Page 47 - Confined Space Training - Student Manual 2021

Chapter 7 – Emergency Response and Rescue

Topics Presented in this Chapter
• How to utilize a non-entry retrieval system
• Rescuer responsibilities
• When an off-site rescue team may be utilized for confined space rescue
• When a rescue team must be on-site during a confined space entry

An important reason for entry is to respond to emergencies. Emergency rescue plans must be
developed before initial entry is made and the hazards must be thoroughly reviewed. The
attendant and all rescue personnel should be aware of the structural design of the space,
emergency exit procedures, and life support systems.

Despite the many precautions taken to ensure the safety of permit space entry operations,
hazards may arise so quickly or unexpectedly that entrants cannot exit unaided from the permit
space. Because of these circumstances, OSHA requires employers to include the means to
rescue entrants in their permit required confined space entry program.

OSHA standards include Appendix F to help organizations comply with the emergency
requirements of the standard.

Rescue personnel may enter a permit space to remove entrants or remain outside the space and
remove entrants with a retrieval line and a full-body harness. The decision to use entry or non-
entry rescue is up to the employer. Since most of those killed in permit space entries are would-
be rescuers, OSHA believes organizations should stress NON-ENTRY RESCUE METHODS.

NOTE: Confined space participants focus on how to perform a non-entry rescue by removing
a co-worker from a confined space without entering the space.

Employers may elect to use on-site rescue personnel. OSHA believes the need for a quick
response to a permit space emergency indicates a preference for an on-site rescue team,
whenever it is practical for the employer.

Whether rescue services are on-site or off-site and utilize entry or non-entry rescue methods,
rescue services personnel must be equipped and trained in rescue operations. Employers have
the primary responsibility to select an appropriate rescue service.

In planning for emergencies, it’s wise to remember Murphy’s Law, which states that if anything
can go wrong, it will. Clearly the cardinal rule for emergency planning is to start planning before
an incident occurs, not when it occurs.

Confined Space Training for Entrants, Attendants & Supervisors 47