FEATURE SPONSOR
EMERGENCY RESPONSE
EMERGENCY PROCEDURES
If you require employees to enter a confined space, you must prepare suitable and sufficient arrangements for their rescue. Very importantly this is required even if the emergency is not brought about by a specified risk.
PERSONAL EXPERIENCES
I have witnessed a situation during a mock rescue exercise to prove that arrangements were suitable and sufficient, where a casualty with a simulated broken leg, had to be removed from the stretcher because it was impossible to manoeuvre the stretcher (scoop) round a tight bend in the confined space. Imagine trying that with an unconscious casualty, fitted to a resuscitation device, creating a time constraint.
Your rescue arrangements need to ensure you are protecting the rescuers and where necessary, include resuscitation equipment.
PROVISION
The number of times I have gone onto sites where employees are provided with and must wear, respiratory protective devices, either compressed air or chemical oxygen, to find that there is no provision for resuscitation equipment.
Generally, I am informed that if they need resuscitation equipment, they will call the emergency services (999). If someone is recovered, or being recovered, from an oxygen deficient atmosphere, you have three minutes maximum to get an oxygen supply to them. The chance of that happening by calling for help is zero.
RESPONSIBILITY
It’s your confined space, your employees, your problem.
CONSIDERATION
When selecting people to provide emergency rescue, reference should be made to the risk assessment and required control measures. Consideration should be given to…
• Causes of an emergency • Use of equipment - breathing apparatus, lifelines, tripods and winches, cutting equipment, lifting equipment
• Training in donning and using breathing apparatus
• Testing and maintenance of rescue equipment
• Identifying defects - and dealing with them • Site rules and emergency communication • Isolation systems • Resuscitation procedure, including equipment
• First aid • Fire fighting • Liaison with the emergency services • Rescue techniques and refresher training/mock exercises
I have also seen, again fortunately during a training exercise, where a casualty being lifted vertically had almost made it out of the confined space (a reservoir wall) when, due to a twist in the access tower (20m vertical) he had to be lowered to the foot of the tower and his boots removed as this was the only way to clear the twist and complete the rescue.
Similarly, I have been informed of a rescue being carried out using a heavy duty tripod
placed over a shaft, very successfully rescuing the casualty to the top of the shaft and then realising they had no way of “landing” the stretcher and casualty onto the side of the shaft. Imagine being the casualty and being able to see safety, but not get there!
LESSON LEARNED
The important lesson is practice to ensure suitability and sufficiency of your rescue procedures.
By far the most effective way of ensuring that work in a confined space is carried out safely and efficiently is to ensure everyone involved, from the Manager to the Supervisor to the Operatives, is competent.
Errol Parrish, Operations Manager Mines Rescue Marine
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