CPE, CSE TRAINING UPDATE

All management personnel should get the training necessary to qualify them as a competent person (CPT) or a confined space entry (CSE) supervisor. Management can designate a field supervisor a competent person but can management prove to OSHA or worse, a jury, that the individual is knowledgeable about the Excavation Standard Subpart P, is capable of identifying existing and predictable hazards, and knows how to identify the soil type? Just having the authority to tell workers what to do and to take corrective action is not enough.

If OSHA visits a jobsite, they will ask the pertinent questions about soil type, hazards, etc., especially if there has been a serious accident or a fatality. Field supervisors who are expected to oversee specialized operations that involve a trench, excavation, or confined space, or use of scaffolds, cranes, or steel erection should have training that is specific to the type of work. That is why NUCA trains instructors to offer the Excavation and Trenching Competent Person course and the Confined Space Entry Training program, because it is specific to the type of work our members perform.