When a Manhole Is More Than a Manhole

At www.confinedsrs.com we get called after the fact more often than we should. After the citation. After the near miss. After someone realizes that what they labeled “routine maintenance” was actually an IDLH environment hiding in plain sight.

Let’s talk about the quiet trend that needs to stop. Companies declassifying confined spaces on paper so they do not have to treat them like what they are.

A manhole is not just a hole in the street. A vault is not just a room underground. A wet well is not just a pit. When oxygen drops, when hydrogen sulfide spikes, when methane accumulates, when a chemical line leaks, or when steam builds and displaces breathable air in seconds, that space becomes Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health. Add extreme heat to the equation and the risk multiplies. Superheated steam can raise temperatures instantly, reduce visibility to zero, and cause severe burns in seconds. If a steam pipe ruptures or even leaks under pressure, the environment can shift from stable to lethal without warning. OSHA defines IDLH as an atmosphere that poses an immediate threat to life, would cause irreversible health effects, or would impair an employee’s ability to escape.

That is not paperwork. That is reality.

Under OSHA 29 CFR 1910.146, if a space meets permit required confined space criteria and especially if it contains or has the potential to contain a hazardous atmosphere, the employer must evaluate, test, control, and provide available rescue services. Not a maybe. Not a “we have done this a hundred times.” A must.

Here is where it goes sideways.

We see facilities reclassify permit spaces to non permit status without eliminating the hazard. They rely on ventilation alone without continuous monitoring. They treat atmospheric testing as a formality. They overlook residual heat sources and active steam lines that can flash a space from manageable to unsurvivable in moments. They assume a steam system is isolated when it is not fully locked out. They send two workers in with a tripod and call it good, without a dedicated rescue team on standby.

And when something goes wrong, it goes very wrong.

Boston and New England have seen their share of confined space incidents in utilities and sewer systems over the years. Workers overcome by hydrogen sulfide. Contractors entering vaults without adequate atmospheric control. Steam releases in underground systems that rapidly changed conditions without warning. Across the country, OSHA investigations repeatedly show the same pattern. Hazard underestimated. Energy sources not fully isolated. Rescue not properly planned. No trained standby team ready to respond. In more than one case, a second worker rushed in to help and became the second victim.

Rescue is not an afterthought. It is part of the entry plan.

OSHA is clear. If you rely on an outside rescue service, you must ensure they can respond in a timely manner, are trained, are equipped, and are proficient with the specific hazards of your space. Timely does not mean eventually. In an IDLH atmosphere, whether from toxic gas, oxygen deficiency, or superheated steam and extreme temperature, brain injury or catastrophic burns can occur in minutes or less.

If your plan is to call 911 and hope for the best, that is not a plan. Municipal fire departments are skilled professionals, but they may not be trained or equipped for your specific industrial confined space, and they are not standing by at the edge of your manhole when your entrant collapses or is overcome by heat and steam.

This is where confined space rescue standby teams matter.

At Confined Space Rescue Solutions, we provide dedicated rescue professionals who understand atmospheric hazards, steam and thermal risks, lockout procedures, ventilation strategies, and non entry and entry rescue techniques. We do not just show up with a tripod. We integrate into your permit process, review your hazard assessment, confirm energy isolation, and stand ready so your workers can focus on the job knowing someone is focused on their way out.

Reclassifying a space to save time or money is a gamble with human lives and regulatory exposure. OSHA penalties are expensive. Lawsuits are worse. Living with a preventable fatality is worst of all.

If a space has the potential to become IDLH, treat it that way. Respect it. Plan for it. Staff it properly.

Before your next entry, ask a simple question. If something goes wrong in the first three minutes, who is rescuing your worker?

If the answer is uncertain, it is time to talk.

Visit www.confinedsrs.com and let’s make sure your confined spaces are classified correctly, protected properly, and backed by a rescue team that is ready when seconds matter.