Who must evaluate spaces and classify them as permit-required confined spaces?

Who must evaluate spaces and classify them as permit-required confined spaces?

• A. Employee
• B. Supervisor
• C. Contractor
• D. Employer

Answer: (D)

The responsibility to evaluate spaces and classify them as permit-required confined spaces rests with the employer. This duty comes from the employer’s obligation to establish, maintain, and enforce the workplace safety program, including the confined spaces program. The employer must identify all spaces that could be used for work, assess the hazards present (such as hazardous atmospheres, configuration that makes entry or exit difficult, or potential for engulfment), and decide which spaces require a permit to enter. Once a space is classified as permit-required, the employer then implements the required controls: a permit system, atmospheric testing, defined entry procedures, an attendant, rescue readiness, and appropriate training for all workers involved. Supervisors or employees participate in carrying out these procedures, and contractors may work under the employer’s program, but the authority and accountability for the space’s classification stay with the employer.

The responsibility to evaluate spaces and classify them as permit-required confined spaces rests with the employer. This duty comes from the employer’s obligation to establish, maintain, and enforce the workplace safety program, including the confined spaces program. The employer must identify all spaces that could be used for work, assess the hazards present (such as hazardous atmospheres, configuration that makes entry or exit difficult, or potential for engulfment), and decide which spaces require a permit to enter.

Once a space is classified as permit-required, the employer then implements the required controls: a permit system, atmospheric testing, defined entry procedures, an attendant, rescue readiness, and appropriate training for all workers involved. Supervisors or employees participate in carrying out these procedures, and contractors may work under the employer’s program, but the authority and accountability for the space’s classification stay with the employer.