer sites, company offices, private homes,
				vendor offices, or construction sites.
Monitor or monitoring (see also testing).
The
				process used to identify and evaluate a potential hazardous atmosphere after an
				authorized entrant enters the space. This process checks for atmospheric
				changes. It is performed in a periodic or continuous manner after the
				completion of the initial testing or evaluation of that space.
Nonentry rescue.
Retrieval of an entrant from a
				permit-required space without entering the permit space.
Nonpermit confined space.
You will find the
				requirements for a nonpermit confined space in WAC
				296-809-600.
Oxygen deficient atmosphere.
An atmosphere
				containing less than 19.5 percent oxygen by volume.
Oxygen enriched atmosphere.
An atmosphere
				containing more than 23.5 percent oxygen by volume.
Permit-required confined space or permit space.
A
				confined space that has one or more of the following characteristics capable of
				causing death or serious physical harm:
(a) Contains or has a potential to contain a hazardous
				atmosphere;
(b)Contains a material with the potential for engulfing someone
				who enters;
(c)Has an internal configuration that could allow someone
				entering to be trapped or asphyxiated by inwardly converging walls or by a
				floor, which slopes downward and tapers to a smaller cross section;
(d)Contains any physical hazard. This includes any recognized
				health or safety hazards including engulfment in solid or liquid material,
				electrical shock, or moving parts;
(e) Contains any other recognized serious safety or health
				hazard that could either:
(i) Impair the ability to self-rescue; or
(ii) Result in a situation that presents an immediate danger to
				life or health.
See Appendix B Examples of Permit-Required Confined Space
				Hazards by visiting the labor and industries web site
				at
http://www.lni.wa.gov/safety/rules/chapter/809/.
Permit-required confined space program (also known as a
				confined space program).
An overall program for:
(a)Controlling and appropriately protecting employees from
				permit-required confined space hazards; and
(b)Regulating employee entry into permit-required confined
				spaces.
Physical hazard.
An existing or potential hazard
				that can cause death or serious physical damage. Examples include, but are not
				limited to: Explosives (as defined by WAC
				296-52-60130); mechanical,
				electrical, hydraulic and pneumatic energy; radiation; temperature extremes;
				engulf-ment; noise; and inwardly converging surfaces. Physical hazards also
				include chemicals that can cause death or serious physical damage through skin
				or eye contact (rather than through inhalation).
Potential hazards.
All reasonable anticipated
				conditions within a space and outside the space that can adversely affect the
				conditions within the space.
Program administrator.
The person who has overall
				responsibility for your program and has sufficient training or experience with
				permit-required confined space entry to oversee program development, coordinate
				implementation, and conduct required evaluations of program effectiveness
				outlined in WAC
				296-809-50006.
Prohibited condition.
Any condition in a
				permit-required confined space not allowed by the permit during the authorized
				entry period. For example: A hazardous atmosphere is a prohibited condition
				unless the employer can demonstrate that personal protective equipment (PPE)
				will provide effective protection for each employee in the permit space and
				provides the appropriate PPE to each employee.
Qualified person.
A person who has successfully
				demonstrated the ability to solve problems relating to the subject matter,
				work, or project, either by:
* Possession of recognized degree, certificate, or professional
				standing; or
* Extensive knowledge, training and experience.
Representative permit space.
A mock-up of a
				confined space that has entrance openings that are similar to, and is of
				similar size, configuration, and accessibility to, the permit space that
				authorized entrants enter.
Rescue.
Retrieving and providing medical
				assistance to one or more employees in a permit space.
Rescue service.
The personnel designated to rescue
				employees from permit-required confined spaces.
Retrieval system.
The equipment used for nonentry
				rescue of persons from permit-required confined spaces including; a retrieval
				line, chest or full-body harness, wristlets or anklets if appropriate, and a
				lifting device or anchor.
Serious physical damage.
An impairment or illness
				in which a body part is made functionally useless or is substantially reduced
				in efficiency. Such impairment or illness may be permanent or temporary and
				includes, but is not limited to, loss of consciousness, disorientation, or
				other immediate and substantial reduction in mental efficiency. Injuries
				involving such impairment would usually require treatment by a physician or
				other licensed health care professional.
Tagout.
(a) Placement of a tagout device on a circuit or equipment that
				has been deenergized, in accordance with an established procedure, to indicate
				that the circuit or equipment being controlled may not be operated until the
				tagout device is removed; and
(b)The employer ensures that:
(i) Tagout provides equivalent protection to lockout; or
(ii) Lockout is infeasible and the employer has relieved,
				disconnected, restrained and otherwise rendered safe stored (residual)
				energy.
Testing (see also monitoring).
The process of
				identifying and evaluating the hazards that entrants may be exposed to in a
				permit-required confined space. Testing includes specifying the initial
				atmospheric tests that are to be performed in the permit-required confined
				space.
Note:
Testing allows employers to devise and
						implement adequate controls to protect entrants during entry, and to determine
						if acceptable entry conditions are present.
Ventilate or ventilation.
The process of
				controlling a hazardous atmosphere using continuous forced-air mechanical
				systems. Ventilation is a method of hazard control, not hazard
				elimination.