Consultant Craig Schroll recalls a worker entering an oxygen-deficient, open-top vessel filled with argon. Lacking well-trained entry supervision, he was not required to take special precautions, and soon passed out in the ladle and died.
"This would not have happened in a properly run safety program. No one would have been hurt or killed," says Schroll. Entry supervisors and attendants assess degree of risk and decide who shall and who shall not enter your confined spaces, and for what reason. If conditions are hazardous, both have life-or-death responsibilities. If something goes wrong, they'll have serious questions to answer. It's a critical job, but many confined space programs don't get a second look once they're up and running. With operational changes and employee turnover, do you have confidence in your supervisors and attendants?