Page 7 - Confined Space Training - Student Manual 2021

that toxic contaminants may be present, or that explosive gas, dusts, or vapors could be
present.
2. Engulfment. The area contains a material that has the potential for engulfing an entrant.
A sawdust filled bin is an example of an engulfment hazard.
3. Entrapment. OSHA considers entrapment to occur in any space that “has an internal
configuration such that an entrant could be trapped or asphyxiated by inwardly
converging walls or by a floor which slopes downward and tapers to a smaller cross
section.” The intent of the standard is that entrapment can occur with or without an
asphyxiation hazard.

Employees entrapped in spaces that do not pose an actual asphyxiation hazard are still
subject to injury or death. An employee entrapped in a permit-required confined space
could become dehydrated or if the suffered a cut while becoming entrapped, they could
bleed to death.
4. Safety or Health Hazard. The area contains any other recognized serious safety or health
hazards. This includes hazards such as turning, exposed blades on equipment, a hole
where a worker could drop through to another level, hot or cold environments, and insects.

Examples of Confined Spaces

Tanks Manholes Boilers Furnaces

Vaults
Sewers Silos Trenches

Tunnels Pits Bins Pipes

Confined Space Training for Entrants, Attendants & Supervisors 7