Current News

By Jordan Barab - Confined Space - As we pass the midpoint of 2022, we may be headed to a new record for trench collapse fatalities. Dare we call it an epidemic of trench fatalities? 21 people have died already this year in trench collapses, which equals the full year toll in 2019 and 2020. 5 incidents have been double fatalities. In comparison, 11 workers reportedly died during the same period in 2021, and 12 workers in 2020, according to ... [ more ]

By Janet Lubman Rathner, Laborers' Health & Safety Fund of North America - Construction workers often work in confined spaces – areas that are large enough for an employee to enter and work, have limited means to enter and exit and are not designed for regular occupancy. Examples of confined spaces include ... [ more ]

OSHA Fact Sheet - Permit-required confined spaces can present conditions that are immediately dangerous to workers' lives or health if not properly identified, evaluated, tested and controlled. OSHA has developed a standard for Confined Spaces in Construction (29 CFR 1926 Subpart AA) for any space that meets all of the following criteria ... [ more ]

American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) - When working in confined spaces, an important question for safety professionals to consider is what to do if someone becomes injured, incapacitated or trapped in a space and has to be rescued.  The steps in this article will help guide safety professionals through preparing for and executing a confined space rescue in a timely manner ... [ more ]