ANSI/ASSE Z117.1-2009 – BACKGROUND MATERIALS

ASSE, as secretariat of the Z117 ANSI Accredited Standards Committee (ASC) for Confined Spaces, has continued to receive a number of inquiries related to ANSI/ASSE Z117.1-2003 Safety Requirements for Confined Spaces.

Due to these inquiries, we have put together a “guide” for those with interest.

Title: Safety Requirements for Confined Spaces

Scope: This standard provides minimum safety requirements to be followed while entering, exiting, and working in confined spaces at normal atmospheric pressure.

Exception: This standard does not pertain to underground mining, tunneling, caisson work, intentionally inert confined spaces, or other similar tasks that have established national consensus standards.

Purpose: The purpose of this standard is to establish minimum requirements and procedures for the safety and health of employees who work in, and in connection with, confined spaces.

Past Versions of the Standard:

  • Z117.1-2003
  • Z117.1-1995
  • Z117.1-1989
  • Z117.1-1977

ANSI approved the standard on July 27, 2009.

Table of Contents Page
1. Scope, Purpose, and Application of Standard  
  1. General 10
  1.1 Scope
 10
  1.2 Purpose
 10
  1.3 Application 10
2. Definitions 10
3. Identification and Evaluation 15
  3.1 Confined Space Survey
 15
  3.2 Hazard Identification
 15
  3.3 Hazard Evaluation
15
  3.4 Confined Space Classification.
17
  3.5 Hazard Re-evaluation
18
  3.6 Written Program 18
4. Non-Permit Confined Space (NPCS) 18
  4.1 Controls 18
  4.2 Training
19
  4.3 Re-evaluation 19
  4.4 Atmospheric Testing 19
5. Permit Required Confined Spaces (PRCS). 19
  5.1 Entry Permits 19
  5.2 Permit Implementation 19
  5.3 Duration of Permits. 20
  5.4 Revoking Permits 20
  5.5 Changing Work Conditions
 20
6. Atmospheric Testing 21
  6.1 Requirements 21
  6.2 Testing Considerations 23
  6.3 Acceptable Limits 24
7. Entry Team 25
  7.1 Attendant.
25
  7.2 Entrant.
26
  7.3 Attendant(s)/Entrant(s) Communication 27
  7.4 Entry Supervisor/Leader 27
8. Isolation and Lockout/Tagout 28
  8.1 General 28
  8.2 Isolation 28
  8.3 Lockout/Tagout 30
9. Ventilation 30
  9.1 Requirements 30
10. Cleaning/Decontamination 31
11. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) 32
  11.1 General 32
  11.2 Selection 32
  11.3 Inspection 34
12. Auxiliary Equipment 35
  12.1 Entry and Exit 35
  12.2 Retrieval Equipment 35
  12.3 Fall Protection 35
  12.4 Electrical Equipment 36
13. Warning Signs and Symbols 36
  13.1 Identification 36
14. Emergency Response 36
  14.1 Emergency Response Plan
36
  14.2 Atmospheric Monitoring 38
  14.3 Respiratory Protection Equipment 38
  14.4 Rescue Equipment Inspection. 38
15. Training 38
  15.1 General Requirements 38
  15.2 Training for Atmospheric Monitoring Personnel 39
  15.3 Training for Attendants 40
  15.4 Training for Emergency Response Personnel 40
  15.5 Verification of Training 41
16. Medical Suitability 42
17. Contractors 42
  17.1 Hazard Appraisal 42
  17.2 Identification of Rescue Responder 43
  17.3 Permit System 43
  17.4 Coordination 44
  17.5 Ongoing Dialogue 44
Appendices  
  Appendix A: Logic Diagram for Confined Space Entry 45
  Appendix B: References 46
  Appendix C: Examples of Confined Space Surveys and Permits 52

 

Links:

OSHA Recognition:

  1. Section 3 - III. Summary and Explanation of the Standard
    III. Summary and Explanation of the Standard The following discussion, which tracks the final rule paragraph by paragraph, summarizes the significant substantive differences between this final rule a...

  2. Section 1 - I. Background
    I. Background Many workplaces contain spaces which are considered "confined" because their configurations hinder the activities of any employees who must enter, work in, and exit them. For example, e...

  3. Safety and Health Topics: Confined Spaces - Additional Information
    Confined Spaces Public Safety and Health Topic Page...

Other Recognition of Z117.1 Standard:

  1. Section 3 - III. Summary and Explanation of the Standard
    III. Summary and Explanation of the Standard The following discussion, which tracks the final rule paragraph by paragraph, summarizes the significant substantive differences between this final rule a...

  2. Section 1 - I. Background
    I. Background Many workplaces contain spaces which are considered "confined" because their configurations hinder the activities of any employees who must enter, work in, and exit them. For example, e...

  3. 1993 - 09/23/1993 - Confined space standard for general industry.
    September 23, 1993 Ms. Suey Howe Director, Federal Regulations Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc. 1300 North 17th, 8th Floor Rosslyn, VA 22204 Dear Ms. Howe: This is in response to your April ...

  4. 1993 - 10/08/1993 - Confined space standard for general industry.
    October 8, 1993 Ms. Suey Howe Director, Federal Regulations Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc. 1300 North 17th, 8th Floor Rosslyn, VA 22204 Dear Ms. Howe: This is in response to your April 8 l...

  5. 1993 - 12/03/1993 - General industry standards to construction activities.
    December 3, 1993 Mr. Mark W. Monson Director of Training Chicagoland Construction Safety Council 4415 West Harrison Street, Suite 403 Hillside, IL 60162 Dear Mr. Monson: This is in response to your S...

  6. 01/27/1994 - OSHA does not cross reference general industry and construction standards.
    January 27, 1994 Mr. Bruce Smith Training Manager Speed Shore Corporation P.O. Box 262591 Houston, Texas 77207 Dear Mr. Smith: This is in response to your April 8, 1993, letter requesting an interpre...

  7. Confined Spaces
    Confined Spaces - OSHA Document...

  8. Remediation Technology Health and Safety Hazards: Thermal Desorption

  9. 9. Section 4 - IV. References
    IV. References 1. B.F. Goodrich Chemical Company. "General Notice: SA-5, Rev.3 "Vessel Entry Procedure'" Cleveland, Ohio 44131. 2. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Department of Environmental Resources....

Additional Recognition:

State Examples:

International Examples: