First of all, the air quality in the confined space will need to be monitored and checked for harmful gasses. You can do this with one of the gas detectors sold by USA BlueBook. If the air quality is found to be harmful, the area can be purged or ventilated to provide fresh air. This can be done with a confined space blower. A self-contained breathing apparatus can also be worn while entering the confined space for added reassurance. The air quality in a confined space can change very quickly, so the air must be monitored at all times.
Next, you need a means for lowering or raising someone out of the confined space. A man-rated tripod or davit arm is used for this purpose. The person entering the confined space is referred to as the entrant. He will need a full body harness that will attach to a cable hook from the tripod or davit arm winch. The entrant will stay hooked up to this cable at all times while in the confined space. If the confined space does not have room for a ladder for the entrant to climb down into, a back-up fall protection device is needed. A rope grab is an effective inexpensive device for this. Also, for the safety of the entrant, a person needs to be posted by the winch on the outside of the confined space. This person is called the attendant. The attendant will need to have a constant line of communication with the entrant. In the event of an emergency, the attendant can raise the entrant with the winch.
We recommend that appropriate training from an OSHA certified trainer be conducted prior to entering a confined space. Also, we offer several manuals on correct confined space entry.
