HSE PROCEDURES

CONFINED SPACE RESCUE

CONFINED SPACE
RESCUE
FOR Provision of Turn Around 2019 at Oman Methanol Company
Contract Reference: BEC-FMM-HSEP-2018-003

NAME DESIGNATION SIGNATURE DATE

Asst. Manager
PREPARED BY Alred Owin
(HSE)

REVIEWED BY Bhanodaya V Sr. Manager HSE

Sr. Service
APPROVED BY Sahul Hameed
Manager- FMMD

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 HSE PROCEDURES

CONFINED SPACE RESCUE

REVISION HISTORY
Date Revision Description
10-05-2018 00 CONFINED SPACE RESCUE FOR PROVISION OF TURN AROUND
2019 AT OMAN METHANOL COMPANY(Tender purpose)

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 HSE PROCEDURES

CONFINED SPACE RESCUE

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SECTION DESCRIPTION Page No.

1.0 PURPOSE 4
2.0 SCOPE 4
3.0 DEFINITIONS 4
4.0 RESPONSIBILITY 5
5.0 ASSESSING AND CONTROLLING THE RISK 5

6.0 PROCEDURE 6
7.0 CHECKING, CORRECTIVE AND PREVENTIVE ACTION 7
8.0 RECORDS 7
9.0 REFERENCE DOCUMENTS 7

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 HSE PROCEDURES

CONFINED SPACE RESCUE

1.0 PURPOSE
The purpose of this procedure is to
 Provide the basic understanding of the requirements of Confined Space
Rescue.
 Provide an understanding of the pitfalls with the lack of preplanning at confined
space rescues.
 Review key points associated with a Confined Space Rescue Plan.

2.0 SCOPE
This procedure applies to BEC and its sub-contractors for those projects /
Departments/ Divisions in which the subject task is required to be carried out to meet-
 Legal and regulatory requirements
 Client / project specific HSE requirements
 OHSAS 18001 and ISO 14001 standard requirements
 Company HSE Policy

If the clients have their own procedure on the subject matter and contract requires
following the client specific procedure, that procedure will supersede this procedure
and BEC shall follow project specific client procedure. HSE plan specific to the
project also will supersede this procedure.

3.0 DEFINITIONS
Confined Space:

Confined Space is a space which -

 Is not intended as a regular workplace

 Enclosed and have ability to accumulate and retain hazardous
substances
 Has restricted means of entry or exit
 Is large enough for an employee to enter and perform assigned work.
 Is at atmospheric pressure during occupancy

In addition to the above, the space has at least one of these characteristics –

 Contains or has the potential to contain hazardous atmosphere

 Contains material that has the potential for engulfment or entrapment

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CONFINED SPACE RESCUE

 An internal configuration such that the entrant could be trapped. It
contains any other serious safety or health hazard
 Open-topped spaces (Excavations) of more than 1.2 meters in depth

Confined Space Entry Permit: A document outlining a procedure to restrict

access to a potentially hazardous space for the purpose of work or inspection

Permit Issuer: Is an authority authorized for specific project/ site to issue PTW. It is
the responsibility of the permit issuer to ensure that all requirements of PTW are
met prior to issuing PTW.

Permit Holder: The person responsible for ensuring that all aspects of confined
space procedure are compiled by the personnel involved with the work. The permit
holder shall be trained in the procedure that deems him/her competent to oversee
the work being performed. The permit holder does not have to be a part of the work
group performing the task.

Area Authority: Is the individual who is responsible for the area in which the work
is to be performed and approves the work to commence. The Area Authority shall
be defined for each project with regards to PTW.

Observer: A person who is trained to observe any hazard that exists from around
and in the confined space.

Authorized Entrant: An employee who is authorized by the employer to enter a

confined space

Entrant Supervisor: The person who is responsible for determining if acceptable

entry conditions are present at a confined space where entry is planned, for
authorized entry and overseeing entry operations and monitor the activities till end
of the work inside the confined space.

