Confined Spaces Series – Part 1: Standards, Stats & More
Learn about confined spaces statistics and about the various confined spaces standards.
For safety professionals struggling with the process of identifying, documenting and properly classifying confined spaces, EHS Insight’s latest interactive tools for confined spaces offer a one-two punch that can help take the guesswork and stress out of this process.
With our Identification & Documentation Tool for confined spaces, users can document every space to be evaluated and by answering the three criteria questions for each space in question, can quickly receive a “yes” or “no” answer about whether the space is or isn’t a confined space. Because this tool is designed to capture and store information on every space being evaluated, whether it makes the cut or not, it can serve as supporting documentation that can be used if at any time there are questions about how or why a space was classified. And, there’s a place for initials and a date so that it’s clear who made the determination and when it was made.
But wait, there’s more!
Safety professionals know that simply determining whether a space is or isn’t a confined space is just the first part of the classification process. Every confined space must be further classified as either a “permit-required confined space” or a “non-permit required confined space”. Luckily, we’ve made that process easier, too.
With our Hazard Evaluation Tool for confined spaces, users can make quick work of determining whether any of their confined spaces will require a permit to enter or not by simply answering four questions about each confined space being evaluated. After each question has been answered, users will receive a “yes” or “no” response indicating whether the space is a permit-required space or not. Users can also include initials and a date to show who completed each assessment and when it was completed.
As a bonus, each of our interactive tools includes a glossary tab containing key definitions straight from OSHA’s Confined Space Advisor tool so that users will have the definitions they need, right where they need them without having to search.
Effectively managing change is an important part of any safety program, especially when the change taking place affects a confined space. When change happens that alters the hazards or potential hazards within a confined space, that space can become extremely dangerous until it’s understood how the change has affected the space. To gain this understanding, the space must be re-evaluated and possibly reclassified, a process that can be made more difficult if the safety professional doesn’t have good tools to use to help them work through and document the process.
Without the right tools, trying to re-evaluate and reclassify a confined space can have even the most proficient safety professionals wishing they’d chosen a different career path—but we can help!
With EHS Insight’s Temporary Confined Space Reclassification Template, users can more easily move through the re-evaluation process, documenting the results and providing a written justification for why a space was or was not reclassified, all in one simple, two-page form.
If you’re ready to tackle this process like a boss, download our new tool and get started! You’ll be glad you did.
Learn about confined spaces statistics and about the various confined spaces standards.
Check out part two of our three-part series on confined spaces and learn all about the classification and reclassification processes.
Learn about what’s required to be in every confined space permit and how to keep the entire entry process organized.