Photo By Stacey Reese | Broc Bowman, maintenance worker, Oologah Lake, Tulsa District, USACE climbs out of a...... read more read more
TULSA, Okla. – Confined spaces are more than just tight spots. They are potentially dangerous environments that require planning, preparation and training for anyone who may enter a confined space or be part of a confined space team.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration defines a confined space as any workspace large enough for a worker to enter and perform a task, not designed for continuous occupancy and having a limited or restricted means of entry or exit.
“Tulsa District U.S. Army Corps of Engineers manages and oversees more than 1,700 confined spaces,” said Mike Kerr, chief, Safety and Occupational Health.
“Entering a confined space is inherently dangerous and must never be taken lightly,” said Kerr. “Many of these spaces contain hazardous energy sources or the potential for toxic or oxygen-deficient atmospheres.”
To protect personnel that may encounter these spaces, the safety office provides confined spaces awareness training to ensure these employees understand the hazards, requirements and responsibilities associated with confined space work.
Twenty-three employees from across the Tulsa District attended this year’s training. Over three days, participants completed both classroom instruction and hands-on exercises.
The training covered recognizing confined spaces hazards, conducting a confined space assessment, using personal protective equipment and rescue gear, emergency evacuation and rescue procedures, as well as signs and symptoms of exposure to risks.
“The training was helpful for me to understand better the hazards of confined spaces that we may encounter on a routine basis,” said Daniel Farley, project engineer, Dam and Levee Safety, Tulsa District, USACE.
“Working in dam safety, we typically rely on operations personnel to produce the necessary plans for confined space entries,” said Farley. “This training experience will allow me to understand the purpose of the plans better and actively contribute to the safety of the team.”
There are two types of confined spaces. They are permit-required confined spaces pose hazards such as air that could be toxic, oxygen-deficient, or oxygen-enriched, engulfment risk, entrapment, or other serious safety or health hazards. Non-permit confined spaces do not have hazards that could cause death or serious harm.
Ther are many key roles on a confined space team:
• Entrant: Goes inside of the space and must follow the entry plan, use equipment, and exit immediately if unsafe.
• Attendant: Stays outside, monitors entrants, prevents unauthorized access, orders evacuation, and calls rescue if needed.
• Entry Supervisor: Authorizes entry, ensures testing and controls are in place, signs permit, cancels or reissues if hazards change.
• Rescue Team: Must be trained, equipped, and able to respond quickly (time depends on hazard level).
To meet the hazard level expectations, response and readiness times must be aligned with the severity of the situation. The level of hazard present, the team’s training, equipment and deployment speeds will vary to ensure safety and efficiency in a rescue operation.
• Level 1: No hazards but difficult removal; rescue is expected within 15 minutes.
• Level 2: Potential hazards are present; an onsite team should be ready within 12 to 15 minutes.
• Level 3: Life-threatening hazards, rescue team onsite; fully set up and prepared to enter within two minutes.
“Teamwork plays a crucial role in this type of work,” said Broc Bowman, maintenance worker, Skiatook Lake, Tulsa District, USACE. “Communication with your team could be the difference between saving a life and someone not making it home at the end of the day.”
| Date Taken: | 09.22.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 09.22.2025 14:27 |
| Story ID: | 548966 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 27 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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