Confined Space

Smith & Sons

Smith & Sons

New member
Got a question on confined space cleaning. Got several Hog barn owners changing contracts in the next 6 months but they must have their pits cleaned out. What I need to know is where to go in-order to find exactly what I need for safety equipment to do this job.

The pits are 15' wide x 12' Deep x 250' long. Fans are installed inside the pits. The roof of the pit is made up of slats 1/2 wide.
The upper portion has 4 - 24" fans and side curtains that can be lowered for ventilation above ground.

Pits.jpgIMAG0181.jpg
 
OSHA would be the first place I would check. I will give you a few thoughts from my work with confined space SOP's.

Curtains up and fans running for X hours

Before entering this space you should do an O2 check (need an O2 meter, can be rented) for hydrogen sulfide (It can kill you), ammonia, or the lack of O2 which If I remember right can be no less than 20 PPM to enter a confined space. Have 1 or 2 people "Up Top" at all times watching the Man or Men in the confined space. I would advise to have anyone that goes in the "Hole" to wear a harness for quick extraction....just in case. It maybe overboard but you may want to have at least 1 scba on site....just in case.

Looks like the barns are "Hog Slat" barns.
 
How high is the slat from the floor, in other words, will people be hunched over working or can they stand up? It is hard to tell in that picture.

Having someone watch the guys and check the meters continuously would be a good idea so if there is something that emits like methane or something else and the O2 drops, the person monitoring them and the meters can warn them and they all can get out of there quickly and safely.

I would have fans running for at least 12 to 24 hours to properly vent the work area, check the area first for levels of methane so the fans don't start an explosion.

Look at the area and develop a rescue pre-plan in case you have to get out of there quickly or if someone passes out, know the numbers for paramedics directly if possible, make sure your phones have good service in that area in case you have to call 911 or the local paramedics, some places don't have good coverage for cell phones.

Find floor drains if there are any or figure out how you will get the wash water out of there and where it will go to and where to take it if you have to haul it away, maybe they have a pond for waste.

I will type more but these are some things to work on.
 
Guy nailed it. Check the OSHA website before you do anything. Confined space entry is one of the most dangerous things you can do. You will need to have a confined space training program for this. Have anyone in the pit on a harness for extraction if needed. At least one person on top or at the entry/exit point at ALL TIMES. Fans running. And you will need a confined space entry permit that shows the oxygen level and an extraction plan. Also if the worst happens and someone goes down DO NOT GO IN THE CONFINED SPACE. A local trucking company lost 3 people several years ago because 1 guy went down So the guy on top went in to save him, he went down and the third went in to save him. Be careful and remember there will be lots of added costs on this.
 
RandyB said:
Guy nailed it. Check the OSHA website before you do anything. Confined space entry is one of the most dangerous things you can do. You will need to have a confined space training program for this. Have anyone in the pit on a harness for extraction if needed. At least one person on top or at the entry/exit point at ALL TIMES. Fans running. And you will need a confined space entry permit that shows the oxygen level and an extraction plan. Also if the worst happens and someone goes down DO NOT GO IN THE CONFINED SPACE. A local trucking company lost 3 people several years ago because 1 guy went down So the guy on top went in to save him, he went down and the third went in to save him. Be careful and remember there will be lots of added costs on this.
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Randy, I actually saw something like that happen a few years ago. My supervisor and I had to stop other guys from going in and trying to get this guy out. O2 readings showed that there was no breathable O2 2 inches above the hatch of the tank. The guy died instantly when his head went below the hatch.

Might want to get up with "FullBlast" he should be around here somewhere. They wash barns.
 
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