Confined spaces can be deadly— including unfinished attics and crawlspaces. Every worker exposed to confined
space work areas needs to be actively aware of and looking for the potential hazards that may elevate their
work environment from a ‘Confined Space’ to a ‘Permit Controlled Confined Space’.

Confined Space – All 3 of the following conditions must be met:

• Big enough to enter and perform tasks AND;

• Limited or restricted means of entry or exit (ex. drop ladder, smaller opening) AND;

• Is not designed or configured for continuous occupancy (ex. unfinished).

As it relates to our company operations, most if not all unfinished attics and crawl spaces will meet these
conditions. BEFORE any employee begins work at a job site, a confined space area must be reviewed to
determine if it needs to be declared as ‘Permit-Controlled’.

Permit-Controlled Confined Space – Only 1 of the following conditions must be met:• Contains or has the potential to contain a Hazardous Atmosphere (More on this later) or;

• Contains a material that has the potential for engulfing an entrant or;• Has an internal configuration that might cause an entrant to be trapped or asphyxiated by inwardly
converging walls or by a floor that slopes downward and tapers to a smaller cross section or;

• Contains other recognized serious safety or health hazards – Exposed electrical wiring, combustible
material (if performing hot work), etc.
With limited or restricted means of entry or exit, any job site may easily become fatal! Each employee must be
proactively aware of the hazards and what safety steps to take to protect themselves.
Once ANY work space has been designated as a ‘Permit-Controlled’ confined space, an entry permit detailing
hazards must be filled out, a second person must be made available to act as a site attendant, and a danger sign
must be posted. What the entry permit details depends on the site-specific hazards noted by the employee(s).
An example of this may be Special Note – ‘Contains or has the potential to contain a Hazardous Atmosphere’.
Factors that may alert an employee to this hazard may include stale air, odd smells, limited air flow during pending hot work, etc. If this is the ONLY hazard which would force a permit controlled designation, you may attempt to institute alternative procedures (most commonly forced air-flow to normalize oxygen levels) to manage the hazard during work activities. If this is possible, then you can proceed with the work without designating it as ‘Permit-Controlled’. If there are any questions, BEFORE proceeding with any work, check with your supervisor and/or management.Review any/all applicable policies from the company safety manual with the team at this point.

SAFETY TAKE-AWAY:
When in doubt—ASK and review the Confined Spaces section of our company’s Safety
Manual!