The Hazard Defined Before you post a confined space safety sign,
you must understand whether or not your specific situation is a
confined space or not. OSHA defines “confined space” and
“permit-required confined space” as follows: A confined space
has limited or restricted means for entry or exit, and it is not
designed for continuous employee occupancy. Confined spaces
include, but are not limited to underground vaults, tanks,
storage bins, manholes, pits, silos, process vessels, and
pipelines. OSHA uses the term “permit-required confined space”
(permit space) to describe a confined space that has one or more
of the following characteristics: contains or has the potential
to contain a hazardous atmosphere; contains a material that has
the potential to engulf an entrant; has walls that converge
inward or floors that slope downward and taper into a smaller
area which could trap or asphyxiate an entrant; or contains any
other recognized safety or health hazard, such as unguarded
machinery, exposed live wires, o