By Erin Hunter
Federal OSHA confined space training offers excellent standards for construction and requires all employers to have a designated Competent Person evaluate all confined spaces in which one or more of the employees it directs including but not limited to their full-time employees, part-time employees, and temporary service employees . . . may perform work, to identify each and every space that is a permit-required confined space.
This determination must be made through the Competent Person’s consideration and evaluation of the characteristics of each confined space, including testing of the atmosphere if and when necessary.
Responsibilities of a Competent Person for Confined Spaces
Generally speaking, federal OSHA defines a Competent Person as someone designated by the employer who has training and experience necessary to allow them to identify health and safety hazards at the worksite that can affect their workers, and who has the authority to take corrective measures to eliminate those hazards before workers are exposed.
Various OSHA standards have a Competent Person requirement, including the OSHA confined spaces in construction standard. In the context of this standard, the designated Competent Person at a construction site with confined spaces must undergo OSHA confined space training to fulfill the following duties:
- Identify each confined space at the site where their employees may work.
- Evaluate those spaces to determine if they are permit-required confined spaces, or non-permit required confined spaces.
- Re-evaluate any non-permit space again if the configuration of a space changes, or if there are new potential hazards introduced into the work operations.
The Competent Person may also be designated by their employer to fulfill the role of the designated Entry Supervisor to oversee entry operations. Or, they may be called upon to be a confined space entrant or attendant. In those cases, the Competent Person will need additional training, which is provided in our on-site class or online courses, to fulfill those duties.
On-Site Confined Space Training for the Competent Person
Have a highly qualified instructor conduct an on-site OSHA confined space training for the Competent Person class for your group. The confined space training is based on the requirements of OSHA 1926 Subpart AA confined spaces for construction standards. This training service is available to all employers located anywhere in the United States and territories.
Online Confined Space Training Courses
For individual students and those in a hurry, several colleges offer the option to take their comprehensive online Confined Space Training for the Competent Person course. This online course also covers training for an entry supervisor, entrant, and attendant. That means students can actually perform the duties of a Competent Person if designated by the employer, and also be the designated Entry Supervisor during entry operations, as well as a confined space entrant or attendant.
Course instantly available upon registration. Students can train at their own pace, logging in and out at any time, even from different computers or devices. Print their personalized training certification for confined space competent persons upon successful completion of student course.
