Employee Safety By Geoffrey McPherson As the snow melts the flowers begin to bloom. This also offers the opportunity to perform maintenance and repairs that could not be accomplished during the winter. WYDOT employees will soon begin to enter confined spaces to perform maintenance and repairs. This means that employees must be trained in the requirements of OSHA 1910.146 for confined space and WYDOT’s policy before going into confined spaces. Did you know that PP 19-10, Confined Space Operations Policy, was updated and published last year? Employee Safety also created a Confined Space Identification and Hazard Evaluation (CSHIE) Permit Package to assist in properly assessing all potential confined spaces. The new policy and the CSHIE helps WYDOT meet the requirements of OSHA 1910.146 and are located on the Employee Safety Intranet page. Employee Safety has scheduled in-person Confined Space training over the next few months for each district and the headquarters. You can access the training schedule on the Employee Safety Intranet page to see when the training is coming to your area. What is a confined space? “Confined space” means a space that: • Is large enough and so configured that an employee can bodily enter and perform assigned work; • Has limited or restricted means for entry or exit (for example, tanks, vessels, silos, storage bins, hoppers, vaults, and pits are spaces that may have limited means of entry.); and • Is not designed for continuous employee occupancy for maintenance and repair. Employees can safely work in a confined space if procedures are in place to protect the employee. What can occur when an employer does not have procedures in place for confined space work nor are the employees trained? An employer pleaded guilty March 15 to one federal criminal charge for willfully violating an OSHA rule, leading to an employee’s death. Dana Container, the parent company to Dana Railcare, was charged in the U.S. District Court for the Middle
Photo: Rick Carpenter
Safety Flash – Confined Space
Employees at a confined space training in May 2019, prior to the mask wearing mandate, at WYDOT Headquarters.
District of Pennsylvania for its involvement in the death of an employee in a confined space. The company faces a criminal fine up to $500,000 and up to five years of probation. OSHA investigated the May 2019 incident and found the employee asphyxiated while cleaning crude oil from the inside of the tank car. Inspectors cited the company for willful and serious violations for failing to protect employees from hazards associated with permit-required confined space entry and inadequate respiratory protection procedures. The citation resulted in a $551,226 fine. This was completely preventable. The employee wouldn’t have lost their life if proper procedures were in place and training received. n
Correction In the March 2021 Interchange, an incorrect diagram was printed in the Employee Safety article. The Work Zone subcommittee draft of the 45 mph work zone speed reduction diagram was used instead of the adopted diagram. The correct diagram for Typical Speed Reduction on Interstate or Divided Multilane can be found on the intranet in the Traffic Program manual section. n
April 2021
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Interchange 13
