Maintenance of safe conditions.
(1) Preventing hazardous materials from entering. Pipelines that could carry hazardous materials into spaces that have been certified "safe for workers" or "safe for hot work" must be disconnected, blanked off, or otherwise blocked by a positive method to prevent hazardous materials from being discharged into the space.
(2) Alteration of existing conditions. When a change that could alter conditions within a tested confined or enclosed space or other dangerous atmosphere occurs, work in the affected space or area must be stopped. Work may not be resumed until the affected space or area is visually inspected and retested and found to comply with WAC
296-304-02003,
296-304-02005, and
296-304-02007, as applicable.
Note to (2): | Examples of changes that would warrant the stoppage of work include: The opening of manholes or other closures or the adjusting of a valve regulating the flow of hazardous materials. |
(3) Tests to maintain the conditions of a marine chemist's or Coast Guard authorized person's certificates. A competent person must visually inspect and test each space certified as "safe for workers" or "safe for hot work," as often as necessary to ensure that atmospheric conditions within that space are maintained within the conditions established by the certificate after the certificate has been issued.
(4) Change in the conditions of a marine chemist's or Coast Guard authorized person's certificate. If a competent person finds that the atmospheric conditions within a certified space fail to meet the applicable requirements of WAC
296-304-02003,
296-304-02005, and
296-304-02007, work in the certified space must be stopped and may not be resumed until the space has been retested by a marine chemist or Coast Guard authorized person and a new certificate issued in accordance with WAC
296-304-02007(1).
(5) Tests to maintain a competent person's findings. After a competent person has conducted a visual inspection and tests required in WAC
296-304-02003,
296-304-02005, and
296-304-02007 and determined a space to be safe for an employee to enter, he or she must continue to test and visually inspect spaces as often as necessary to ensure that the required atmospheric conditions within the tested space are maintained.
(6) Changes in conditions determined by competent person's findings. After the competent person has determined initially that a space is safe for an employee to enter and he or she finds subsequently that the conditions within the tested space fail to meet the requirements of WAC
296-304-02003,
296-304-02005, and
296-304-02007, as applicable, work must be stopped until the conditions in the tested space are corrected to comply with WAC
296-304-02003,
296-304-02005, and
296-304-02007, as applicable.
[Statutory Authority: RCW
49.17.010,
49.17.040,
49.17.050, and
49.17.060. WSR 17-18-075, § 296-304-02009, filed 9/5/17, effective 10/6/17; WSR 03-04-099, § 296-304-02009, filed 2/4/03, effective 8/1/03. Statutory Authority: RCW
49.17.010, [49.17].050 and [49.17].060. WSR 95-22-015, § 296-304-02009, filed 10/20/95, effective 1/16/96. Statutory Authority: Chapter
49.17 RCW. WSR 95-04-006, § 296-304-02009, filed 1/18/95, effective 3/10/95; Order 76-7, § 296-304-02009, filed 3/1/76; Order 74-25, § 296-304-02009, filed 5/7/74.]
