Other Hazards on the Drilling Site
Confined Spaces
Many workplaces contain spaces that are considered "confined" because their configurations hinder the activities of employees who must enter, work in, and exit them.
A confined space means a 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; and
- is not designed for continuous employee occupancy.
Confined spaces include, but are not limited to underground vaults, tanks, storage bins, manholes, pits, silos, process vessels, and pipelines.
OSHA uses the term "permit-required confined space" (permit space) to describe a confined space that has one or more of the following characteristics:
- contains or has the potential to contain a hazardous atmosphere
- contains a material that has the potential to engulf an entrant
- has walls that converge inward or floors that slope downward and taper into a smaller area which could trap or asphyxiate an entrant
- contains any other recognized safety or health hazard, such as unguarded machinery, exposed live wires, or heat stress
Confined space hazards are addressed in specific standards for the general industry and shipyard employment. Also, see OSHAcademy Course 713 Confined Space Program for more information.
Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.
5-1. Which of the following does NOT meet the criteria as a confined space?
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