• OSHA regulations present specific requirements for workers entering confined spaces.barn and silo image by Tom Oliveira from Fotolia.com
  
  The Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) sets forth a number of requirements for the safety of workers who must enter confined spaces while on the job. Confined spaces containing additional hazards are designated as "permit-required" confined spaces, with additional regulations.
  
  

Confined Spaces Subject to Regulation

• OSHA, 29 CFR 1910.146, defines a "confined space" as any space that: is large enough and so configured that an employee can bodily enter and perform assigned work; and has limited or restricted means for entry or exit (for example, tanks, vessels, silos, storage bins, hoppers, vaults and pits are spaces that may have limited means of entry); and is not designed for continuous employee occupancy.
  
  In addition, a "permit-required confined space" is one that: 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 by inwardly converging walls or by a floor that slopes downward and tapers to a smaller cross-section; or contains any other recognized serious safety or health hazard.
  
  

Identifying Permit-Required Confined Spaces

• OSHA requires an employer to identify permit-required confined spaces in her place of business, using the OSHA definitions. If the employer finds a permit-required confined space, she must post a warning to employees. A sign reading "Danger--Permit Required Confined Space--Do Not Enter" is one example of an OSHA-appropriate warning.
  
  

Employees Entering Permit-Required Confined Spaces

• An employer may choose to allow employees to enter permit-required confined spaces or to prohibit them from entering. If the employer decides to prohibit entry, he must take steps to ensure employees do not enter the space, such as posting signs and instructing employees not to enter. If the employer decides to allow employees to enter the space, he must implement a written "permit space program" that details under what conditions employees may enter the space and what to do if an accident occurs.
  
  

Permit Space Program

• In order to meet OSHA regulations, a "permit space program" must include an evaluation of the hazards in the confined space; a plan for removing, reducing or eliminating the hazards; make sure hazards are checked for and eliminated before an employee enters the space; and briefing employees on the hazards that may exist in the space.
  
  

Alternative Permit Space Program

• An employer may use an alternative permit space program under section 1910.146(c) if the employer can demonstrate that the only hazard in the confined space is caused by fumes or other pollutants in the atmosphere and that these fumes or pollutants can be removed by continuous forced air circulation. The employer must then implement a continuous forced air circulation system before employees are allowed to enter the confined space.