1. INTRODUCTION Special Operations #342 STANDARDOPERATINGPROCEDURES ConfinedSpaceOperations AmendedDate: April29,2014 Studies done by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) show that every year approximately 67 preventable deaths occur in confined spaces. Of these deaths, 60 percent are associated with secondary entries, or would-be rescuers. Those deaths often involve fellow workers who jump into the confined space when they see that their friend and fellow worker are in trouble; but far too many are trained rescuers, fire fighters called to a confined space incident. Of the many confined space standards developed in the U.S., the most frequently applied are the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations contained in Title 29 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). In the U.S., work of any kind within confined spaces is regulated under 29 CFR 1910.146. Within Section 146, two types of confined spaces are identified: (a) confined spaces for which no entry permit is required for workers to enter; and (b) those for which an entry permit is required. OSHA standards, including the Permit Space Standard, are not enforced for public sector employees in all states. Although Massachusetts has not adopted the OSHA standard for public employees, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Division of Occupational Safety recommends that the OSHA Confined Space entry standard be followed as a minimum. 2. PURPOSE The purpose of this SOP is to provide a guideline for response to confined space incidents. It is not the intent of this SOP to describe the specific operational techniques of the Technical Rescue Team (TRT), but rather to provide a guideline for safe and effective operations at a confined space incident. 3. DEFINITIONS 3.1. Confined Space (has all of the following features): It is of a size and configuration making it possible for a worker to enter and perform work. It is not designed for continuous worker occupancy. It has limited or restricted means of entry and exit. 1
SOP # 342 Amended Date: 4.29.2014 3.2. Permit-Required Confined Space (has one or more of the following characteristics): Contains or may contain a hazardous atmosphere. Contains a material that may engulf a person inside. Has an internal shape that could allow a person to be trapped or asphyxiated, such as inwardly converging walls or a floor that slopes downward and tapers to a smaller cross-section. Contains any other recognized serious safety or health hazard. 3.3. Confined Space Entry Permit Explains the hazards in the space and how these hazards will be controlled. An employer who decides that employees will enter permit spaces must develop and implement a written permit space program that complies with applicable standards. At a minimum, confined space entry permits must include the following ten items: The date and time of entry The purpose of the entry The confined space covered by the permit How long the permit is valid Names of workers capable of being confined space entrants Names of worker(s) designated as the confined space attendants Name of the confined space entry supervisor Lockout/tagout procedures Emergency telephone numbers Special conditions/requirements, such as hot work permits 3.4. Technical Rescue Incident Command Technical rescue fits within the standard Incident Command System (ICS) approach to incident management. ICS is an organizational tool that provides a standard system to manage resources, coordinate operations among units, and monitor scene safety. See Figure 2 in SOP 340 (Structural Collapse). 3.5. Operating Control Zones There are three operating control zones as defined below: 3.5.1. Hot (Restricted) Zone This is the immediate area of the confined space site. The size of this zone shall initially be set to within the perimeter of the confined space location or greater depending upon any additional hazards present. Only members from the Technical Rescue Team (TNT) shall be allowed in this area. 3.5.2. Warm (Limited Access) Zone This area is immediately outside the hot zone. The warm zone shall have all the necessary tools, emergency lighting, and supplies needed to affect the rescue operation. It shall include the TRT s equipment staging area and companies in direct support of the TRT as well as the Safety Chief. The size of this zone shall be initially set at 100 feet if possible and can be adjusted as the incident progresses. 2
SOP # 342 Amended Date: 4.29.2014 3.5.3. Cold (Operational and Support) Zone The area immediately outside of the warm zone is the cold zone. This area shall include the IC, Public Information Officer (PIO), support staff, designated fire companies, and a Mobile Command Post. Representatives of the Boston Police, EMS, other city agencies, companies involved in the incident, and utility companies can enter the cold zone at the direction of the IC. The size of the cold zone shall be set by the IC and depends upon the conditions encountered at the particular incident. The outer boundary of this zone, the Crowd Control Line, should be cordoned off from the public. 4. APPLICABLE STANDARDS AND REGULATIONS OSHA 29 CFR 1910.146 Permit Required Confined Spaces 5. RESPONSE TO CONFINED SPACE INCIDENTS On notification of a Confined Space Incident, the Fire Alarm Office (FAO) shall dispatch the nearest first due Engine and Ladder Companies, a Technical Rescue Team with Technical Rescue Support Unit 1 or 2, District Chief, Safety Chief and Rehabilitation Unit. The following District Chiefs and companies are members of the Technical Rescue Team: District 6 District 9 Rescue 1 Rescue 2 Engine 10 6. PHASES OF RESCUE OPERATIONS Engine 28 Tower Ladder 3 Engine 42 Safety Chief Tower Ladder 10 Generally there are four phases of rescue operations at confined space incidents: Phase I Assessment on Arrival Phase II Pre-Rescue Operations Phase III Rescue Operations Phase IV Termination 6.1. Phase I Assessment On Arrival The Commanding Officer of the first arriving company shall: 6.1.1. Notify the FAO upon arrival 6.1.2. Implement the Incident Command System (ICS) 6.1.3. Make an initial size-up of the area 6.1.4. Gather as much information as possible from witnesses and/or employees: How many victims are there? Are they injured or merely trapped? How long have they been down? Is the victim(s) involved in an engulfment environment? Are they conscious, and if so, can they communicate? 3
SOP # 342 Amended Date: 4.29.2014 Are they all in the same confined space? Is there an entry permit available? Are there any atmospheric hazards? 6.1.5. Control the Scene If the information gathered confirms that a legitimate rescue emergency exists, the area should be organized into three operating control zones labeled as hot, warm, and cold (See Figure 1). The crowd control line begins at the outer perimeter of the cold zone. This organization of the scene will reduce congestion and confusion around the rescue area thereby reducing the number of members in the hot zone. 6.2. Phase II Pre-Rescue Operations This phase includes making the rescue operation as safe as possible along with finalizing the rescue action plan, gathering the necessary resources, monitoring and managing the atmosphere in the confined space, making the confined space stable enough to safely enter, and ensuring that there is adequate communications capability to allow the rescue action plan to be implemented safely. Only the specially trained TRT shall be used during this phase. 6.3. Phase III Rescue Operations This phase involves entry into the confined space so it is necessary to use a personnel accounting system. In addition, Phase III involves searching for victims, treating them prior to their extrication, and extricating them. Only the specially trained TRT shall be used during this phase. The TRT are the only members in the Boston Fire Department trained for entry-type rescues in a confined space. 6.4. Phase IV Termination This phase involves the accounting of all rescue personnel, and the retrieving of equipment used in the operation. Only the specially trained TRT shall be used during this phase. 4
SOP # 342 Amended Date: 4.29.2014 Figure 1: Operating Control Zones ColdZone WarmZone HotZone Distance=area withinconfined space Distance=100ft. DistancesetbyIC 5