In most cases for O’Brien’s Safety Services, the entry supervisor, which is an employee of the company where the CSE is taking place or directly represents the employer.
This is similar to the prior answer – the employer or their representative is responsible.
Per OSHA 1910.146(c)(5)(ii)(H), The employer shall verify that the space is safe for entry and that the pre-entry measures required by paragraph (c)(5)(ii) of this section have been taken, through a written certification that contains the date, the location of the space, and the signature of the person providing the certification. The certification shall be made before entry and shall be made available to each employee entering the space or to that employee’s authorized representative.
Further, OSHA 1910.146(d)(9) states the employer is responsible to, “develop and implement procedures for summoning rescue and emergency services, for rescuing entrants from permit spaces, for providing necessary emergency services to rescued employees, and for preventing unauthorized personnel from attempting a rescue;”
The employer’s confined space entry permit would detail the confined space rescue plan or procedure which is what would be followed during a rescue.
Sure. Everyone has what we call a ‘healthy dose of fear’ meaning you understand the hazards present. If you aren’t a little scared than you may have grown complacent to the hazards you are putting yourself and your rescue team in which is even more dangerous.
On the same hand, with the appropriate level of training and education you should feel prepared and not be overly anxious. If your anxiety is driven by fear of not knowing what to do or from lack of preparation then you need to speak to your employer about additional training.
Lastly, some people just aren’t cut out for emergency response type work and that’s ok. Even for those of us that are cut out for it, it can be extremely demanding and stressful. If your anxiety is the type that even after extensive training you still aren’t comfortable rescuing someone or even going into confined spaces then you don’t need to be on a rescue team.
I have a friend from Southern West Virginia who spent his childhood dreaming of following in his father’s and grandfather’s footsteps to becoming a coal miner. That was until his first day on the job, when he realized he was severely claustrophobic. He reassessed his skillset and obtained maintenance training and went on to work as a mining equipment mechanic which still satisfied his dream of working in the coal mining industry.
That may be the case for someone whose family is ‘die-hard’ firefighters. Or what about someone whose family members and friends are all EMT’s but they have paralyzing hemophobia (fear of blood). There are plenty of support roles that are equally important to the overall purpose of emergency response such as dispatchers, inspectors, etc.
First off, emergency rescue teams must be available anytime authorized entrants are in the confined space.
A confined space rescue will have multiple roles that must be filled during the rescue and everyone involved in the rescue must be familiar with the rescue plan.
Confined Space Rescue can require multiple types of equipment to effectively and safely perform a rescue and rescuers must know what equipment is necessary for each rescue and must be familiar with that equipment.
Rescuers must be familiar with the confined spaces they may have to enter.
Rescuers must be well trained in each CSR and retrain when new confined spaces are added or when something regarding an existing confined space changes.
Sadly, deaths do occur during a rescue. Employees attempt to rescue an entrant without the proper training and then get caught themselves in the confined space. If you have any more questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.