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º£½ÇÖ±²¥ Office of Risk Management (ORM) Team manages the confined space program at any º£½ÇÖ±²¥-owned or operated property. The program is created for º£½ÇÖ±²¥ employees, students, visitors, and contractors who enter or work in confined spaces at any º£½ÇÖ±²¥-owned or operated property. Any person entering a confined space on campus is required to follow the º£½ÇÖ±²¥ Confined Space Program. For full details of confined spaces, hazards, hazard mitigation and º£½ÇÖ±²¥ policies please review the February, 2026 ORM Permit-Required Confined Space Program.

Types of Confined Spaces at º£½ÇÖ±²¥

A confined space meets all the following criteria:

• Large enough for a person to fit within and perform work. 

• Has limited means of entry and exit.

• Not intended for continuous worker occupancy.

Common Confined Spaces Examples: tunnels, sewers, tanks, manholes, small industrial spaces, storm drains, crawl spaces, electrical vaults, and basements.

Permit-Required Confined Spaces (PRCS) includes one or more of the following characteristics and therefore require a permit prior to entry:

• Contains, or has the potential to contain a hazardous atmosphere.
• Contains material that has the potential to engulf an employee or entrant.
• Contains an internal configuration such that an entrant could become trapped by sloped floors or inwardly configured walls.
• Contains any other recognized serious safety or health hazard.

Non-Permit Confined Spaces (NPCS) includes the following characteristics and a notification prior to entry: 

• Lacks actual or potential hazards that could cause death or serious injury.
• Confined spaces without potential hazards do not require a permit to enter or work in.
• Large enough for an employee to enter but not intended for continuous occupancy.

Permits

At º£½ÇÖ±²¥, we use work permits to help ensure safety. Confined space permits are required to enter a confined space by º£½ÇÖ±²¥ policy and OSHA federal law. Below is a type of confined space permit and notification issued at any º£½ÇÖ±²¥-owned or operated property: 

Permit-Required Confined Spaces (PRCS) - requires a permit request and approval!  

• Used when a known or likely potential hazard in a confined space cannot be eliminated, removed, or reduced to a safe working environment.
• Examples include working in inert atmospheres, working in permit spaces where hazards cannot be isolated outside the space, introducing hazards that cannot be eliminated, or, for atmospheric hazards that cannot be eliminated or controlled by forced-air ventilation. 
• Requires º£½ÇÖ±²¥ ORM authorization before entering.

Non-Permit Confined Spaces (NPCS) - requires a notification that will be auto approved! 

• Used in confined spaces that have been evaluated, pose no hazard, or have had the hazard removed.
• Can be used to document an entry into an enclosed space.
• Can remain an NPCS until the project is complete or a hazard is identified.
• Entry without a permit or attendant may occur without a written permit or attendant, provided that the space can be kept safe for entry using only mechanical ventilation, as specified in .

Rescue Team

Before working in a confined space, a plan must be in place to summon the rescue team and notify emergency services. Rescue and emergency services must respond promptly, be properly trained, equipped, and proficient in the necessary rescue procedures. Please contact ORM if º£½ÇÖ±²¥ personnel require rescue services. Please be reminded that contractors are expected to organize and liaise with their respective rescue teams. Calling 911 does not replace having a standby rescue team.

Self-Rescue:

• The most effective way to escape a confined space.
• When any member of the entry team or manager notices a potential uncontrolled hazard that could harm or kill the entrant, the entrant will immediately stop work and exit the confined space.

Non-Entry Rescue:

• When self-rescue is not possible, the attendant will attempt a non-entry rescue using a rope or winch.
• OSHA mandates the use of non-entry equipment, such as a tripod with a winch, when working at heights of 5 feet or more.   
• The entrant will wear a full-body harness attached to a rope or cable, which the attendant will use to pull the unresponsive entrant out of the confined space.
• A lifeline doesn't need to be worn if it poses an entanglement hazard.
• º£½ÇÖ±²¥s' confined space equipment is kept at the Dawson Facilities warehouse.

Entry Rescue:

• Only government first responders or a certified technical rescue team can enter a PRCS to rescue an injured employee.
• OSHA requires a confined space rescue team for all PRCS.
• The rescue team must be notified before starting work in any PRCS. 
• The rescue team must perform at least one simulation rescue annually.
• The rescue team will undergo First Aid and CPR training, with at least one member holding an up-to-date certification.

Permit Request

º£½ÇÖ±²¥ uses a permit request system to keep everyone on campus safe. ORM must approve º£½ÇÖ±²¥ NPCS requests and PRCS requests before any hazardous work starts. The permit request system is for all º£½ÇÖ±²¥ faculty, staff, and service providers working at any º£½ÇÖ±²¥-owned or operated property. 

Requesting a Confined Space Permit Process

1. First, employees will evaluate confined spaces for potential hazards.
2. If employees will enter a known PRCS or identify a hazard that will be classified as a confined space, they should notify their º£½ÇÖ±²¥ Manager and contact º£½ÇÖ±²¥ ORM. 
   1. Employees will make every effort to remove hazards to make the area an NPCS. 
3. Permits are obtained through the online permit request.
4. Click  to view a list of programs that require a permit. 
5. The requester will select the PRCS permit or the NPCS request:
   

   a. NPCS requests will be automatically approved and reviewed by ORM to ensure all hazards have been eliminated.

   b. º£½ÇÖ±²¥ ORM will evaluate PRCS before granting approval to start work. 

6. Once the project is completed, the permit requester will notify º£½ÇÖ±²¥ ORM and collaborate with them to close out the online permit.

All confined space entry permits must include the following: 

• A description of the PRCS that will be entered.
• Date, authorized duration, and purpose of entry.
• Names of authorized entrants, attendants, and entry supervisors.
• Hazards of PRCS to be entered and acceptable entry conditions.
• The measures used to isolate, eliminate, or control PRCS hazards before entry, including LOTO and forced-air ventilation.
• Results from initial and ongoing atmospheric testing of PRCS.
• Any additional permits that were issued for work in PRCS.
• Rescue and emergency services that can be called and methods to summon them.
• Communication procedures followed by authorized entrants and attendants to maintain contact during entry.
• Equipment to be provided upon entry.
• Any additional information needed to help ensure occupant safety.

Inventory

ORM maintains a list of confined spaces at º£½ÇÖ±²¥. EHS will keep performing evaluations of the confined spaces as requests are received. Employees and rescue teams should not rely solely on the information in the confined space list. Contact ORM for access to the confined space inventory list.

Revised on February 23, 2026