Permit-Required Confined Spaces questions for the ASP

Question 1

A plant plans to declassify a tank by relying on a portable blower that keeps the atmosphere within safe limits while employees work inside. The safety coordinator says that this counts as eliminating the atmospheric hazard, so the tank can be treated as a non-permit space under the declassification provisions. How should this be evaluated?

1. ACorrect, because continuous ventilation that keeps the atmosphere safe is elimination of the hazard
2. BCorrect, provided the blower runs for at least 15 minutes before entry
3. CIncorrect, because declassification is never allowed for tanks
4. DIncorrect, because controlling atmospheric hazards through forced air ventilation does not constitute elimination of the hazards

Question 2

A plant's permit-required confined space (a process vessel) has a hazardous atmosphere that is controlled by continuous forced-air ventilation, plus an engulfment hazard from a product line that is blanked off. A supervisor proposes to declassify the vessel as a non-permit confined space by relying on the ventilation and the blank, and to record the basis in a signed, dated certification. Which response is correct under the standard?

1. ADeclassification is supported, but only until the end of the shift in which the certification was signed
2. BDeclassification is supported, because the blank eliminated the engulfment hazard and ventilation eliminated the atmospheric hazard
3. CDeclassification is not supported, because controlling atmospheric hazards with forced air ventilation does not count as eliminating them
4. DDeclassification is supported, because a signed and dated certification documenting the ventilation and blank is sufficient