28 Mar How To Set Up a Confined Space Rescue Plan
If an emergency ever strikes in the field, it’s important for your business to have a response plan that quickly and effectively utilizes available resources. If a worker is trapped in a confined space, you could have mere minutes to act. That’s why it’s crucial to have a strategy ready at all times. Here are some steps you can follow to create an effective confined space rescue plan:
Understand Potential Risks
Before you create a rescue plan, it’s helpful to understand the scope of risks within your field. While it might be impossible to predict all potential emergencies, you should note all confined spaces employees engage with regularly. These details can tell you more about where mistakes are likely to happen. If you’re unsure whether you have any confined spaces, you can look over the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s list of potential confined spaces to analyze the potential risks within your business.
Establish a Timeline
It’s also important to plan for confined space emergencies that may require different timelines. For example, a situation in which a worker is confined with potentially toxic fumes may require quicker action and mobilization. As you note the potential risks within your field, develop different plans for each level of need and understand when to use each. You don’t want to waste precious time deciding how much time you have.
Take Stock of Your Resources
Do you have the equipment necessary to make a rescue when it counts? Are your employees and personnel trained to make a rescue while minimizing risk? What safety procedures are in place, and how frequently are they updated? As you develop your rescue plan, consider thinking about all the resources your business has readily available. If there are areas that are lacking, try to bolster them. This can include purchasing new machinery, hiring new personnel, or developing new training opportunities.
Complete Drills
As you create rescue procedures based on your business’ needs, resources, and potential risks, you may want to plan regular drills or surprise testing to make sure that employees know what to do if disaster strikes. While it’s one thing to create a strong rescue plan, it won’t be very helpful if no one takes time to learn the protocol. When a real emergency strikes, a little preparation can limit any shock and help employees stay on plan.
Call In the Experts
Sometimes, your best choice in a confined space emergency is calling in the experts. You can trust your employees’ safety to the knowledge and experience behind the confined space rescue services of Pro Services. Whether you feel more confident with our team as your main plan or one of your options, consider making our contact information available to employees at all times so we could begin an immediate rescue. Through our trained technicians and our Confined Spaces Rescue Trailer, we can help your employees stay safe and secure in any emergency.
At Pros Services, we care about your business and your employees as much as you do. That’s why we want your business to have a solid preparation plan for any potential confined space emergency.