Rescue training road trip
High Plains AVTS aims to reduce confined space injuries and fatalitiesEvery year, more than 1.6 million Americans enter empty oil tanks, grain elevators, underground manholes or other confined spaces as part of their normal workplace routine. Some of them won't come back. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) reports more than 13,000 American workers are injured annually in confined space accidents, 5,000 of those seriously. About 60 will die. A confined space is defined by OSHA as an area that is big enough to permit a person to enter, has limited means of entrance and exit, and is not designed for human occupancy. Oklahoma has more than its share of confined space-related injuries. Last year, 104 job-related fatal accidents were reported by the Oklahoma Bureau of Labor. Some of those are confined space related. High Plains Tech in Woodward aims to lower these statistics
through its new industry-driven confined space entry and rescue training program. "Many of these accidents - and the resulting loss of life - are preventable," said Don Dale, High Plains superintendent. Dale said High Plains' interest in reducing confined space injuries and fatalities is motivated by being located the heart of oil, agriculture and manufacturing industries. Workers in these industries go into confined space areas daily. Because of this, the school worked in partnership with the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education and several companies, to develop a new safety instructor training program featuring a one-of-a-kind mobile Confined Space Entry and Rescue Program Training Simulator. Funding and expertise for the training program and mobile unit are provided by a number of agencies and companies. They include: Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education, High Plains Tech, Sonat Exploration, Foam Tech, Med Safe, Pool Well Service, WellTech, Amoco, and Marathon Oil and Gas, International Manufacturing Structures, and Unihoist of Canada.
The simulator, which measures seven-by-twenty-by-six-foot and is steel-reinforced, can replicate many different vertical or horizontal rescue situations. It is built to travel across Oklahoma to help train employees in potentially hazardous jobs. "The simulator was built to support other area schools in their training efforts," said Bill Jackson, assistant superintendent of High Plains. "But the training of instructors only takes place here at High Plains." It is important that the would-be rescuers are well-trained, since more than 60 percent
of all confined space fatalities are the result of workers attempting to rescue
co-workers. "Some companies just want to make employees aware of hazards, while others go more in-depth in training and may form rescue teams," said Mark Christensen, High Plains job training and safety coordinator. "Rescues should be well planned and drills should be frequently conducted," Christensen said. "Unplanned rescue, such as when someone instinctively rushes in to help a downed co-worker, can easily result in a multiple fatality." The instructor-trainees learned how to identify and deal with physical hazards such as extreme temperatures and noise. They also learned, first, how to protect themselves, so they can rescue trapped victims. They were also taught to recognize and handle potentially lethal and combustible gases.
"Trainees are taught never to trust their senses to determine if the air in a confined space is safe, since many toxic gases and vapors cannot be seen and have no smell," he said. The first class of instructors to be certified on the unit came from across Oklahoma, Texas and Kansas. Now that the first class has been certified, the unit can hit the road for training programs, Christensen said. He said that the unit is booked weekly at a wide variety of industries and area Technology Centers through March. For information on scheduling the confined entry and rescue training simulator program in your area call Mark Christensen, High Plains training coordinator at 580-571-6117. |
"The addition of this mobile unit places Oklahoma's vocational education
on the leading edge for training private and public employees," said 
"Designated rescuers must be trained and follow established emergency
procedures - using appropriate equipment and techniques," Christensen said.
"Trainees learn when and how to test the atmosphere, how to ventilate the space to
remove harmful gases and vapors, and when to use respirators for the job."|
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