Offline. Sign-offs save on this phone.

Toolbox Talks

Confined space rescue: don't go in after them

Confined space 5 min 29 CFR 1926.1204 · 29 CFR 1926.1211

Plumbing, Excavation

Why it matters

When a worker drops inside a tank, vault, or manhole, the person next to them wants to jump in. That is how one death turns into two or three. NIOSH has found that about 6 in 10 people who die in confined spaces were trying to rescue someone. The rescue has to be planned before anyone goes in.

The talk

A worker climbs down into a sewer manhole to clear a line. A minute later he stops answering. His partner climbs down after him and collapses at the bottom of the ladder. The foreman goes next. All three are found dead. The air at the bottom had almost no oxygen. You can't see it or smell it. Whatever dropped the first worker will drop anyone who follows him in without the right air supply and training. Holding your breath doesn't work. Neither does going in fast.

OSHA's confined space rule puts the rescue plan in place before entry, not during the emergency. The written program has to say how to call rescue, how entrants get pulled out, and how to keep untrained workers from trying a rescue. Rescue from outside comes first. If retrieval gear will help, every entrant wears a harness with a line tied off outside, so rescue can start the moment it's needed. For a vertical space more than 5 feet deep, a mechanical device like a tripod and winch has to be there. If the company relies on a rescue team, it has to check that the team can get there in time for these hazards. A fire department across town may not be fast enough.

Here is what you do when an entrant goes down. Don't go in. Call out, and if there's no answer, start the rescue from outside with the retrieval line and winch. Call 911 and the rescue service named on the permit, and tell them what kind of space it is. Keep everyone else back, including the boss and the friend who wants to help. Keep the air blower running if it is part of the setup. Only trained rescuers with the right breathing gear go in. Before any entry, ask three questions: Who is the rescue team? How long will they take? Is the harness hooked to a line outside?

Key points

  1. About 6 in 10 confined space deaths are would-be rescuers.
  2. Whatever dropped the first worker will drop you too.
  3. The rescue plan must be set before entry.
  4. Rescue from outside comes first.
  5. Entrants wear a harness with a line tied off outside.
  6. Vertical spaces over 5 feet deep need a mechanical retrieval device.
  7. The rescue team must be able to arrive in time.

Do this

  • Start rescue from outside with the retrieval line.
  • Call 911 and the rescue service on the permit.
  • Keep everyone else back from the opening.
  • Keep the air blower running if it is part of the setup.
  • Ask who the rescue team is before anyone goes in.

Do not do this

  • Do not climb in after a downed worker.
  • Do not hold your breath and go in fast.
  • Do not unhook the retrieval line to give someone slack.
  • Do not assume the fire department will get there in time.
  • Do not let a friend or boss go in without training and air.

Talk about it

  1. Who is our rescue team for this space, and how long would they take?
  2. Where is the tripod and winch, and who knows how to run it?

This is a short crew briefing. It does not replace a competent person, training, or the law.

Training aid only. This talk is not legal advice. It does not replace your company's safety program, a competent person, the equipment maker's instructions, or the OSHA standard itself.

Sign as a group Crew sign-off

Listens with this phone's voice. Nothing is sent out.

Send to the crew

The crew link opens the talk so each person can read it and sign on their own phone.

Scan at the jobsite. It opens the crew sign-off.

Scan at the jobsite. It opens the crew sign-off.