Notes from the CASC Confined Space Meeting at Rettew Associates
Kelly Kramer of Rettew Associates did an outstanding job presenting on confined space safety for our July 18th CASC meeting. Members were even lucky enough to participate in some demonstrations in their advanced training facility. Below are some of the notes that I took during the meeting on the 7 steps to compliance.
7 Steps to compliance
1: Inventory your confined spaces and decide which are permit required confined spaces. Keep in mind these 3 rules for determining if a space is a permit required confined space. A: Large enough to enter. B: Limited Access. C: Not designed for human occupancy.
2: Develop a written program.
3: Acquire all required equipment. Gas monitors, fall protection, PPE, retrieval units, blowers, etc.
4: Develop a confined space permit to be used where required. This should be considered a safe entrance checklist.
5: Prepare a plan for maintaining and use of air monitoring equipment.
6: Decide on a rescue plan with internal trained personnel being preferred.
7: Properly train employees and rescue personnel.
I have also shared the sample confined space permit from MSA on our links and info page. Feel free to use or compare to your own. The Capital Area Safety Council would like to thank Kelly and the team at Rettew Associates for their hospitality. Should you have any questions, Kelly can be reached via email or phone listed below.
Rettew Associates
Kelly Kramer
1-800-738-8395