Text For Citation: 02 Item/Group: 001 Hazard: CONFINED

Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970: The employer did not furnish employment and a place of employment which were free from recognized hazards that were causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm to employees in that employees were exposed to: a. On May 1, 1991 in the brewery, and employee entered and alpha fermenter in betta cellar for the purpose of removing yeast mixture from the tank of which initial monitoring at the entrance of the tank by an Anheuser Busch supervisor with a Gastechtar Gas Alarm, model 32520X, #5, indicated readings of 1.95% carbon dioxide and 20% oxygen. Personal air monitoring conducted by CSHO while work was being performed inside the tank showed 1.4 percent of carbon dioxide. Employees have experienced dizziness and shortness of breath during these daily operations and are not provided personal protective equipment such as respirators. The written confined space program of Anheuser Busch is lacking the following elements for a class B confined space entry: (A) 1. Workers who enter a Class A or B confined space shal have a pre placement physical examination made available to them. The employer shall provide to the physician performing or responsible for the medical surveillance program information such as the type of confined space the employee may be required to enter, the type of substances the employee may be required to enter, the type of substances the employee may encounter, and a description of any protective device or equipment he employee may be required to use. The physical examination shall include: a. A demonstration of the worker's ability to use negative and positive pressure respirators as cited in 29 CFR 1910. 134. b. A demonstration of the worker's ability to see and hear warings, such as flashing lights buzzers or sirens. c. The examination should place emphasis on general evaluation of the employee's ability to carry out his assigned duties and the detection of any disease or abnormalities which may make it difficult to work within confined spaces. 2. Following completion of the examinations, the physician shall give to the employer a written statement specifying any condition or abnormality found which would increase risk to the employee's health by working in confined spaces. 3. Periodic medical examinations shall be made available to employee required to work in Class A or B confined spaces. 4. First Aid provisions. a. For Class A and B entry there shall always be someone readily available in the area of the confined space who is currently trained in cardio-pulmonary resus- citation (CPR) and basic first aid procedures. (B) 1. The employer shall be responsible for training personnel and for safety of the entire operation. Personnel who work in the vincinity of the confined spaces shall be made aware of the hazards associated with confined spaces during orientation. Personnel who are required to work in a confined space, or in support of those working in a confined space shall have additional training in the following areas; a. Emergency entry and exit procedures (Class A, B, and C); b. Use of applicable respirators (Class A,B, and C); c. First Aid (Class A, B); d. Lockout procedures (Class A, B, and C); e. Safety equipment use (Class A, B, and C); f. Rescue and training drills designed to maintain proficiency shall be given initially to new employees, and thereafter, at least annually, or at lesser intervals as determined necessary by the judgement of the employer (Class A, B, and C); g. Permit system (Class A, B, and C); and h. Work practices such as but not limited to purging and ventilating of confined space, continuous general ventilation maintained with in the confined space where toxic atmosphere may be produced as part of a work procedure, authorized procedures and processes for cleaning inside of confined space, appropriate equipment and tools for the confined space and written records of training including safety drills, inspections, tests and maintenance with regards to the confined space. (C) 1. All warning signs shall be printed in English and in the predominant language of non-English reading workers. Where established symbols exist, they shall also be used. Workers unable to read labels and posted signs shall receive information regarding hazardous areas and shall be informed of the instructions printed on the signs. 2. All entrances to any confined space shall be posted. Signs shall include but not necessarily be limited to the following information: Danger: Confined Space: Entry By Permit Only: (D) 1. Safety equipment that is necessary to protect the workers in the environment of the confined space such as safety belt with "D" rings for attaching a life line shall be worn at all times. (E) 1. The isolation procedures shall be specific for each type of confined space. Safety equipment required during this procedure shall be designated by the qualified person and be dependent upon the potential hazards involved. Class A or B confined space shall be completely isolated from all other systems by physical disconnection, double block and bleed, or blanking off all lines. In continuous systems, where complete isolation is not is not possible, such as sewers or utility tunnels, specific written written safety procedures that are approved and enforced by the employer shall be used. Blanks used to seal off lines shall be capable of withstanding the maximum working pressure or load of the line (with a minimum safety factor of 4), be provided with a gasket on the pressure side to ensure a leakproof seal, and be made of chemically nonreactive material. Shutoff valves serving the confined space, shall be locked in the closed position and tagged for indentification. In addition to blanking, pumps and compressors serving these lines entering the confined space shall be locked out to prevent accidental activation. (F) 1. The employer shall maintain a written record of training including safety drills, inspections, tests, and maintenance. The records shall be retained 1 year after the last date of training, inspection, test, or maintenance. In the event of separation of the employee, disposal of equipment or appliance, records may be disposed after one year. Where atmospheric testing indicates the presence of a toxic substance, records shall be maintained in accordance with the existing Federal regulation(s). These records shall include the dates and times of measurements, duties and location of the employees within the confined space, sampling and analytical methods used, number, duration, and results of the samples taken, PEL concentrations estimated from these, type of personal protective equipment used, if any, and employees's names.