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impact your decision on confined space rescue methods. I have never been a fan of OSHA’s term “Non-Entry Rescue.” I
prefer to use the term “Non-Entry Re- trieval.” Why? Because in my years of ex- periences with confined space incidents, when we extract a conscious person in the event of a prohibited condition in or around the space, it is retrieval, not a res- cue. Extracting an unconscious entrant is much more difficult, can be life threaten- ing, and requires trained, certified and ex- perienced personnel to “rescue”. The term “Non-Entry Rescue” suggests a false sense of security that you can just “pull people out”—but it’s not that simple. Train your workers for both non-entry rescue and entry rescue.
Without understanding the ins and outs and ups and downs of Non-Entry Rescue, employers are left unprepared to respond when “retrieval” becomes a rescue.
Chris Koester is a safety consultant and owner of Priority One Safe-T, LLC, an emergency response and rescue services
and safety training firm for industrial and manufacturing companies. Chris has over 21 years of experience as a rescuer and is an internationally recognized expert in confined space entry and rescue. Addition- ally, Chris and his team of active and re- tired firefighters lead Confined Space Entry and Rescue classroom courses and hands- on technical training for employers from across the world.
Dave Carter is a safety instructor and member of the Confined Space Rescue team for Priority One Safe-T, LLC. Dave has over 20 years of experience in the Pub- lic Fire Service field and is a Hazardous Materials Technician for the Homeland Se- curity Regional Response Team for South- west Missouri Region D which covers 19 counties and a member of the Southwest Missouri Incident Support Team. Dave is a Rescue Team leader, experienced and certi- fied in numerous types of rescue categories, and a certified Fire Instructor.
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