Confined Space Rescue Services

Regulations change. It’s important to know whether or not your worksite is considered a confined space under current definitions. OSHA defines a confined space as one that has all three of these characteristics:

• It is large enough for an employee to enter fully and perform assigned work
• It is not designed for continuous occupancy by the employee; and
• It has limited or restricted means of entry or exit.

A permit-required confined space meets these requirements, and also includes one or more of the following:

• Contains or has the potential to contain a hazardous atmosphere;
• Contains a material with the potential to engulf someone who enters the space;
• Has an internal configuration that might cause an entrant to be trapped or asphyxiated by inwardly converging walls or by a floor that slopes downward and tapers to a smaller cross section; and/or
• Contains any other recognized serious safety or health hazards

Mitigate the risks of confined space entry by following proper protocols. All parties who work in confined spaces should be trained in confined space awareness. Protect employees from harm by ensuring that experienced confined space attendants or confined space rescue team are on-site

A confined space rescue team provides critical rescue services during work in a permit-required confined space. The team will evaluate a site before work commences, create rescue and contingency plans, and monitor job progress in case of an emergency.

Confined space rescue teams are trained to calculate response and rescue times, practice the necessary rescue procedures, and execute rescues when an emergency occurs. Duties for specific team members include:

Many companies rely on local emergency services for assistance.  OSHA has stated that not all emergency responders are trained or equipped to conduct confined space rescues.

OSHA has set up useful guidelines for employers and emergency service providers to follow for confined space rescue. Guidelines aren’t a substitute for a trained confined space rescue team.

With an experienced rescue team, you’ll know that your confined space entrants are protected.. SITEX’s confined space rescue technicians are experienced professionals. They have the training needed to provide a safe environment for workers.

Remember, just because a rescue team can be part of your team or a local emergency response team, doesn’t mean they should be given the circumstances.

SITEX Confined Space Technicians offer:

• At a minimum: medical training of first aid, CPR and AED (EMT’s also available)
• Full-time, experienced rescue professionals
• Nationwide availability
• Evaluation, pre-planning and pre-rigging each rescue job for fast responses and safe work environments