Confined Space Entry Program Development

Specialty Consulting, Inc. (SPC) was chosen to develop a Confined Space Entry Program for the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center (FHCC) in North Chicago, Illinois. The program encompassed confined space program development, training creation and implementation, and safety equipment management.

SPC's responsibilities involved inspecting the entire FHCC campus to identify and characterize all structures and spaces that met the definition of a confined space and identifying those that qualified as permit-required confined spaces (PRCS). For these PRCSs, SPC developed and documented recommendations to redesign or reconfigure the spaces to prevent routine occupant entry, installed permanent PRCS entry signs, and specified the personal protective equipment and engineering controls required for each PRCS. Monitoring requirements, parameters, target stressors/agents, and acceptable limits/sampling were detailed on Hazard Evaluation forms for each PRCS.

Additionally, SPC reviewed historical records of construction activities at the FHCC to identify emergent work that might create temporary confined spaces or PRCSs. They proposed an equipment inventory for the FHCC to purchase, ensuring all PRCS entry testing requirements were met.

SPC also developed and provided confined space training for facility staff and emergency rescue personnel. The training complied with OSHA standards and addressed all elements of FHCC, Navy, and VA policies. It aimed to achieve performance-based competency for each trainee through practicum, observation, and examination.