You’ve probably heard confined space horror stories a million times. The person inside a confined space becomes unresponsive. The “hole watch” responsible for monitoring the work goes into the confined space to check on their partner and is overcome by the same deadly gas. According to OSHA, these would-be rescuers make up 60 percent of confined space fatalities. It’s a tragic story of trying to help a co-worker based on gut reaction rather than proper safety protocols.
Properly training all workers before they work in or around confined spaces is a must, but in reality, not every job is performed under ideal conditions or with enough information about gas hazards.