Two workers died this week and two will die next week, statistically speaking, in confined space-related accidents, according to OSHA data that documents an average of 92 deaths and nearly 11,000 injuries per year. Of those 92 annual deaths, one-quarter of them occur during repair, maintenance, cleaning, and inspection activities that occur in enclosed spaces.
Despite OSHA’s spotlight on confined spaces, the number of deaths remains relatively the same as 23 years ago. In November last year, the National Fire Protection Association released NFPA 350: Guide for Safe Confined Space Entry and Work to provide extended guidance and best practices to fill in gaps or confusion in relation to OSHA standard 29 CFR 1910.146.