On May 1, 2015, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued new standards aimed at increasing protections for construction workers in confined spaces. The new regulations went into effect in most states on Aug. 3, 2015.The construction industry now has its own Confined Spaces Standard (29 CFR 1926, Subpart AA), which is similar to the already well-established standards that cover general industry. The new standard covers all construction employers whose employees may be subject to confined space hazards (with the exception of specialized construction activities such as excavations, underground construction, caissons, cofferdams, compressed air and diving, which are separately regulated).This new
