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 Over
half of the workers who die in confined spaces are trying
to rescue another worker and succumb to invisible gases or
a lack of oxygen. The type of respiratory protection that
employers and firefighters use during a rescue can literally
mean life or death.
Confined spaces need not be small, and utility contractors
deal with them regularly. Below-grade vaults and pipes are
among the most common confined spaces. But any space that
has limited entry and exit, or lacks natural ventilation,
can be considered a risk. Workers must be trained not to focus
only on the "entry," or they may not recognize that
a large space is also potentially hazardous.
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| Rope
entry is used in Atlanta-area rescue training. (Photo
courtesy of American Society of Safety Engineers/Georgia
Chapter) |
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration revised
a federal confined space standard in 1998 so airline-escape,
self-contained breathing equipment could be used where appropriate,
in addition to positive-pressure self-contained breathing
equipment with at least 30 minutes of air, says Timothy Kearney.
He is vice president of The Argus Group, a safety products
manufacturer in Chesterfield Township, Mich. Escape-type devices
often are simply air bottles with a 10-minute air supply connected
to a plastic hood, says OSHA.
Be sure that rescuers carry twice the air supply estimated
for the completion of the rescue operation. |
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Train workers to recognize signs of gas. |
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Don’t distract attendants at confined spaces with
other duties. |
OSHA had previously written that the use of alternative types
of respirators must be carefully weighed and that a rescuer’s
air supply must be independent from the source used by the
victim. It also stipulated that the volume of the air source
for rescuers should be about twice what is estimated to finish
the rescue operation, says Kearney. There are many other considerations,
including proper training for escape and the close attention
of a monitor outside the confined space.
Self-rescue training can teach employees to escape from danger,
says Michael R. Roop of MRE Training & Consulting, Richmond,
Texas. Trained workers should vacate any space in which they
detect a strange odor, which could be a lethal gas, says Roop.
They should also exit if they feel weak or light-headed, symptoms
that could indicate oxygen deprivation.
A properly trained attendant outside a confined space is
the next line of defense, especially if the monitor isn’t
given other duties that could be distracting, says the National
Institute for Occupational Safety & Health. By paying
attention, the attendant may recognize odd be-havior in the
victim and order him or her to escape, says Roop. The odd
behavior could indicate dangerous gases or a lack of oxygen.
Owners have a special role in identifying confined spaces,
says Ron Smith, an Orlando, Fla., firefighter who is a member
of a special rescue unit. Knowing what risks employees will
face in a confined space is the first step in developing and
executing a good safety and rescue plan. Central Florida is
home to several large theme parks and one of them has identified
more than 3,000 confined spaces on its property, says Smith.
A processing plant for computer chips may use many unusual
gases, he adds. OSHA requires that the "host employer"
of a confined space must provide a level of rescue personnel
"on a sliding scale" to the number of workers needed
for the tasks to be performed in the confined space.
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