Back in May, it was announced that OSHA would be releasing a new set of rules and regulations for confined spaces in construction. Originally supposed to take full effect on August 3, 2015, but, due to some requests for additional time to gather necessary equipment and train crews, OSHA has issued a temporary enforcement policy.
If you missed the confined spaces ruling, catch yourself up on the rules changes by clicking the link below:
From August 3, 2015 (when the confined spaces rules become effective) until October 2nd, 2015, OSHA will not issue citations to contractors who are making “good faith efforts” to comply with the confined spaces rules, but have some shortcomings. The 60 day temporary enforcement period still requires that employers be in compliance with the training requirements for either the new standard or old standard. If not, citations will be issued.
OSHA defines “good faith efforts” as:
- Scheduling training for employees as required by the new standard
- Ordering the necessary equipment to comply with the standard
- Taking alternative measures to educate and protect employees from confined spaces
The 60 day temporary enforcement period certainly isn’t a free pass to ignore the rule, but at least OSHA will be a bit more lenient, giving contractors some extra time to settle into the changes.
OSHA issues temporary enforcement policy for confined spaces in construction | OSHA
Safety training in the construction industry is necessary to build worker awareness – not to mention that it’s legally required – but it can be extremely time consuming and expensive to have completed. There are many companies out there looking to make money off of keeping workers safe, which is why it’s great when a company offers training free of charge, like Procore’s Safety Qualified program.