813 Construction Worksite Safety

Rescue and Emergency Services

Entry Rescue

If non-entry rescue is not feasible, the only way to rescue the entrant is for others to enter the permit space. For entry rescue, the employer may plan to use an on-site rescue team consisting of its own or contractor’s employees or an off-site rescue service.

The employer must contact the rescue service prior to entry and inform them of the nature of the space and the hazards involved. A standby rescue team may be required when the entrant is working in an atmosphere that is immediately dangerous to life or health (IDLH) and is wearing an airline respirator or a self-contained breathing apparatus.

Attendant duties: An attendant must be stationed outside the permit space to summon help if needed. If the original attendant enters the space as part of the rescue team, a new attendant must be in position before the first attendant enters the space.

Rescue and emergency services: The off-site rescue service must have the ability and equipment to carry out a rescue in the particular permit space or type of permit space in which the entrant is working in a timely manner. It must be able to respond in a timely manner whenever an entrant is in the permit space.

Training: The employer must always ensure that the team members have received the training required for authorized entrants and have also been trained to perform their assigned rescue duties. Requirements for training include:

• The employer must provide the rescue team members with personal protective and rescue equipment.
• All rescuers must be trained in first aid and CPR.
• At least one rescue team member must be certified in first aid and CPR.
• The team must practice rescue at least yearly and be given access to permit spaces to practice.
• Rescuers also must be informed of the hazards of the permit space before they enter the space.
• The rescue service must agree to notify the employer in the event the service becomes unavailable.

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