![]() So in my opinion, asking a millwright or pipe-fitter to don an SCBA and enter an IDLH space under emergency conditions doesn't pass the "Son Test." So what's the Son Test? It's a thought experiment that I use to judge the safety of a given situation. Trying to perform a rescue from a smoke-filled, oxygen-depleted space poses serious risks to even professional firefighters (who are invariably trained to a much higher level than almost all industrial rescue teams). ![]() But if this is the case, shouldn't we be investing our time and resources in changing the design of the space or the work procedures to eliminate the hazard potential? After all, prevention or elimination before the event is a much better way of dealing with hazards than using PPE such as SCBAs.īut what if there's a fire? Shouldn't the rescue team be able to cope with that hazards? I'm not so sure. We must begin by asking whether the space in question has a potential for developing an IDLH atmosphere due to the design or the work activities. So which locations need to develop and maintain this high-level of rescue? Clearly any employer who sends workers into IDLH spaces to perform work (common in the petroleum and chemical industries) must have rescuers standing by the space ready and equipped to retrieve the entrants (according to the respiratory protection standard).īut what about a plywood mill or a food processing plant or any of the many other locations which do not send workers into IDLH atmospheres? Training and equipping teams who can perform at this level requires a major commitment of time and money. These operations are technically demanding since that they expose the rescuers to the same IDLH hazards that overcame the patient. Typically, removing patients from IDLH environments requires rescuers equipped with supplied-air respirators and other PPE. This designation is usually applied to atmospheric hazards such as low oxygen levels or high concentrations of toxins. These hazards are basically those which have an immediate impact on the health of the entrant and prevent him or her from exiting the space. One question is whether the confined space regulations require them to develop and maintain the capability to remove an entrant from a permit space that contains hazards that are Immediately Dangerous to Life and Health (IDLH). Performing effective rescues from permit spaces that are IDLH (Immediately Dangerous to Life and Health) while wearing SCBAs is a technically demanding undertaking. This is a reasonable approach and speaks to the fact that OSHA simply specifies that there be a means of rescue, but aren't going to specify how to train and equip the team which can leave an employer with lots of questions. ![]() The short answer, according to OSHA, is that the employer must evaluate the specific permit spaces, their hazards, and associated work activities, and then determine the types of equipment and training needed. But employers, who are rarely rescue experts, often do not know how these teams should be equipped and trained. The requirement to provide a means of rescue when workers enter permit-required confined spaces is well known aspect of the OSHA regulations. IDLH Spaces Rescue is technically demanding.
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