The Confined Space Attendant's Most Important Duties
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The attendant has many very important duties and responsibilities during permit-required confined space entries.?In fact, when we look at OSHA 1910.146, the attendant’s list of responsibilities is longer than the entrant’s and entry supervisor’s list of responsibilities.?In this post, we’ll talk about what we believe are the three most important duties of the attendant.
Prevent Unauthorized Persons from Entering Space
By their very definition, permit-required confined spaces have some sort of serious safety or health hazard.?Therefore, the most important duty of the attendant is to prevent unauthorized entry into these spaces.?Entrants must be properly trained, equipped, and authorized to enter the permit-space by their employer and the entry supervisor.
It is especially important that the attendant prevents unauthorized entry during emergency situations.?Over 60% of confined space fatalities are would-be rescuers.?Many, if not all these deaths would have been prevented if an attendant was posted at the entry into the space to prevent them from entering.
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Monitor Activity Inside and Outside of the Space
In addition to communicating with the entrant, the attendant must also monitor the overall activities that are occurring inside and outside of the confined space.?If acceptable entry conditions are no longer present or new safety or health hazards present themselves in or outside of the space, the attendant may have to order the evacuation of the permit-space.?Knowledge of the workplace and hazards is essential so the attendant can help ensure the safety of the entry team of all times.
Summon Rescue and Emergency Services
In the event an emergency occurs inside the permit-space which results in the entrant being unable to self-evacuate, the attendant must summon rescue and emergency services.?While the entry supervisor is responsible for making sure the rescue team is available, it is the attendant’s responsibility to know the procedure to summon them so that they can provide a timely response.?Any delay in summoning the rescue team can result in tragedy for the entrant.
What do you think are the attendant’s most important duties and responsibilities?
Stay safe!