Permit-Required Vs. Non-Permit Required Space Guide
Do you know the difference between permit-required and non-permit-required confined spaces? This post will give you all the information you will need! Including the definition of a confined space, confined space hazards, and OSHA 1910.146!
This post will be a short guide on the difference between permit required, and non-permit required confined spaces. As always, The Occupational Health and Safety Association (OSHA) has pages and pages of information that go into super detail about everything. This guide is a quick, easy way to learn the differences between permit-required and non-permit-required confined spaces for those who don’t want to spend hours on the OSHA website searching for the information!
OSHA Defines a Confined Space as:
- Large enough and configured so an employee can enter and perform assigned work.
- Has limited or restricted means of entry or exit. Some examples include vessels, tanks, storage bins, silos, hoppers, vaults, and pits.
- Is not designed for continuous human occupancy.
Main Difference Between Permit Required and Non-Permit Required
Permit-Required Confined Space: This is a space where the hazards to employees are controlled but still present. These spaces are usually IDLH (immediately dangerous to life and health).
Non-Permit Required Confined Space: This is a space where the hazards are “eliminated.”
Permit-Required Confined Space (OSHA Standard 1910.146)
A permit-required confined space is defined by having any of the following:
- Contains or potentially contains a hazardous atmosphere
- Contains a material that has the possibility of engulfing someone
- Has a configuration where someone could get trapped or asphyxiated by inwardly converging walls or by a floor that slopes downward and tapers to a smaller cross-section.
- Contains any other recognized serious safety and health hazard
Confined Space Hazards Include
- Mechanical Entrapment
- Engulfment Atmospheric
- Gas Temperature Extremes
- Dust Excessive Noise
- Slick or Wet Surfaces Falling Objects
- Falling Hazards Electrical Shock
- Poor Lighting or Work Created Hazards
- Employers are required to evaluate a space to determine if it is a permit required or a non-permit-required confined space.
Want more information on Permit-Required and Non-Permit Required Confined Spaces? Visit OSHA 1910.146
If you are looking for Confined Space Training, please visit one of the links below for more information!
