Text For Citation: 01 Item/Group: 004 Hazard:

29 CFR 1910.146(c)(4): When the employer decided that its employees would enter permit spaces, the employer did not develop and implement a written permit space entry program that complied with 29 CFR 1910.146: On or about June 3, 2025, the employer allowed an employee to enter Reactor #2, a permit-required confined space, to perform cleaning activities absent of a developed and implemented permit-required confined space program. Program elements not developed and implemented included, but are not limited to, the following: (i) Per 1910.146(d)(1) - measures necessary to prevent unauthorized entry into the reactor; (ii) Per 1910.146(d)(2) - identification and evaluation of the hazards of the reactor before entry; (iii) Per 1910.146(d)(3)(i) - specifying acceptable conditions for safe entry into the reactor; (iv) Per 1910.146(d)(3)(iii) - isolating the reactor from hazards (such as but not limited to, the vessel's internal agitator blades and chemical supply lines); (v) Per 1910.146(d)(3)(iv) - purging, inerting, flushing, or ventilating the reactor as necessary to eliminate or control atmospheric hazards; (vi) Per 1910.146(d)(3)(vi) - verifying that conditions in the reactor are acceptable for entry throughout the duration of authorized entry; (vii) Per 1910.146(d)(4)(i) - providing, maintaining, and ensuring the proper use of testing and monitoring equipment needed to perform atmospheric evaluations within the reactor; (viii) Per 1910.146(d)(4)(ii) - providing, maintaining, and ensuring the proper use of ventilation equipment needed to obtain acceptable entry conditions within the reactor; (ix) Per 1910.146(d)(4)(ix) - providing, maintaining, and ensuring the proper use of rescue and emergency equipment needed for non-entry rescue; (x) Per 1910.146(d)(5) - evaluating the atmospheric conditions within the reactor, through testing, prior to entry and during the course of entry operations; (xi) Per 1910.146(d)(8) - designating the persons to have active roles (authorized entrants, attendants, entry supervisors, etc.) in entry operations for the reactor; (xii) Per 1910.146(d)(9) - summoning rescue and emergency services and rescuing entrants from the reactor; (xiii) Per 1910.146(d)(9) - providing necessary emergency services to employees rescued from the reactor; (xiv) Per 1910.146(d)(9) - preventing unauthorized personnel from entering the reactor during a rescue; (xv) Per 1910.146(d)(10), 1910.146(e), and 1910.146(f) - preparation, issuance, use, and cancellation of permits for entry into the reactor; (xvi) Per 1910.146(d)(12) - concluding entry operations (such as closing the space and cancelling the permit) after entry into the reactor has been completed; (xvii) Per 1910.146(g) - employee training; (xviii) Per 1910.146(h), 1910.146(i), and 1910.146(j) - performance of the duties of authorized entrants, attendants, and entry supervisors; (xiv) Per 1910.146(k)(1) or 1910.146(k)(2) - designation of rescue and emergency services; (xv) Per 1910.146(k)(3) - use of retrieval rescue methods to facilitate non-entry rescue; and (xvi) Per 1910.146(l)(1) - consultation with affected employees and their authorized representatives