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SAFETY MOMENT, JUNE 19

Never go in after a downed worker

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Safety moment, June 19

Never go in after a downed worker

Confined spaces can look harmless from the outside. The air inside can be short on oxygen or hold toxic or flammable gas you may not see or smell, and loose material like sand or grain can bury a worker. When someone goes down, the natural reaction is to rush in and help, and that can turn one victim into two.

SAFETY MOMENT

June 19

The hazard

Confined spaces can look harmless from the outside. The air inside can be short on oxygen or hold toxic or flammable gas you may not see or smell, and loose material like sand or grain can bury a worker. When someone goes down, the natural reaction is to rush in and help, and that can turn one victim into two.

The action

If an entrant collapses, every instinct says go in after them. Without the right training, air supply and equipment, you can become the next victim. In construction, confined space training must teach workers who are not authorized to do entry rescues about the dangers of trying one. Call for rescue, use the retrieval line from outside if one is rigged, and keep everyone else out. (29 CFR 1926.1207(a))

ASK THE CREW

Who on this crew is trained as an entrant, an attendant or an entry supervisor?

From the talk: Confined spaces. Read it in full, free, with the questions and the sign-in sheet.

HOW TO USE IT

How to give a safety moment

  1. Gather the crew where they work, before the shift or the meeting starts. Read the hazard out loud.
  2. Ask the question and let two or three people answer. What they say about their own work counts for more than what you read.
  3. Name the action and point to one place on today's job where it applies, so everyone knows what to do differently.
  4. Write the date and the names on a sign-in sheet.

A safety moment is short and does not replace the full talk. When you want to go through a topic with the crew, pick a free toolbox talk.

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