Scott Fowler

Confined spaces come in many forms — from silos and storage bins to tanks and maintenance holes. Every confined space presents hazards to those who enter and operate within them.

It can be challenging to build an effective occupational safety and health (OSH) team under any circumstances. But in this competitive job market, you may face new hurdles in recruiting top talent.

The ANSI/ASSP Z459.1 standard, the first of its kind, establishes safety requirements for rope access systems. We spoke with Loui McCurley, chair of the ANSI/ASSP Z459.1 subcommittee, about rope access work, the Z459.1 standard and how it can help keep workers in these environments safe.

The recently updated ANSI/ASSP Z359.11-2021 standard establishes requirements for the performance, design, marking, qualification, instruction, training, test methods, inspection use, maintenance and removal from service of full-body harnesses.