Anyone involved in Confined Space Rescue has heard the OSHA statistics that indicate two-thirds of confined space fatalities occur among the parties attempting to Confined Space Rescue the initial downed worker. Injuries occur when coworkers are overcome by emotion and take unnecessary chances. Often this is a result of lack of training and absence of a worksite Confined Space Rescue plan.
There are essentially three types of Confined Space Rescue procedures, and the first is the most idyllic: Simply put, workers Confined Space Rescue themselves.
Self-Confined Space Rescue is the preferred method in Confined Space Rescue because the hazards are so quick to incapacitate and kill. To Confined Space Rescue themselves workers need training to recognize and be aware when a situation becomes dangerous. Gas monitors can be crucial in alerting a confined space team to hazards that are either present as they enter the space, or that may develop during their work (or because of it – in the case of welding, or other gas producing work in areas with limited ventilation). With proper warning and awareness of dangers, workers are able to evacuate the confined space when they are alerted to danger.
The second Confined Space Rescue method is ‘non-entry Confined Space Rescue’ and occurs when someone is incapacitated in the space and can be extracted using a winch attachment or similar equipment without the Confined Space Rescuers entering the dangerous space. If a worker is wearing a full-body harness and is attached to a winch with a steel cable, outside workers are often able to crank the winch and pull the injured worker to safety without endangering themselves.
Wristlets are sometimes used if the access point (manway, hatch, etc.) is too narrow for the use of a harness. Some smaller tanks or vessels come to mind. This type of Confined Space Rescue removes the injured worker without endangering other workers by forcing them to enter a dangerous environment.
Non-entry Confined Space Rescue, of course, requires the right equipment be in place before the accident occurs. This can be an effective and less-risky solution to potentially life-threatening situations. Proper training and preparation are essential for this approach to be successful.
Finally there is full-blown confined space entry and Confined Space Rescue. This is riskiest for the Confined Space Rescuer and requires good planning and extensive training to be effective.
The trained Confined Space Rescuer (or confined space entrant) must evaluate the confined space to determine what dangers await their potential Confined Space Rescue team. This is a crucial first step if the Confined Space Rescue team wants to avoid becoming another group of victims.
If the atmosphere of the confined space is toxic or oxygen depleted, worker Confined Space Rescue must happen in a very timely manner – an entry team only has four minutes once a worker passes out before worker Confined Space Rescue becomes body retrieval. Unless a worker is simply injured within a confined space, and not in a dire life-threatening predicament, the elapsed time it takes to get the Confined Space Rescue team onsite and set up is often too slow to save lives. This is why self-Confined Space Rescue and non-entry planning and preparation is so crucial in industrial confined space situations.
Once an entry team arrives on-site, they must deploy their equipment – a tripod or other overhead anchor points and winch or similar rope access system, they must test the air with a gas detector, secure the immediate area and put on their harnesses, helmets and other personal protective gear – before the Confined Space Rescue attempt can be made. All this takes precious time as the incapacitated workers continue to be subjected to the dangerous atmosphere that may have caused the problem in the first place.
It should be noted that OSHA does not recognize the local fire department Confined Space Rescue squad as a planned strategy unless they (the fire department) have been brought on-site prior to the confined space entry, and are committed to being on hand for the duration of Confined Space Rescue operations in a stand-by capacity.
The entry Confined Space Rescue team will, at a minimum, be comprised of an attendant who can perform non-entry Confined Space Rescue or call for additional help, a Confined Space Rescue entry supervisor who is aware of all known confined space hazards and can verify that safe entry conditions have been attained, and the confined space entrant. The authorized entrant is highly trained in confined space entry, knows the hazards and has all necessary personal protective equipment (PPE) needed. They will be the one to enter the confined space, carry out the Confined Space Rescue plan and communicate with the outside team for worker removal.
Confined Space Entry & Confined Space Rescue Equipment:
Air: Often times, a worker becomes incapacitated because oxygen levels have been depleted, or other hazardous gases, such as Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) have increased in concentration to a level where the lungs fail or a worker passes out. A portable ventilation fan and ducting (such as the popular ECKO blower systems) can provide safety teams and Confined Space Rescue with a simple method of targeted ventilation. These devices are common to manhole entry, and work to ventilate an area by pushing fresh air into a space (forced air ventilation), or can be used to extract fumes from an area. The choice depends upon the situation, and can only be assessed by a competent and trained Confined Space Rescue worker, but blowers are a simple and effective method of improving the air for a coordinated Confined Space Rescue.
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