(a) All personnel must be protected by suitable measures from inadvertently entering a confined space containing a hazardous atmosphere that can cause death or serious injury.
(b) Each deepwater port operator must evaluate the specific hazards associated with entering the port's confined spaces, and develop a confined space safe entry program that complies with:
(1) 29 CFR 1910.146 for permit-required confined spaces, where applicable; and
(2) A national consensus standard, as that term is defined in 29 CFR 1910.2, or that is set by a nationally recognized testing laboratory as defined in 29 CFR 1910.7 and that provides levels of personnel protection at least equivalent to those provided for shipyard personnel by 29 CFR part 1915, subpart B.
(c) To implement the confined space safe entry program, the deepwater port operator must determine the education, training, and experience needed by the designated competent persons to safely conduct their duties, including:
(1) Identification, testing, and certification of confined spaces; and
(2) Training of personnel regarding dangers.
(d) These measures must be specified in the port operations manual, along with a list of all confined spaces on the port, describing the specific hazards associated with each such space.
[USCG-1998-3884, 71 FR 57651, Sept. 29, 2006, as amended by USCG-2013-0397, 78 FR 39183, July 1, 2013]