Common Mistakes in Confined Space Monitoring

A confined space is no place to "learn as you go." Learn how to avoid these potentially deadly errors in the work world's most dangerous spaces.

Learning from practical, real-world experience often requires learning from your own mistakes. In many cases, this can be an effective way of developing greater levels of competence and understanding in a given subject. Unfortunately, when mistakes are made in confined space monitoring, the cost of this education is often measured in the number of lives lost.

The deadly nature of confined spaces leaves little room for error and even less opportunity to "learn as you go." Learning about some common mistakes before entering a confined space will go a long way toward establishing a workplace air monitoring program based on industry best practices.


Mistake #1 Not knowing OSHA standards and recommendations
It all starts here. Understanding what kind of hazards may be present at your job site involves familiarity with OSHA standards and a working knowledge of its terms and definitions. For example, a confined space as defined in OSHA's confined space standard, 29 CFR 1910.146, is any space that is large enough and configured so that an employee can bodily enter and perform assigned work, has limited or restricted means for entry or exit and is not designed for continuous employee occupancy.

When a space meets these criteria, further consideration must be given to determine whether it meets OSHA's definition of a "permit-required" confined space. If a confined space also contains or has a potential to contain a hazardous atmosphere, contains a material that has the potential for engulfing an entrant, has an internal configuration such that an entrant could be trapped or asphyxiated or contains any other recognized serious safety or health hazard, then additional measures must be taken to safely enter and perform any work within the space.

More than just a glossary of safety terms, OSHA standards also provide a blueprint for procedures and practices that are at the heart of any safety program. In fact many, if not all, mistakes in confined space monitoring could be decreased or eliminated altogether if safety managers and workers simply followed OSHA's standards and recommendations.

Mistake #2 Using your own senses
While it is common knowledge that a number of hazardous gases are both colorless and odorless, many people think they can easily recognize the presence of hydrogen sulfide one of the more common confined space toxic gases. The problem with this deadly gas is that its distinctive "rotten egg" odor is only perceptible at very low concentrations. At higher levels, hydrogen sulfide has a paralyzing effect on your sense of smell. Even at low concentrations, prolonged exposure can dull the olfactory nerves and make it impossible to accurately detect, even if concentrations suddenly increase.

The only way to safely detect a hazardous atmosphere is with a "calibrated direct reading instrument" as described in OSHA's confined space standard 29 CFR 1910.146.

Mistake #3 Disregarding the importance of training
A gas monitor is not the only component of an effective gas detection program. When workers are trained on the operation of the instrument and the procedures for confined space monitoring, the risks involved with this type of work can be greatly diminished. One of the more important benefits of training involves an increased awareness of the potential dangers. Familiarity, complacency and a false sense of security can all lead to abandoning best practices, especially when the time spent working in the space is expected to be minimal. But trained workers know that accidents can happen to anybody and that no matter how much time is spent working in the space, the potential danger remains the same.

A variety of training options from gas monitor manufacturers are available, from video, online and computer-based training to classroom sessions and hands-on learning through confined space simulators. With so many options, including sessions that can be held at your facility, there's no reason that proper training in confined space monitoring should be overlooked.

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