Page 28 - Confined Space Training - Student Manual 2021

Entry Supervisor Job Duties

Under OSHA, employers bear the primary overall responsibility for their workers’ safety and health.
In permit space operations, this means that employers must take responsibility for ensuring
acceptable entry conditions before and during entry operations and for enforcing safe work
practices.

To ensure that employers take this responsibility, each permit space entry must have an entry
supervisor who has the OVERALL ACCOUNTABILITY FOR SAFE ENTRY OPERATIONS.

“Entry Supervisors” Training is intended to ensure that employers assume responsibility for safety
during permit space entry operations.

It is important to note an entry supervisor may also serve as an attendant if this person is
trained and equipped as required for each role he fills. Also, the duties of entry supervisor
may be passed from one individual to another during an entry operation.

Specific Duties
1. Know the hazards that may be faced by personnel during entry of a permit space,
including how exposures occur, and the signs, symptoms, and the consequences of the
exposures.

Since the entry supervisor is responsible for all aspects of the entry operation, OSHA believes
that it is only reasonable that her or she be expected to know at least as much, if not more,
than the entrants and attendants.

2. Verify by checking that:
• All tests specified by the permit have been conducted
• All procedures and equipment specified by the permit are in place

Before the entry permit can be endorsed (signed) by the entry supervisor, and prior to entry, the
entry supervisor must check that the permit has been completed and that the entry conditions
meet those specified on the permit.

While all entry supervisors must possess the skills needed to verify that the permit is properly
completed, the exact nature and extent of their training depends on what they are expected to do.

For example, an entry supervisor who does not personally lock or tag a piece of equipment must
be able to determine if all designated energy isolation points are indeed locked or tagged.

They could do this in several ways:
• By watching the entrants attach the locks or tags
• By using a checklist that identified the isolation points, he could audit the work to verify
the locks and tags are properly placed
• By consulting with the entrant and confirming that lockout/tagout has been completed.

Each of these methods has certain advantages and disadvantages; individual organization must
determine which procedures best suit their needs.

Confined Space Training for Entrants, Attendants & Supervisors 28