Authorized Gas Tester: A trained person authorized by the site In-charge to carry
out atmosphere test

Hole watcher: Independent person assigned to control the entry to the confined
space and communicate to superiors and rescue team in case of emergency

Rescue team: Trained team who have Capability to reach the victim(s) in
appropriate timeframe and is equipped for and proficient in rescues, notify the
turnaround manager/ management immediately in the event that the rescue service
becomes unavailable

4.0 RESPONSIBILITY:
The Turn around manager and the TA Safety Manager are responsible for ensuring
that the project is in compliance with the general requirements and those given in
this procedure.
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CONFINED SPACE RESCUE

Turn around manager should ensure dedicated rescue team is selected and are
available during the complete turnaround who have Capability to reach the victim(s)
in appropriate timeframe
Are equipped for and proficient in rescues.

5.0 HAZARDS:
The specific hazards associated with confined spaces are:

 Oxygen deficiency/ Higher Oxygen levels

 Exposure to toxic substances
 Flammable atmosphere (Fire/ Explosion)
 Congested or restricted workplace and while entry/exit
 Heat stress/ lack of ventilation
 Disruption/ lack of communication
 Ingress of liquids or free-flowing powders

Other hazards associated with confined spaces are:

 Slippery and uneven walking surfaces
 Obstacles within the space
 Poor lighting and visibility
 Electricity
 Excessive noise
 Engulfment
 Drowning in deep pockets of liquids
 Radioactive level gauges
 Hit by falling objects
 Presence of internal equipment/machinery (mixers, heat exchangers, etc.)
 Falling from height (columns, etc.);
 Corroded walkways or objects;
 Bacteriological risks (legionella, etc.);
 Poisonous creatures/ Animals (snakes in pits, etc.).

6.0 PROCEDURE:
6.1 Rescue Techniques
I. Non-entry –

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CONFINED SPACE RESCUE

Rescue that is conducted without entry into the confined space. This can be
conducted by the attendant using a rope or winch employer must ensure that
retrieval systems or methods are used whenever an authorized entrants enters a
permit space, the event that nonentry rescue fails.

Retrieval Systems:

Entrant must use a chest or full body harness, with attachment at the back at the
center of the shoulders.
Wristlets can be used.
A mechanical device must be available to retrieve personnel form vertical type
permit spaces more than 5 feet deep

II. Entry by rescue team of the company

A dedicated team shall be available in all the shifts to conduct rescues.

In this case:
 All members of the team must be specially trained in confined space rescue
work,
 The team must have at least one member certified in CPR and first aid(which
may also include the medical team of OMC who will be informed to be
present at the site),
 All members of the team must be trained in the techniques and equipment
for specific confined spaces

III. Entry by others

It may be like the Civil defense/Fire Department when need or in case of multiple
incidents or failure to rescue from the current team
The execution team needs to make the external rescuers familiar with the types of
confined spaces located in the facility,
 The hazards they may encounter,
 The entry means into the confined spaces,
 the types of rescue equipment to effect a rescue and
 the types of PPE required for any potential rescue.
 Fire Department would also need to be notified when an entry is taking
place.
 You should exit if they call and have a fire or another emergency call.

6.2 Rescue Gears

Based on the type of confined space, the rescue team will involve in advising the
minimum gears to be made available, some of the gears which will be available
during the shutdown area
 Tripods- Access to vertical entry, – 9-foot height or greater
 Davit

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CONFINED SPACE RESCUE

 Rope access- Used for Primary tool in technical rescue which may vary in
construction, material and size. Most commonly used is ½ inch, strength
9,000 lbs. (Static kernmantle (low stretch) – Dynamic kernmantle (high 54
stretch)
 Harness
 Sked/Half Sked
 Rescue Harness (Used for – Fall protection – Confined space rescue, Most
common is Flat nylon webbing – Full body
 Ventilators/ respirators- SCBA (Self Contained Breathing Apparatus) – may
be required to enter some confined spaces or to perform a rescue.There are
special guidelines that must be followed prior to wearing an SCBA. CBA
Wearer Requirements. To wear a SCBA a rescuer would have to provide a
Respirator Clearance or Physician Approval prior to wearing a SCBA. After
the Respirator Clearance the Rescuer would have to be Fit Tested for the
SCBA Unit
 Manlift

