Does "Subpart B - Confined and Enclosed Spaces and Other Dangerous Atmospheres in Shipyard Employment" Apply to You?

Subpart B provides the scope, application, and definitions applicable to the subpart which states that it applies to work in confined and enclosed spaces and other dangerous atmospheres in shipyard employment, including vessels, vessel sections, and on land-side operations regardless of geographic location. It also provides requirements for cleaning and other cold work, hot work, maintenance of safe conditions (i.e., certificates, preventing hazardous materials from entering spaces, alteration of existing conditions, competent person requirements), and warning signs and labels (i.e., posting). Do you have confined spaces? Do you have dangerous atmospheres? If you stated yes to either question, click on the tabs below for more information.

Dangerous atmosphere means an atmosphere that may expose employees to the risk of death, incapacitation, impairment of ability to self-rescue (i.e., escape unaided from a confined or enclosed space), injury, or acute illness.

Competent person means a person who is capable of recognizing and evaluating employee exposure to hazardous substances or to other unsafe conditions and is capable of specifying the necessary protection and precautions to be taken to ensure the safety of employees as required by the particular regulation under the condition to which it applies. For the purposes of confined and enclosed spaces and other dangerous atmospheres in shipyard employment, the competent person must also meet the additional requirements contained in the competent person standard (i.e., designation, skills, knowledge, recordkeeping). 

Confined space means a compartment of small size and limited access such as a double bottom tank, cofferdam, or other space which by its small size and confined nature can readily create or aggravate a hazardous exposure.

Enclosed space means any space, other than a confined space, which is enclosed by bulkheads and overhead. It includes cargo holds, tanks, quarters, and machinery and boiler spaces.

Space means an area on a vessel or vessel section or within a shipyard such as, but not limited to: cargo tanks or holds; pump or engine rooms; storage lockers; tanks containing flammable or combustible liquids, gases, or solids; rooms within buildings; crawl spaces; tunnels; or accessways. The atmosphere within a space is the entire area within its bounds.

 

Subpart B - Confined and Enclosed Spaces and Other Dangerous Atmospheres in Shipyard Employment

Tab/Accordion Items

If yes, then you need to comply with the standard, precautions and the order of testing before entering confined and enclosed spaces and other dangerous atmospheres. It provides requirements pertaining to oxygen content, flammable atmospheres, toxic, corrosive, irritant or fumigated atmospheres and residues, training, rescue teams, and hazard information exchanges. The appendices cover the following: appendix A provides compliance assistance guidelines for confined and enclosed spaces and other dangerous atmospheres and appendix B provides a reprint of U.S. Coast Guard regulations referenced in subpart B for determination of Coast Guard authorized persons. 

Also reference the standard on access to cargo spaces and confined spaces for additional requirements related to confined spaces and cargo spaces.

Additional information can be found on the A-Z safety and health topics pages for confined spacesflammable liquidsorganic solventshazard communicationrespiratory protection and personal protective equipment.

If yes, then the standard on cleaning and other cold work applies to you. It includes requirements pertaining to covered locations (i.e., spaces), ventilation, testing, atmosphere monitoring, competent person, respiratory protection and personal protective equipment.

Cold work means any work which does not involve riveting, welding, burning or other fire or spark producing operations.

Additional information can be found on the A-Z safety and health topics pages for confined spaceshazard communicationrespiratory protectionflammable liquids, and personal protective equipment

If yes, then you need to comply with the standard on hot work. It provides requirements for confined spaces, enclosed spaces, competent person, and dangerous atmospheres.

Hot work means any activity involving riveting, welding, burning, or the use of powder-actuated tools or similar fire-producing operations. Grinding, drilling, abrasive blasting, or similar spark-producing operations are also considered hot work except when such operations are isolated physically from any atmosphere containing more than 10 percent of the lower explosive limit of a flammable or combustible substance.  

Additional information can be found on the A-Z safety and health topics pages for confined spaceshazard communicationrespiratory protectionwelding and cuttingradiation, ionizing and non-ionizing and personal protective equipment