Duties of Authorized Attendant - Evacuation Conditions

The authorized attendant must communicate with the entrant when necessary. The attendant must know the status of each entrant. The attendant must also alert the entrants if they need to evacuate the space.

The attendant must constantly evaluate the situation both inside and outside of the confined space to make sure that the working conditions are still safe for the entrants. If the attendant notices any of the following conditions, he or she must order the entrant to leave the confined space:

• Prohibited conditions (for example, any safety precaution your employer was supposed to implement but did not, or something that was not accounted for in the original assessment)
• Behavior that indicates that an entrant has been exposed to a hazard (which is why it is so important to know the signs, symptoms, and behaviors of exposure)
• A situation outside the space that could endanger the entrant (for example, flooding, or an unauthorized tractor moving toward the entrance of the confined space)
• Any additional reason why you can no longer safely perform your duties as attendant

To learn more about Confined Spaces visit our Construction Confined Spaces Online Training web page.