Minimum Head Room for maintenance only access in process plant
Minimum Head Room for maintenance only access in process plant
(OP)
Hi all,
I have spent a couple of hours searching for this answer but cannot find anything solid.
I have a piece of equipment that requires access for maintenance only. The mechanical location with regards to other equipment and vertical space constraints means we have to minimize the headroom available for maintenance activities (replacing wear parts, etc). It is not a means of egress.
The project is in Idaho USA so falls under AISC and OSHA which I have searched to no avail.
What, if any, other parameters are important to this? Any help or advice would be much appreciated.
Cheers.
http://www.eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=16567
I have spent a couple of hours searching for this answer but cannot find anything solid.
I have a piece of equipment that requires access for maintenance only. The mechanical location with regards to other equipment and vertical space constraints means we have to minimize the headroom available for maintenance activities (replacing wear parts, etc). It is not a means of egress.
The project is in Idaho USA so falls under AISC and OSHA which I have searched to no avail.
What, if any, other parameters are important to this? Any help or advice would be much appreciated.
Cheers.
http://www.eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=16567






RE: Minimum Head Room for maintenance only access in process plant
Since recommendations could be made into requirements in the future, I suggest going with the unrestricted size, a little over 24" in the least dimension. (A thin wall, nominal 26" diameter steel pipe has an inside diameter of a little over 25").
Here is the link to the OSHA criteria, near the bottom of the page: Non-Mandatory Appendix F -- Rescue Team or Rescue Service Evaluation Criteria
Edit: Rereading your post, I see that you are asking about headroom, not a portal. However, IMHO, the same criteria would apply. Minimum (unrestricted) headroom would be just over 24", as long as the horizontal clearance is greater than 24".
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RE: Minimum Head Room for maintenance only access in process plant
I am Australian and new to the 'American' way of doing things so please bear with me..
Regarding an area that is classified as an 'unrestricted confined space' - what additional controls are required by OSHA when entering this area to perform maintenance works, etc? Would a safe work permit need to be in place prior to any work being performed? If so I am assuming the area would need to be isolated to prevent unauthorized entry?
The process plant is also part of a mining operation so would fall under MSHA - whos guidelines and website is even harder to navigate than OSHA's..
Thanks again for your help, most appreciated.
RE: Minimum Head Room for maintenance only access in process plant
1910.146(c)(7)
A space classified by the employer as a permit-required confined space may be reclassified as a non-permit confined space under the following procedures:
1910.146(c)(7)(i)
If the permit space poses no actual or potential atmospheric hazards and if all hazards within the space are eliminated without entry into the space, the permit space may be reclassified as a non-permit confined space for as long as the non-atmospheric hazards remain eliminated.
So I'm assuming such a space (platform area in a process plant) is adequate to be classified as non-permit and therefore does not require a permit or any other restriction?
From the post referenced above though:
under 1910.179, "Overhead and Gantry Cranes", the statement is made "Where footwalks are located in no case shall less than 48 inches of headroom be provided."
7'6" is too high but I think 48 inches is a bit low for the work to be comfortably performed. A number around the 60 inch mark (5 foot) should be ok as the operators will need to be inside the machinery (isolated obviously) anyway and this number fits the current vertical height constraints. I just want to make sure we are not designing something outside code - or something that is going to require an hours worth of permits and safety briefings in order to enter.
Thanks again.
RE: Minimum Head Room for maintenance only access in process plant
Also, there is nothing mandatory that requires maintenance to be performed while standing. For example, consider some heavy equipment maintenance:
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www.VacuumTubeEra.net
RE: Minimum Head Room for maintenance only access in process plant
What exactly IS the maintenance, and who have you talked to on the maintenance teams that will be doing the work?
How often will it have to be done?
How much does lost time (wasted or extra time doing this job) cost per hour of shutdown time?
Is this maintenance EVER the critical path on the plant outage?
A poorly planned maintenance area COSTS LOTS OF MONEY, time, and effort that will make your maintenance costs skyrocket. Or not get done at all. Or not get done the right way.
RE: Minimum Head Room for maintenance only access in process plant
Dave
Thaidavid
RE: Minimum Head Room for maintenance only access in process plant
RE: Minimum Head Room for maintenance only access in process plant