Rigging gears will also be available with the rescue team such as
 Slings
 Rescue Basket
 Ropes
 Victim Stabilizers
 Winche/s

Perimeter control gears will also be available with the rescue team such as

 Barrier tape
 Ropes
 Barricades
 Controlling traffic(internal)
 Limiting access to the rescue area to assigned personnel
 Police aid from the port

Other Requirements

 Ready or back up PPE which is used by the execution team for their tasks
 Ready permits for the entrants of list of authorized entrants for rescue
 Medical requirements like medical room, ambulance, first aid

6.3 Communication
The confined space hole watcher, entrant and the supervisor are to be linked with the
confined space rescue team with radio communication (radios to be intrinsically safe)

6.4 Rescue plan & mock up drill

Rescue plan is to be made by the HSE Manager along with the task supervisor and
the rescue team for each confined space entry to ensure the effectiveness of rescue
system during any incident, the factors to be checked are
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CONFINED SPACE RESCUE

Preliminary stage
 Reaction Time – Time between the entrant having a problem requiring
rescue and the hole watchers recognition that the entrant has problem
 Contact Time – The time taken by the attendant to contact the rescue team.
 Response Time – The time taken by the rescuers to arrive at the scene of
the rescue after contact

Rescue stage

 Assessment Time – The time taken by a rescue team to size up the

problem and determine the strategy to perform a safe, efficient rescue.
 Preparation Time – The time taken by a rescue team to set up for the
rescue.
 Rescue Time – The time taken for the team to reach, treat, package, and
evacuate the victim from the confined space.

6.5 Assessment of the situation by rescue team

The rescue team should be in a position to analyise the situation and plan the rescue,
they should be actively involved during the rescue planning of each confined space,
They should be trained and do continuous monitoring of the procedures setup, they
should be aware of
 Hazards Present
 Atmospheric
 Energy Sources
 Entrapment
 Fall
 Fire / Explosion
 Hazardous Material
 Hazard Mitigation
 Risks associated with the rescue
 Length of time to implement any hazard controls
 Distance required for rescue
 Rescue Problem within Capabilities of the Department / Team

6.6 Rescued victim

The rescue team should be able to analyise the condition of the victim, the OMC medical
team is to be informed and the ambulance should be ready during the rescue
In case external agencies like civil defense aid is required should also be informed, points to
be checked are

 Is the victim conscious?

 Is the Victim unconscious?
 Will medical attention be required?
 Will medical personnel need to be notified?
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 HSE PROCEDURES

CONFINED SPACE RESCUE

 What type of rescue equipment will be required to safely remove the victim?
 Is there a timeline associated with the rescue because of the condition of the
victim?

7.0 CHECKING, CORRECTIVE AND PREVENTIVE ACTION

Periodic audits shall be carried out to assess the compliance to the procedure and
effectiveness of the controls. Any deviations shall be reported to Turn around
manager/ Corporate HSE manager & Corrective and preventive action shall be taken.

8.0 RECORDS
S. No. Title Location Retention period
01 Periodic Audit reports on PTW HSE Department at Six months unless
Project site specified by the client
02 Risk assessment register HSE Department at Six months unless
Project site specified by the client

9.0 REFERENCE DOCUMENTS

 BEC/HSE/L2/03- Emergency Response procedure
 BEC/HSE/L2/16 - Permit To Work (PTW) Procedure
 BEC/HSE/L2/16 – Journey Management
 Confined space rescue flow chart
 Confined space rescue checklist

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document is not controlled unless stamped as “CONTROLLED COPY” in RED.