Safety 2009 Confined Space Educational Sessions
The educational program for Safety 2009, the American Society of Safety Engineers' conference and expo in San Antonio, includes five educational sessions that are related to confined space safety. Three sessions are purely about confined spaces, while the topic is likely to be discussed in two others because of OSHA's pending and controversial confined space standard for the construction industry. While that proposed rule was published more than a year ago in the Nov. 28, 2007, Federal Register, comments challenging the proposed requirements and asserting the rule is unnecessary were being posted to the rulemaking docket as late as October 2008.
Safety 2009 sessions that will address confined spaces and/or construciton safety include these:
Monday, June 29:
541, Case Studies of Industrial Confined Space Entry, Sponsored by the Standards Development Committee
This collection of confined space entry events has helped operators and managers alike see potential hazards more clearly. The relevance of ANSI Z117 as a beneficial guide is highlighted. A discussion of these general industry scenarios has universal appeal as they stem from boiler or vessel entries that are readily understood.
Instructor: Timothy C. Healey, The Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection & Insurance Company, Hartford, CT
Tuesday, June 30:
633, OSHA Construction Update
This session will cover current construction standards updates along with current statistical data, cooperative programs in construction and other current OSHA construction information that will inform the attendees on the latest in construction as it relates to OSHA.
Instructor: Bill R. Parsons, U.S. Department of Labor - OSHA, Washington, D.C.
Wednesday, July 1:
766, Industrial Confined Space Rescue Certification Qualifications
U.S. federal regulations require rescuers in confined space entries to be evaluated for proficiency in rescue capabilities inclusive of elevated rescue. OSHA clarified its confined space regulation in 1998 to better guide industry employers on what is expected of rescuers should an emergency arise. The NFPA has created standards for municipal rescuers that some industrial rescue teams have attempted to adapt. The ANSI/ASSE confined space standard Z117 does not contain performance criteria for certification of industrial rescue teams or individual team members. In this session the need for a certification standard encompassing Z117 and OSHA's CS regulation 29 CFR 1910.146 for industrial sites requiring confined space entry operations will be discussed.
Instructor: Michael R. Roop, Environmental Resources Management (ERM), Houston, TX
725, Construction Safety Forum, Sponsored by the Construction Practice Specialty
This session will address the major concerns and issues in construction safety and health. The discussion with the expert panel gives attendees ample opportunity for questions and answers on the key issues and challenges in the construction industry.
Instructors: Michael W. Hayslip, P.E., CSP, NESTI, Centerville, OH; Richard F. King, CSP, CRSP, Black & Veatch, Centennial, CO; Robert L. Potts, CSP, M+W Zander, Plano, TX
759, Proper Classification of Confined Spaces: Confined Space Program Management
Many safety officers, maintenance supervisors and field operations managers often find the OSHA regulations for Confined Space Safety confusing or intimidating. This session will explain the key steps of understanding definitions and recognizing hazards in order to properly classify confined spaces and give examples from a variety of industries.
Instructor: Verne R. Brown, Ph.D., ENMET Corporation, Ann Arbor, MI
This article originally appeared in the February 2009 issue of Occupational Health & Safety.