As we discussed last summer, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued a new Confined Space in Construction Standard, which went into effect on August 3, 2015 and required heightened training, continuous worksite evaluations and communication for all construction workers performing work in manholes, crawl spaces, tanks and other confined spaces not intended for continuous occupancy that are located on construction projects.  Enforcement of the new standard was postponed through October 2, 2015 for all contractors covered by the standard to provide additional time to train and acquire necessary equipment.  In October 2015, OSHA further extended the temporary enforcement delay through January 8, 2016, but this time limited the extension to contractors performing residential construction work, which includes those contractors working on single-family homes, duplexes and townhouses.  The extension did not apply to contractors working on multi-unit apartment buildings.  Earlier this month, OSHA issued a memorandum that again extended the delayed enforcement of the standard through March 8, 2016 for residential construction work.

Under the delay policy, OSHA will not issue citations to contractors engaged in residential construction work if the contractor is making good faith efforts to comply with the confined space standard, as long as the contractor complies with either the training requirements of the new standard, found at 29 CFR 1926.1207, or the former training requirements, found at 29 CFR 1926.21(b)(6)(i).

Factors considered by OSHA to determine if a contractor is engaged in good faith compliance efforts include:

• If the contractor has not trained its employees as required under the new standard, whether the employer has scheduled such training;
• If the contractor does not have the equipment required for compliance with the new standard, including personal protective equipment, whether the contractor has ordered or otherwise arranged to obtain such equipment required for compliance and is taking alternative measures to protect employees from confined space hazards; and
• Whether the contractor has engaged in any additional efforts to educate workers about confined space hazards and protect workers from those hazards.

Full enforcement of the confined spaces standard for non-residential contractors remains in effect, and those contractors should continue to comply with the standard’s requirements.  We will continue to monitor the enforcement of the standard for residential projects.