Confined Spaces


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Confined Spaces

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Appeals Board Decisions: Board Weighs in on Winery's Tank Press; Tank Press Is Not Exempt from Confined Spaces Rules
December 2011
After a worker suffered a fingertip amputation while working with a tank press at Foster's Wine Estates America (dba Chateau St. Jean) in the Sonoma County town of Kenwood, Cal/OSHA inspected and found that workers periodically entered the tank press to hose it out. . . . more »

Confined Spaces: Employer's Failure to Plan Leads to Worker Deaths, Serious and Willful Citations; Mistakes to Avoid
October 2011
Henry Astilla, a 33-year-old technician with Baxter Bioscience in Los Angeles, didn't check the atmosphere before climbing down into a 6,000-liter tank containing human plasma. . . . more »

Cal/OSHA fines employer $371,000 for safety violations leading to fatality
September 2011
Cal/OSHA has issued 11 citations against Baxter Healthcare Corporation for deliberate and willful safety violations that resulted in the death of one of their technicians and serious injury of two oth . . . more »

Appeals Board Decisions: Employer Fails to Identify Confined Space; Don't Let One Set of Hazards Mask Another
January 2010
Liquivision Technology contracted to perform dive services at Hinkle Reservoir in Granite Bay (northeast of Sacramento) during February, March, and April of 2008. The divers' job duties included vacuuming the floor of the reservoir 15 to 20 feet below the surface, to remove sediment and precipitation. . . . more »

Confined Spaces: A Look at the New ASSE/ANSI Z117.1 Standard; What You Need to Know
December 2009

In August, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) published a revised Z117.1 standard--Safety Requirements for Confined Spaces. The new "consensus standard" went into effect on November 2 and covers entry into, working in, and exiting from confined spaces at normal atmospheric pressure. The standard does not apply to all confined space entry operations--in particular, it does not apply to specific operations that are subject to other existing national consensus standards, such as underground mining, tunneling, and caisson work. Read on for a look at some of the more significant changes to the standard.

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News Note: ASSE Releases Two Revised Standards
November 2009
The American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) recently released two newly revised standards: (1) the ASSE/ANSI Z117.1 Standard—Safety Requirement for Confined Spaces, and (2) the Board of Envir . . . more »

Trainer's Handbook: Confined Spaces; A Basic Refresher for All Workers
August 2008
Workers whose jobs may never require them to enter a confined space need to know what one is so that they'll know to avoid its deadly hazards. A worker who thinks he or she can clear a jam in a process vessel by climbing into it, or a worker who thinks that it would only take a . . . more »

DOWNLOAD: Cole-Chem Corporation 06-R4D1-1872
3/6/2008
On July 29, 2005, the Division of Occupational Safety and Health (the Division), conducted an investigation at a place of Employment maintained by Cole-Chem Corporation (Employer) at 7401 World Way West, Los Angeles, California. On December 14, 2005, the Division cited Employer for following alleged violations of the occupational safety and health standards and orders found in Title 8 California Code of Regulations. . . . more »

DOWNLOAD: Innovative Construction Dockets 05-R4D4-1113 and 08-R4D4-0652/0653
3/4/2008
On November 23, 2004, the Division of Occupational Safety and Health (the Division) through Ayman H. Shiblak, Cal/Osha Engineer conducted an accident inspection at a place of employment maintained by Employer at 11759 Killian Street, El Monte, California (the site). On February 18, 2005, the Division cited the Employer for the following alleged violations of the occupational safety and health standards and orders found in Title 8, California Code Regulations¹: . . . more »

News Notes: NIOSH Offers Resources for Workers in Disaster Recovery and Emergency Response
November 2007
In the wake of two tragic events that put rescue workers' lives in danger, the Minneapolis bridge collapse and the Utah mine roof collapse, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has updated and posted resources for rescue and recovery workers . . . more »

DOWNLOAD: Escobar Contracting INC. Dockets 04-R4D1-2748 and 2749
6/27/2007
Employer is a sewer contractor. Beginning February 13, 2004, the Division of Occupational Safety and Health (the Division) through Associate Cal/OSHA Engineer Yancy Yap, conducted an imminent hazard inspection at a place of employment maintained by Employer at 6619 Leland Way, Los Angeles, California (the site) . . . more »

DOWNLOAD: L.A. Construction Dockets 06-R4D2-1111 through 1114
5/2/2007
Beginning February 2, 2006, the Division of Occupational Safety and Health (the Division) through Associate Cal/OSHA Safety Engineer Andrew Kong, conducted an accident inspection at a place of employment maintained by Employer at 600 Orange Grove Blvd., Pasadena, California (the site). On March 2, 2006, the Division cited Employer for . . . more »

Confined Spaces: Recent Fatalities Highlight Why Identifying Spaces and Potential Hazards Is Critical
September 2005
Confined spaces present deadly hazards, and laws have long been on the books requiring employers to both identify these spaces and address their hazards before allowing workers to enter them. But rece . . . more »

News Note: Petaluma Firm to Pay $475,000 for Two Workers' Deaths in Confined Space
March 2004
Spectrum Organic Products of Petaluma has admitted to willful violations of Cal/OSHA's confined space requirements that resulted in the deaths of Javier Del Rio, 42, and Francisco Estrella Galvan, 24, . . . more »

Confined Spaces, Part 2: Preparing Your Entry Team to Complete Work Safely in a Confined Space
February 2004
Anytime work is going to be performed in a confined space, you must know who will be on your entry team and make sure each worker understands their role. Key Positions/ . . . more »