It is 24 years after OSHA promulgated it’s Permit-Required Confined Space standard and then in 2015 OSHA promulgated their Confined Spaces in Construction standard and yet we continue to see more “would-be rescuers” dying in Permit-Required Confined Spaces as do actual “entrants”. We can only hope that one-day worker training and awareness will end the “would-be rescuer” scenarios; however, that may require a change in humanity, for the worst. As Safety Professionals we MUST continue to raise awareness and improve training for wider audiences if we have any hope in stopping these kinds of tragedies…
At 11:00 a.m. on July 7, 2017, Employee #1was attempting to dislodge a 24-inch rubber plug from a 2-foot diameter sewer pipe located inside a 24-foot deep wet well. The workers were outside the well pulling on a 1/4-inch nylon rope that was attached to the 24-inch diameter plug. The plug was lodged inside a T-shaped PVC fitting from the force of the wastewater emptying into the well. Without conducting any atmospheric testing of the work space, Employee #1 climbed down the ladder with a crowbar to dislodge the deflated 24-inch diameter rubber plug, which was about 8 feet below the top of the well. He had difficulty releasing the plug with the crowbar and started to make his way up the ladder. He lost consciousness when he was about 2 feet from the top of the well and fell into the 24 foot deep well. Employee #2 descended down the ladder…
