Evaluation Testing for Atmospheric Testing

Evaluation Testing

The atmosphere within a confined space must be tested using equipment that is designed to detect the chemicals that may be present at levels that are well below the defined exposure limits. Evaluation testing is done to:

• determine what chemical hazards are or may become present in the space’s atmosphere, and
• identify what steps must be followed and what conditions must be met to ensure that atmospheric conditions are safe for a worker to enter the space. 

Reminder

A permit space is a confined space that has one or more of the following features: it has or may contain a hazardous atmosphere; it contains a material that can engulf a person who enters; it has an inside design that could trap or asphyxiate a person who enters (inwardly converging walls, or a floor that slopes downward to a smaller section); or it has any other serious safety or health hazards.