Competencies

 

The Duties of those Involved in Confined Space work

The Occupational Health and Safety Act outline specific duties that must be performed when working in confined spaces.  Those duties are:

1.      Any person assigned to work inside the space must:

• Have the hazards communicated to them
• Follow the company’s Confined Space Procedures
• Use or wear the appropriate protective clothing and equipment
• Report any equipment defect or the absence of equipment
• Follow any evacuation orders
• If they react in any abnormal way to the environment, they must leave the space immediately

2.      Any person assigned the duty of Vessel Watch must:

• Remain outside the confined space at all times while anyone is inside
• Maintain voice communications (and if possible visual contact) with the worker(s) inside
• Ensure worker(s) follow the Procedures and notify the Supervisor if they don’t
• Order the worker(s) out if, in their judgement, the space is not safe to work in
• In the event of an emergency, they will call for assistance and wait at their station until help arrives

3.      Any person assigned the duty of the “Competent Person/Supervisor” must:

• Ensure personnel are trained and have a copy of the company’s Confined Space Procedures
• Evaluate the work area for potential hazards
• Plan and organize the task ensuring acceptable work conditions to protect the workers from injury
• Quantify chemical exposure (eg. gas detection) & record the results in a "Permanent Record"
• Certify in the Record that the space is free of hazard and will remain so while is there working.
• Provide appropriate equipment (eg. gas detector, retrieval systems etc.) to perform the work
• Review the hazards with the workers performing the job
• Ensure their instructions are being followed and equipment is working properly
• Store the Record for one year if there is no exposure, and forever if there was chemical exposure
• Ensures everyone follows the rules and correct as required

 
4.      Any person assigned the duty of the Rescuer must:

• Have a plan detailing emergency procedures & instructions on to get a worker from the space
• Ensure the appropriate retrieval equipment is ready as required to perform any necessary rescue.
• Can physically extricate an injured or entangled worker from the space
• Perform first aid services as required by an injured worker