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So, we are now at the point where we are looking at our pre-entry checks. We know somebody has got to go down into that confined space. My colleague here, Jim, obviously all set up and prepared to go in. Because he is going down into that confined space environment, there must be somebody on the outside, who is there known more commonly as either a top man or a standby man. He will have the duty of making sure that these checks are done. His checks must be making sure that there is a good communication between him and the guy that is going into the confined space and also, if, in case of an emergency, he needs to contact anybody, such as 999.

So, my pre-entry checks with Jim, first of all, are going to be very simple. What I want to do is make sure I have got his name spelt correctly, then I need to check his equipment, starting with his escape set as we can see here. I want to make sure that the bag is in good condition. Check the strap that is going around him is in good condition. And last but not least, I need to check to make sure that the gauge is on green showing he has got a full amount of air inside that cylinder in the bag. Once I have checked that, on my checklist, I will just give it a little tick alongside his name. I then want to look at his harness. I want a quick look at his harness to make sure I am happy with that to make sure it is fitting him well. I want to make sure I cannot see any visual damage and making sure I am happy with the harness that he is wearing.

I then, obviously, will make sure now I check that saying that I am happy with that. And the last tick that a harness will be when I actually clip him on to make the entry. I then also need to look at other things that are to do with his personal protective equipment, such as his helmet, his gloves, making sure he has got his gloves on, and ensuring that his boots are in good condition as well, because I do not want any steel showing on his toe caps, and in a lot of environments where we do work now, we have to have lace-up boots that give ankle protection. Once I have done that, obviously, I will speak to Jim then about what the job entails, so as he is aware of the hazards and the risks involved in the environment that he is going in to, to make sure he is happy with the task he has got to carry out. And last but not least, I will be asking him if he has anything on him that could be a potential spark. So, I would want to know if he has any matches, lighters, mobile phones, or anything that is not intrinsically safe because it could have a potential... It could cause a potential change to the atmosphere when he is actually in that confined space.

And then, last but not least, what will happen is, as he enters, I will make sure that he is attached because when we are working at a height, we do need to make sure that we have full protection in place. In our case, as you can see behind us, we are using what they call a fall arrest retrieval block, which will allow him to take a fall, but it will minimize the distance and consequences of that fall. And then, it will allow me then, if need be, to actually wind him out of that confined space and get him onto an extraction point, away from that confined space, and then give him the medical attention he may require there and then whilst I would wait for the emergency services to arrive.