816 Confined Space Safety in Construction

Permit Space Attendants

The employer should provide at least one attendant outside the permit space into which entry is authorized for the duration of entry operations. Some important points to remember include:

• Attendants may be assigned to more than one permit space provided the duties can be effectively performed for each permit space.
• Attendants may be stationed at any location outside the permit space as long as the duties can be effectively performed for each permit space to which the attendant is assigned.
• If multiple spaces are to be assigned to a single attendant, the employer must include in the permit program the means and procedures to enable the attendant to respond to an emergency affecting one or more of those permit spaces without distraction from the attendant's responsibilities.

Note: Proving that an attendant can monitor multiple permit spaces without distraction will prove to be difficult. Don't attempt to do this unless you are certain that the procedures will work.

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