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We have now come to the situation where somebody is actually working down in the confined space and they are already attached, but something has happened to them. Well, under the confined space regulations, it does state that if the in case of an emergency, if anything was to happen to somebody, there must be a way that we can actually get them out of that environment. For us, in the situation we are in now because he has been totally attached, he has gone down on what we call free climb, something has happened to him. What we have got to do now is change this piece of equipment over here, so as it allows me to take him out by winching him up. How I do that is by literally pulling this pin here. When I pull this pin out, it allows me to push the handle in. Once I have pushed the handle in and I release the pin, it then allows me to use this to wind the person out of the confined space environment.
As you can see, the casualty that we are using at the present is a 50-kilo mannequin, and you can see how hard it... How difficult it can be just to wind somebody out as an individual. Fully attached, and it is actually attached to its extension webbing, which is what we would actually use if we were to attach somebody down below. If he was actually being lowered down, we would not attach that extension webbing, because it is not designed for shock load, it would have to be to the forefront or the back for the rest point. But because he has actually had something happen down below, he is attached to his extension webbing to allow us to get him out in a more vertical position than he would be if we were attached to our front or back fall arrest point. Out he comes nice and steady, always thinking about the welfare of the casualty is most important.
So, my casualty is now out. One most important thing now is to make sure that I get him safe and we do make that phone call, whether it be to 999 or to a control point where they will send an emergency team to us. Okay, so as you can see now, we have got the casualty above the ground and his feet are more or less clear of where the entry point is, so if I was on my own here, what I could actually do is put the cover back over. If there is no fall point there, and then I can actually lower him gently down to the ground, administer whatever first aid is required, whilst waiting for the emergency services to arrive.
