Confined spaces are dangerous for the people who enter them and for the coworkers who go in after them. OSHA's permit-required confined space standard for general industry says who may enter, what is tested first, who stays outside and how rescue works. This quiz reviews those rules with the paragraph each one comes from.
Confined space or permit space?
A confined space is large enough for an employee to bodily enter and work, has limited or restricted means for entry or exit, and is not designed for continuous occupancy: tanks, silos, hoppers, vaults, pits. It becomes a permit-required confined space when it contains, or could contain, a hazardous atmosphere, a material that could engulf an entrant, a shape that could trap or asphyxiate, or any other serious hazard (29 CFR 1910.146(b)).
The employer evaluates the workplace for permit spaces and warns exposed employees, for example with a sign reading "DANGER - PERMIT-REQUIRED CONFINED SPACE, DO NOT ENTER" (1910.146(c)(1)–(2)). If employees will not enter, the employer must prevent entry; if they will, a written permit space program is required (c)(3)–(4). This standard covers general industry; construction, agriculture and shipyards have their own rules (1910.146(a)).
Who does what during an entry
- Authorized entrants know the hazards, use the equipment, stay in contact with the attendant and get out as soon as they are told to, notice warning signs, detect a prohibited condition or hear an alarm (1910.146(h)).
- Attendants stay outside for the whole entry, keep an accurate count of who is inside, order evacuation when something goes wrong and summon rescue. They do not enter to rescue unless trained, equipped and relieved (1910.146(i)).
- Entry supervisors check that the tests and procedures on the permit are done, sign it, verify that rescue services are available, and terminate the entry and cancel the permit when the work is done or a prohibited condition arises (1910.146(j), (e)(5)).
Testing, permits and rescue
Before entry, the atmosphere is tested first for oxygen, then for combustible gases and vapors, then for toxic gases and vapors (1910.146(d)(5)(iii)). Under 19.5 percent oxygen the atmosphere is oxygen deficient, over 23.5 percent oxygen enriched, and a flammable gas over 10 percent of its lower flammable limit makes it hazardous (1910.146(b)).
The entry permit lists the space, purpose, duration, entrants, attendants, hazards, controls, test results and rescue services; it is posted at the entry portal and canceled permits are kept for at least one year (1910.146(e)–(f)). An in-house rescue team practices at least once every 12 months, and at least one member holds current first aid and CPR certification (1910.146(k)(2)).
Training, and using the quiz
Training is given before first assignment, before a change in duties, when a new hazard appears and when procedures are not being followed; the employer certifies it with names, trainers' signatures or initials and dates (1910.146(g)). There is no fixed refresher interval. Play the quiz before a practical drill at a real or representative space, and stop on the questions people miss. Quizhat is an independent tool, not affiliated with or endorsed by OSHA.