Confined space entry JHA: hazards, controls and PPE.
Start from this template, add what's different on your site today, and have the crew sign.
| Hazards · Confined space entry |
|---|
| Bad air: low oxygen, toxic gas, flammable gas |
| Engulfment |
| Getting overcome, and rescuers dying trying to help |
| Machinery or energy turning on |
Controls
- Competent person evaluates the space and marks permit spaces.
- Test the air before entry: oxygen first, then flammables, then toxics. Keep monitoring.
- Oxygen 19.5% to 23.5%; flammables under 10% of the LEL.
- Ventilate with a blower.
All 5 hazards and 7 controls → · 29 CFR 1926 Subpart AA (1926.1200-1926.1213)
Toolbox talk: Confined spaces: test before you enter
A starting point, not a finished JHA. Walk the site and have the competent person sign it.
Hazards
- Bad air: low oxygen, toxic gas, flammable gas
- Engulfment
- Getting overcome, and rescuers dying trying to help
- Machinery or energy turning on
- Heat
Controls
- Competent person evaluates the space and marks permit spaces.
- Test the air before entry: oxygen first, then flammables, then toxics. Keep monitoring.
- Oxygen 19.5% to 23.5%; flammables under 10% of the LEL.
- Ventilate with a blower.
- Lock out energy and block lines.
- Signed entry permit. Attendant outside the whole time.
- Rescue plan, and a retrieval system for vertical entries over 5 ft. Never go in after someone without rescue gear.
PPE
- 4-gas monitor
- Full-body harness with retrieval line
- Hard hat
- Work gloves
- Respirator if the permit requires it
OSHA rules
29 CFR 1926 Subpart AA (1926.1200-1926.1213) · 29 CFR 1926.1203 · 29 CFR 1926.1211
Toolbox talk: Confined spaces: test before you enter
- Manholes, vaults, tanks and pits can have bad air you can't smell.
- Test oxygen, then flammables, then toxics, before and during entry.
- Attendant at the top the whole time.
- Most people who die in confined spaces are would-be rescuers. Don't go in after someone.
- Call rescue and use the retrieval line.
The full talk, with questions for the crew →
A starting point, not a finished JHA. Walk the site, add what's different today, and have the competent person sign it.
Tomorrow, the crew signs it on one phone.
Dozer writes the JHA and the toolbox talk from what you say and what the cameras saw yesterday. The crew signs on the foreman's phone, and it files itself in the site's day.
- One JHA per task, per day, in under a minute
- The toolbox talk that matches the work
- Signatures on one phone, no clipboard
- Filed with the daily log, ready for an inspector
LIVE Toolbox talk · trench safety · 12 signed Photo is an AI-generated stand-in, not a customer site.
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Questions crews ask
What are the hazards of confined space entry?
Bad air: low oxygen, toxic gas, flammable gas. Engulfment. Getting overcome, and rescuers dying trying to help. Machinery or energy turning on. Heat.
What controls go in a confined space entry JHA?
Competent person evaluates the space and marks permit spaces. Test the air before entry: oxygen first, then flammables, then toxics. Keep monitoring. Oxygen 19.5% to 23.5%; flammables under 10% of the LEL. Ventilate with a blower. Lock out energy and block lines.
What PPE is needed for confined space entry?
4-gas monitor, Full-body harness with retrieval line, Hard hat, Work gloves, Respirator if the permit requires it. Add what your site and the task's SDS call for.
Which OSHA rules cover confined space entry?
29 CFR 1926 Subpart AA (1926.1200-1926.1213); 29 CFR 1926.1203; 29 CFR 1926.1211.
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