Confined Space Entrant Responsibilities

Entrants must enhance their knowledge of skills in confined space environments through training and experience. Entrants are those most at risk since they enter the confined space and encounter potential hazards. It is crucial that you speak up if you feel your training and experience are inadequate to enter a confined space. Let us now look at appropriate procedures outlined in 1910.146(h).

Pre-entry

An entrant has the following responsibilities during pre-entry:

• Be qualified based on knowledge and training.
• Be assigned and authorized by the supervisor to enter a PRCS.
• Have read the PRCS Written Program and Entry Permit.
• Know the configuration of the confined space you will be entering; ask your supervisor to review schematics or diagrams with you.
• Know the hazards that you may be faced with in the confined space, including signs, symptoms, and consequences of exposure to hazards.

Entry

An entrant has the following responsibilities during the actual entry stage of the process:

• Use personal protective equipment (PPE) properly. An entrant must wear a full-body harness with retrieval lines attached to his or her back, head, or wristlet when in a confined space. If there is a remote possibility of atmospheric contaminant play it safe and wear a self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA).
• Monitor the environment for oxygen, combustibles, and toxic environments, and check for configuration and engulfment hazards.
• Stay in constant communication with the attendant. Maintain communication through visual, radio, audio, or tethered contact with the confined space attendant. It is essential that the attendant be able to monitor the entrant in case the attendant needs to alert the entrant to evacuate. Plan on back-up devices or signals, such as a tug on the rescue rope to indicate need of retrieval or rescue.
  • If an alarm is activated, communication is lost, unknown hazards are exposed, or the entry is terminated, you must exit the confined space immediately.
• Immediately relay any information or awareness of a dangerous situation to the attendant, and exit the confined space immediately.
• Evacuate as quickly as possible from a confined space if an attendant or supervisor advises you.

Post-Entry

Upon exiting a PRCS, the first duties of an entrant are to repair the equipment and resupply. The most important post-entry activity is the after action report. You, along with your team, must evaluate how the entry went and must consider the following:

• Hazard identification techniques
• Training deficiencies
• Personnel deficiencies
• Equipment deficiencies and failures
• Rescue deficiencies

This information is crucial to improve the entry program and its components to enable more efficient safety procedures during the entry process.

To learn more visit our Confined Space Online Training web page.