This audio conference was recorded on Tuesday - April 7, 2009

Credits:

This audio conference qualifies for Continuance of Certification (COC) credit. CSPs will earn 0.05 COC points for attending this audio conference.

Description:

Confined spaces, according to OSHA, are areas large enough for a human to enter, with limited entry or exit (often through a single hatchway), and not designed for continuous occupancy. Often, they are process or storage areas, normally sealed so the dangers within - high pressure, hot or toxic materials or gases, or mechanical or electrical hazards - stay within. The danger happens when a human enters to inspect or service what’s inside.

And make no mistake about the danger: Approximately 20 workers die each year in confined space incidents, according to government statistics, with many more injured. Ironically, 60 percent of those fatalities are well-meaning, but untrained, would-be rescuers who lose their own lives in the process of trying to save someone else.

Order this in-depth audio conference recording all about confined spaces. Our expert – an experienced occupational safety attorney - will cover how to best protect your workers and reduce your liability risks.

Speaker(s):

Mark Lies, Esq., is a partner in the Chicago office of Seyfarth Shaw, LLP. His practice areas include product liability, occupational safety and health, workplace violence, construction litigation, and related employment litigation arising from these areas. He has extensive experience in the refining and petrochemical industry, defending litigation involving the failure of process equipment and the resulting fires and explosions. He has developed related expertise in defending employers against claims of inadequate hazardous materials and fire safety response. Lies has advised numerous clients on a national basis on compliance with federal OSHA regulations and has defended related toxic tort litigation involving exposure to hydrogen sulfide, benzene, lead, silica, and other toxic substances. He is an adjunct member of several national safety organizations, including the American National Standard Institute (ANSI) and the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA).

Lies has litigated numerous cases involving various products, including mobile cranes, overhead cranes, elevators, wire drawing equipment, extrusion machines, paper cutting devices, and electrical control and transmission devices. He is a frequent speaker before various employer and trade associations on these topics. He represents employers in federal and state court and before administrative agencies involving Title VII, ADA, FMLA, retaliation cases under OSHA, and retaliatory discharge cases under workers' compensation.

You and your colleagues will learn:

• How to determine what is and what is not a “confined space”
• The major components of OSHA’s confined space standard
• How to properly classify a confined space – and why “erring on the side of safety” can be the worst thing you can do
• What it means to be an “authorizing supervisor” on the permit application
• Strategies to train your workers on safe entry practices and ensure they’re followed
• What to do if a worker becomes trapped in a confined space, and how to avoid a deadly rescue attempt
• Your role and responsibility in a fatality investigation if something goes horribly wrong
• Steps you can take now to correct deficiencies and make your location safer
• Pitfalls to avoid, courtesy of real-life case studies