Confined Spaces

GregCO · Jan 18, 2017

This story made me wonder why people are not better trained and why gas monitors are not used for every confined space entry even if we think it is not a problem. Three men did not go home to their families.

Greg
Confined Spaces

David G · Jan 18, 2017

I am sure the first guy broke protocol,it is human nature to rescue someone, do not know if I would not have gone if after him

Patsdeere · Jan 18, 2017

Real simple. I see it at work all the time. It has never happened to us before and won't start now.

Russ from MN · Jan 18, 2017

The paper mill that I retired from had very strict rules and a lot of training on that very thing. To go down into a confined space you had to have a harness on that was connected to a winch above the hole. Not the most comfortable working conditions but safe. Every confined space had to be tested before we went in and I don't recall anyone ever being winched out. Even if it was horizontal entry there had to be a person outside at all times and if they lost communication with the entrant they were to call the safety brigade immediately.

GregCO · Jan 18, 2017

As hard is it is we never go in for a man down without the proper PPE and training. It just makes for another loss of life. H2s kills in seconds without the proper PPE at very low levels. I would not want to be the EHS guy responsible for these three people's training or lack of. Allot of hard to answer questions are going to be asked.

Greg

Billy Shafer · Jan 18, 2017

When ever I had to go into a confined space. We set up a blower,let it blow in air a half hour before we were allowed to go in.Then had one man outside to handle the rope.

GregCO · Jan 18, 2017

Russ, you are right. No exceptions made. No amount of production loss or restoration of service loss is worth someone being a hero and losing their life. This event is just poor training or people thinking "It won't happen to me" even if they have been trained and refuse to take appropriate measures. Had this space been checked out before entry was made and procedures followed everybody would have went home to their families.

David G · Jan 18, 2017

I am lucky, have never been in that situation.

TominKy · Jan 18, 2017

In 1985, three sewer workers and a Radcliffe police officer died in Louisville, Ky. , as one after another went in to render aid. At the plant where I worked, and served on the ERT, this incident and others were refered to often, with strong admonition not to repeat this behavior, even if its your best friend in trouble. No one was allowed to go into a confined space with proper equipment and an attendant with a retrieval device. I commend the company for implementing this policy and sticking with it. Sadly these cases are all too common, and its only human nature to try to rescue another.
God Bless all concerned.

TominKy · Jan 18, 2017

oops should proofread my replies better, Meant to say without proper equipment

LAA · Jan 18, 2017

Hard to tell from the information given in the story whether entering confined spaces was part of their regular job duties or not. Maybe they have never been trained or did not recognize the danger. In my experience, a person has to get old enough to understand how fleeting life is before they really start to make safe work habits a priority, most of us get to that stage by luck, but some ain't as lucky.

Billy NY · Jan 19, 2017

Nothing to fool with. I rescued a co worker who would have went down, and I knew I could not go in there if he did. Thankfully he was able to lock hands with me and I was able to assist him to get out of the manhole being inspected. There was a force sewer main passing through it, no fumes but the oxygen was likely depleted. I was directed to inspect 175 manholes in this new prison and although I knew confined spaces were dangerous, we had no formal training. Some of the crap people are told to do with no training and it was not the first time. Lonely feeling knowing if he slipped away, he would not have made it.

showcrop · Jan 19, 2017

It does not have to be a confined space. It has happened in manure lagoons in hot calm weather.

Blackhole49 · Jan 19, 2017

I retired from a small (pop. 10,000) city 5 1/2 years ago. We had confined space entry permits for 15 years. No entry was done without ventilation, testing and a fall/retrieval system. No excuse for this type of accident today, especially a fire fighter. I guarantee you there will be some heavy fines issued.

Spook · Jan 19, 2017

These guys were contractors, probably from some small, local company. I'll bet they never had the training.

dhermesc · Jan 19, 2017

Its been my experience that some employees will cut corners when they think no one is looking. A month ago a local contractor lost an operator that jumped into a trench to check his work. They had a trench box sitting right beside the hole that they had delivered with the excavator specifically for that job. The trench collapsed killing him with the trench box 10 feet away.

ss55 · Jan 19, 2017

Tragic.

buickanddeere · Jan 19, 2017

Lack of training, managers not wanting to pay for a Draeger to sample the confined space with, a belief that they are nearly imortal and impervious to danger and a rush to get the job done.

dr sportster · Jan 19, 2017

They must have been untrained in confined space. Some formen do complain when you insist on a sniffer [ I made one guy drive across the state to get one before I would go in]. If you read it even the fourth guy a trained fireman is in critical condition. These are jobs where shortcuts will kill you. Gas was from rotting vegetation and is common in manholes.

dr sportster · Jan 19, 2017

We tried to winch a fairly light guy up out of a manhole once for testing and it was impossible to crank him out. So the sniffer outweighs the harness , although both are required.

Greg1959 · Jan 19, 2017

Every year we had to go through Confined Space re-certification.

One guy was down in the pit working on a dyno, when a small fire broke out. them Watchman up top saw the fire and grabbed the fire extinguisher and shot it at the fire to put it out.

Unbeknownst to him, it was a Halon extinguisher. The guy in the pit dropped like a sack of rocks. Guy called for help and we got the guy out of the pit and revived him. Confined spaces are dangerous.

old popper · Jan 19, 2017

I lost a childhood friend about 30 years ago in an identical situation. He was the second man in (to rescue the 1st), if I remember right, they lost 3 that time also.

WGM · Jan 19, 2017

I'll bet those contractors don't follow any of the other OSHA regulations either. Too inconvenient and besides, OSHA's main mission is to put companies out of business. Want proof of this statement? Just ask about 90% of the posters here on YT.

WGM · Jan 20, 2017

I'll bet those contractors don't follow any of the other OSHA regulations either. Too inconvenient and besides, OSHA's main mission is to put companies out of business. Want proof of this statement? Just ask about 90% of the posters here on YT.

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