Standby Rescue
The strongest part of the legislation is the requirement for rescue. Whether it be a medical emergency or a toxic atmosphere, there needs to be a plan in place to rescue the worker from the space.
As an employer you need to be prepared for a
“worst case scenario” and that required highly trained personnel, rescue equipment and SCBA for toxic atmospheres. Calling the Fire Department is not an adequate plan!
The legislation requires that during every confined space entry there must be a dedicated team trained in the rescue equipment and procedures to immediately affect a rescue.
You have two options at this point:
Option#1:
Train your own employees to be part of the rescue team. This can work for those companies that have a young, dedicated workforce with simple rescue plans.
There are a number of considerations with training your own team in-house. First is the cost of the equipment. Even a Non-Entry Rescue usually requires a means to raise someone out of the space.
A basic set of equipment is usually in excess of $20,000. Note: Very few spaces are truly Non-Entry Rescue. Consider if the worker enters the space and goes around an object, could you pull them out from outside the space using a rope or winch and tripod?
Most spaces are classified as Entry Rescue spaces meaning that the Rescuer must entry the space to affect the rescue. If your Rescuer must enter the space and the space is low on oxygen or toxic, they will require respiratory protection such as an SCBA. This significantly adds to the cost of your Rescue budget.
SCBA comes with training, certifications, mask FIT testing and workers who are comfortable wearing them. Finally, even after you have incurred the expense of the equipment and training it can be a logistical impossibility to schedule the Rescue Team during the maintenance. Holidays, sickness and days off will no doubt leave you short-handed.
Option#2:
Hire out the responsibility of rescue to a third-party professional service. Most companies do not want the liability associated with this high-risk activity.
With the cost of training and equipment plus the logistics of having to ensure your employees are scheduled and available to affect the rescue, it just makes sense to hire it out.
What is the Solution?
On-Site Rescue takes on this responsibility. We develop the Rescue Plan and we have the people and equipment in place to affect a rescue in a timely manner.
Our Rescue Techs are professional and on point. They maintain a constant state of readiness and are trained in rope rescue which provide a multitude in ways to rescue someone from space. We have the most advanced equipment kit in the business.
We utilize a rope-based system but we also have davit arms, winches, fall protection devices, rescue baskets, SKED, spinal immobilization equipment and advance first aid kits with oxygen therapy.
We work alongside every type on industry in Ontario and each have their own set of challenges. You must have the right people using the right equipment at the right time to have an effective plan and be compliant with the current legislation.
Our business has many locations throughout Ontario. With hundreds of confined spaces, we experience emergency repairs, scheduled maintenance and large-scale shutdowns on a regular basis.
On-Site Rescue is our only provider of confined space services. We have used them exclusively for over 16 years. We use them to actively clean and maintain within the some of our spaces, but we also heavily rely on them to support our trades as they enter the various spaces to perform work.
The team looks professional and they act professional. They arrive on time and stay until we are finished with no complaint about the extended hours. I highly recommend their services.
Jim, Atlantic Packaging