In 2006, America watched transfixed as 13 coal miners were trapped in the Sago Mine in Sago, W.V., for nearly two days. That riveting ordeal was only one of many such “coal miners trapped” incidents over the past 20 years.
Unfortunately, electricians also get trapped while on the job. Maybe you’re on a platform installing luminaires in a warehouse when the rolls of paper below you ignite. Will you die from the flames, or will the smoke get you first? What if you had taken note of the hazards and cleared a drive-away path for your lift before ascending, or simply moved the combustibles away first?
Or, maybe it’s not a life-threatening situation. For example, you’re doing some work for a tenant in a commercial building. Thinking you left, the office manager locks the door behind her as the staff leaves for the day. You didn’t leave, however, and now the only way you can leave is through the alarmed emergency exit door. You have your client’s office number, but calling that would not do much good at this point. How could you have prevented this situation? We’ll answer that, shortly.
What if you’re working on the controls for an emergency generator, and a fire triggers the doors to automatically close? Part of the standard exit strategy for such a room is an audible alarm and flashing lights that alert you to immediately leave the room. You need a good exit strategy for wherever you’re working, and that strategy will vary, depending on circumstances. You must assess those circumstances as part of your job planning. The purpose of your exit strategy is to prevent you from being trapped when your main exit is blocked or destroyed, or when you can’t use it because you’re injured.
Left Behind
In the “left behind in the client’s office” scenario, having a check-in/check-out procedure would have prevented the problem. The manager looks for every signed in person to see who has not yet signed out — pretty simple.
Let’s add a twist to the original scenario, which has no check-in/check-out procedure. Suppose the office manager called out to you, and you replied. She told you she must lock up. This is also a simple system — but can you rely on it?
Suppose the office manager called out to you and got no reply. She got no reply because you fell from your ladder, struck your head, and lost consciousness. She took your lack of reply to mean you had already left. She locked the place up and left, which means no emergency medical treatment for you until possibly the next day.
Now think about the logic behind safety circuits; they must be actively powered to permit operation. This takes care of things like a broken wire or blown fuse. Mere loss of power would otherwise defeat the system. The same logic applies to your notification system. Loss of response would otherwise defeat it.
A commonly used system for knowing who is in what space at a given time is a sign-in sheet that includes a record of time in and time out. If the time out is blank, the person who signed in is assumed to still be there until that person’s location can be affirmatively determined or a thorough search is concluded. The electronic version of this system has several advantages, especially if combined with a card key system.
You find sign-in systems in fire suppression protected rooms and other potentially deadly spaces. If such a system doesn’t exist where you are working, then improvise. Always make sure someone knows when you entered and will verify your presence (or lack thereof) if something changes (e.g., there’s a fire). Make this rule part of your job planning and execution, regardless of the type of location.
Begin with the Entrance
As you approach the work location, look at the area around it. What do you see that might create a problem? What can you do to reduce the hazard? For example, there are stacks of boxes or other combustibles close to where you’ll be on a scissor lift working on overhead busway. Your first defense would be to move those boxes, at least temporarily.
You see an exit path to the right. What about one to the left? Is it blocked by something you could move? Is it blocked by a locked door you could obtain the key to? What other exit paths do you see?
If you’re going to be at elevation, the exit path issue is more complicated because you must come down. Would it be possible to go up and then out? If there is only one way to leave that elevation, how can you secure that way from being blocked or damaged? Is there anything below you that can rise to harm you? For example, what is the potential for a chemical leak or a fire?
If you can see only one exit, then determine how to create a second one (as in the locked door example).
Consider having an attendant. We do this now for confined entry, but nothing stops you from using an attendant for other situations, such as having to use a scissor lift over combustibles.
Traps Differ
Different types of traps call for different exit strategies. We’ve mentioned working at elevation already. Here are a couple of considerations for your elevation exit strategy:
• Let’s say you’re working in a large attic space. What if there’s a fire between you and your ladder? That question is easy to answer if you had the foresight to place a second ladder at a different opening. What if there isn’t another opening? Before going up there, identify a place where you can make a new emergency opening by kicking out the “floor” of the attic (e.g., drywall or tiles). Also, put a ladder there before going up so that you don’t break your ankle jumping out of that opening. Put a “Do not move” sign on the ladder, explaining why it is there.
• What if it’s a mezzanine and the floor is cement? You’re not going to kick that out to create an alternative exit to the steps or access ladder. What you can do, however, is create an emergency exit by securing a ladder (or maybe a rope) in a way that allows you to go over the railing and down a different side.
Your exit strategy for elevation would be different than that for an equipment vault. And your exit strategy for one equipment vault could be different from that for another equipment vault. Look at the particulars of a given work area, and figure out a Plan B if things go sideways.
Confined entry is another situation where we typically don’t think about an exit plan other than an attendant with extraction gear. If you can get out under your own power, that’s better than being pulled out by your wrists or having to wait for debris to be removed. Suppose you enter a pit through a manhole. Is there a second manhole you could use if the first one became blocked? Is the path to it clear?
Try to remember a space you have worked in, where there a limited way out such as a single exit or lowering the scissor lift platform. Now, try to think of how you could have gotten out if that way had been blocked (lowering a platform into flames is not an option). How many different spaces like this have you encountered on the job? Have you been relying on luck, or have you developed an exit strategy each time?
Ensuring You Can Always Get Out
Rather than assuming the obvious exit will always be available to you, assume it won’t. Examine the space you are entering, and develop an exit strategy that goes beyond going back out the way you came in. You need to consider not just the general type of location (e.g., elevation vs. vault) but also the particulars of the specific location. If there’s only one exit, can you find or create a second one? If you can have only one exit, what can you do to make that exit secure?
Furthermore, make sure a responsible party knows when you entered that space, when to expect you out, and how to verify whether you’re still in there or not.
Lamendola is an electrical consultant located in Merriam, Kan. He can be reached at [email protected].
