General Safety: Confined Spaces and Permit Confined Spaces

Employees who enter confined spaces while working at Cornell place themselves in significant danger if left unaware of the hazards they may encounter. Nearly one hundred workers each year are injured in confined space operations, commonly due to a lack of sufficient training. Do you know how to recognize a confined space and what procedures must be followed to perform a safe entry? What you don’t know can hurt you!

Confined spaces may include manholes, silos, storage tanks, pipelines, vaults, and duct work. Cornell’s Department of EH&S has worked to develop a Confined Space Entry Program in the understanding that University employees may be asked to perform work in these spaces. EH&S’s Confined Space training course covers OSHA regulations that govern confined spaces, hazard evaluation and elimination, air monitoring procedures, the use of safety equipment, and proper documentation. We can even survey and evaluate your facility’s confined spaces. Contact EH&S at 255-8200 for additional information or to schedule confined space training for your department.