Reclassifying Confined Spaces
I am trying to figure out what permit-required confined spaces can be reclassified to non-permit required. For example, hoppers. They have the slopping configuration with product, so it is a engulfment and entrapment hazard. We can remove the product inside to make the hazard go away from engulfment, but entrapment is still there. From the regulations, it seems as if hoppers can NOT be reclassified? Any thoughts or feedback, please!
Comments (7)
It can only be reclassified if there is no potential for a hazardous atmosphere and all non-atmospheric hazards can be completely eliminated from outside the space. In your scenario, if there's still an entrapment hazard, then it couldn't be reclassified.
Question, though - how big are these hoppers? Do you have a pic you could attach?
We went through our PRCS and determined, based on the hazards, if we could reclassify. We found several that still needed to have the air monitored but there were no other hazards so we allowed reclassification.
I used to work for a company that had giant pulpers for grinding up pulp board. The configuration sounds similar to what you have though we had an impaler blade with a de-flaking plate on the side wall. In this instance LOTO removed the engulfment hazard and forced air removed the atmospheric hazard. If the blade could be blocked out and the walking working surface was fixed ( make a platform to place in because of sloped floor)we could have changed the space classification. But because we had a blade that had potential kinetic energy, which did cause a amputation, and the floor was sloped we could not reclassify it. I hope this was as clear as mud 😆.