Confined spaces: test before you enter

Say this

1. Manholes, vaults, tanks and pits can have bad air you can't smell.
2. Test oxygen, then flammables, then toxics, before and during entry.
3. Attendant at the top the whole time.
4. Most people who die in confined spaces are would-be rescuers. Don't go in after someone.
5. Call rescue and use the retrieval line.

Ask the crew

• Where on this site today does "confined spaces: test before you enter" matter most?
• What would you do first if it went wrong?
• Who do you tell, and how?

Hazards on today's tasks

• Manhole and vault work: Bad air: hydrogen sulfide, low oxygen, methane
• Manhole and vault work: Falling into the open manhole
• Manhole and vault work: Traffic around the opening
• Confined space entry: Bad air: low oxygen, toxic gas, flammable gas
• Confined space entry: Engulfment
• Confined space entry: Getting overcome, and rescuers dying trying to help

How to give it

Hold it where the work is, at the start of the shift, standing up. Read each point out loud, then point at the real thing on this site: the trench, the ladder, the machine, the cord. Ask the questions and wait for answers; the quiet ones often know the most. Keep it to about 5 minutes so it gets done every day.

Write down anything the crew raises and fix it before the work starts. Everyone signs, including subs and visitors working that shift. Keep the signed sheet with the day's JHA; it's your record that the training happened (29 CFR 1926 Subpart AA, and 29 CFR 1926.21(b)(2)).

Sign-in

Goes with the JHA for manhole and vault work, confined space entry.