I am living in Pennsylvania, in need of a drain line ran in a crawl space. Was told that the person coming out to do this did not have the certificate to enter a crawl space. I have never heard of such thing. Is this a true certification?

He probably doesn't want the "crawl space" job. You can have some fun with it, if you want. Call him back and talk generally about the job. Before you hang up, say this..... I guess I'll just have to pay that other company the extra $15000 for the certificate. Then sit back and watch them squirm.

i don't have one either..

Have you ever heard of one packy?

It is a confined space certification. The Obama admin. (OSHA) expanded the regulations defining confined space and it can now include certain crawl spaces but I'm forgetful what applies (too many regs out there to keep straight).

Oh, I think one of the add-on regs was if a crawl space is partitioned off into two or more sub spaces it becomes a confined space.

You're right.....I had confined space training years ago, but OSHA has turned it into a cluster now. For a homeowner with a crawlspace it will lead to them hiring a handyman to do the work. It would be too costly to pay a legit outfit to do the work. Over-regulation, as usual.

Thanks for the info. Just don't understand, they knew where it was and yet scheduled someone to give an estimate. We waited then they called back saying they don't have anyone certified. How can they not know this when I called? Just frustrated.

If they are really treating this like a "closed space" entry, then there should be two people. One to go in with an attached cable, and the second to pull him out if something happened, along with air monitoring meters, etc. It becomes an expensive bureaucratic mess.



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The crawlspaces under homes that I've been in all had several vents around the house for air circulation to help keep moisture from building up under there. If the vents are open there is plenty of fresh air, plus they let in some daylight to help see what you are doing. So yeah, it can be cramped in there but no danger of suffocation or fumes overcoming an individual. But there are those spiders and webs, maybe the guy doesn't like spiders.

What about attics? Are those "confined space" too?

I may be wrong but my thinking on a confined space for OSHA reasons is a space with limited or no fresh air access. Like going down into a manhole or underground storm sewer or going into a cargo hold on a ship or barge. Attics and crawlspaces in homes don't seem like the kind of dangerous "confined" space OSHA regs would pertain to. But some overzealous office worker may be misreading the workplace safety information rules and applying them willy-nilly.



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[nahbnow.com]

Here's the Q&A mentioned above.
[www.osha.gov]

excerpt:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After months of negotiation with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), NAHB (National Association of Home Builders) finally reached a settlement agreement that resolves the association’s legal challenge to the agency’s Confined Spaces in Construction final rule.

As part of the settlement, the agency published a lengthy Q&A to provide a more detailed explanation of how it actually applies to attics, basements and crawl spaces in residential homes. Notably, the Q&A clarifies that the vast majority of the rule’s requirements only apply to permit-required confined spaces, and that attics, basements and crawl spaces in a residential home will not typically trigger these requirements.

For example, the mere presence of a physical hazard in one of these spaces in a residential home would not make that space a permit-required confined space under the rule. The presence of a physical hazard would only make a space a permit-required confined space if an entrant has exposure to a serious hazard and the exposure could hinder their ability to exit the space without assistance.




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If a coffin needs drainage that would be confined space?