APPENDIX C
Considerations for Rescue from a Permit-Required Confined Space
General Rescue Requirements
The equipment specified in this manual is designed to work as part of a system to help facilitate non-entry rescue and entry rescue from confined
spaces.
Confined spaces vary in size, shape, configuration and hazard, and the equipment/device(s) detailed in this manual may not be suitable for use
during some permit-required confined space entries. Hazards such as entanglement, electric arc, engulfment, and general lift obstructions may
interfere with safe rescue and cause greater harm to the entrant.
All confined space entries should be planned whenever possible in such a manner that any foreseeable hazard is mitigated and non-entry rescue
can be facilitated.
In the case that non-entry rescue is not feasible a rescue plan must be in place that provides rescuers with knowledge about the specific confined
space hazards they may encounter during a rescue, training on appropriate rescue methods for the confined space they will be entering and the
correct equipment and PPE to perform the entry rescue. Please reference OSHA code CFR 1926.1211 for further details on employer responsibili-
ties in preparing for both entry and non-entry rescue.
System Configurations for Non-Entry Rescue Methods
When entering a permit-required confined space non-entry rescue is required unless retrieval equipment would increase the overall risk of entry
or would not contribute to the rescue of the worker. Mechanical devices must be available to retrieve personnel from vertical type permit spaces
more than 5 feet deep. When using mechanical devices for non-entry rescue, consideration must be given to the means of entry/egress, the
mitigation of fall hazards and the method of emergency retrieval.
1. Single Line – Winch Only – Entry/Egress Using Ladder
When a single mechanical device is used for non-entry rescue into a confined space it serves only as backup to the worker’s primary entry/egress
method. In most cases the primary means of entry/egress into a vertical confined space is a ladder.
When using only a winch as the backup to the entrant’s primary means of entry and egress, the attendant should take care to keep the winch line
taut to avoid any potential overload due to a fall event on the winch line. The winch is not a fall arrest device and must not be subjected to fall
forces. The winch is for emergency retrieval only. See Figure 6 for Tripod and Figure 7 for Davit.
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2. Single Line – SRL-R Only – Entry/Egress using ladder
When a single mechanical device is used for non-entry rescue into a confined space it serves only as backup to the worker’s primary entry/egress
method. In most cases the primary means of entry/egress into a vertical confined space is a ladder.
When using an SRL-R only as a back up to the worker’s primary means of entry and egress the device cable will pay freely in and out of the housing
as the entrant moves into the vertical confined space. In the event the entrant falls the SRL-R will arrest the fall and reduce fall forces applied to the
body. The attendant may then engage the backup emergency retrieval winch to raise the entrant out of the confined space. The emergency retriev-
al winch is not to be used for ordinary entry/egress in and out of the confined space. See Figure 8 for Tripod and Figure 9 for Davit.
3. Dual Line – Winch and SRL/Alternate PFAS - Entry/Egress Using Ladder
When a confined space has an existing ladder but the attendant is unable to maintain a taut winch line as the entrant descends and ascends from
the confined space, it is possible to use a regular SRD or Fall Arrestor Connector Subsystem (FACSS) to provide protection from impacting and
overloading the winch during a fall event. In this case the PFAS provides fall protection as the worker freely moves vertically, and the winch provides
backup as the emergency retrieval device from the confined space. See Figure 10 for Tripod and Figure 11 for Davit.
4. Dual Line – Winch and SRL-R – Entry/Egress Using a Winch
When no alternate method of entry/egress (such as a ladder) exists the confined space entrant will be suspended, raised and lowered with the
winch line attached to a shoulder yoke or sternal D-Ring of a Full Body Harness. An SRL-R is then attached to the dorsal D-ring of the Full Body
Harness to provide fall arrest and emergency retrieval. Suspended workers are required to have a backup system to their primary means of entry/
egress that will limit fall forces to the body and provide emergency retrieval in the event of a winch malfunction. See Figure 12 for Tripod and Figure
13 for Davit.
