Key Terms

Confined Space: Any space that meets the following three criteria:

• The space is large enough for a person's whole body to enter.
• The space has limited or restricted entry or exit. (For instance, the space has a small opening, requires entry by ladder, has electric doors that do not operate in a power outage, or has anything else that could make escape or entry difficult.)
• The space is not designed to be occupied for long periods of time.

Entrant: The person who is working in a confined space

Attendant: The person who is required to stay directly outside of a confined space and monitor the space for hazards, as well as maintain communication with the entrant in case of emergency

Competent Person: A certified person who can identify possible hazards in a confined space and the surrounding area, and who is authorized to quickly correct these hazardous conditions

Engulfment: Becoming surrounded and trapped within either a liquid or a fine solid (such as gravel or sand) that can either block a person's breathing or exert enough force to crush or suffocate the person

Hazard: Either a physical hazard (for example: falling rocks or flooding), or a hazardous atmosphere (for example, flammable or poisonous gas or low oxygen)

Hot Work: Any work that can ignite something (for example, welding, soldering, or burning)

To learn more about Confined Spaces visit our Construction Confined Spaces Online Training web page.