Confined Space Rescue Team & Standby Services
A rescue team standing at your entry point, not driving toward it.
PMI stages a trained rescue team at the opening for the length of the permit. Tripod or davit rigged, winch on the line, atmosphere monitored, radios up, and the entrants watched by people whose only job that day is getting them out.
The record
- 1910.146the OSHA permit required confined space standard we work to
- CPR / AEDand First Aid trained technicians at the entry point
- 4 gasoxygen, LEL, hydrogen sulfide and carbon monoxide monitored
- 100%of PMI field crews certified in confined space rescue
- 24/7dispatch, 365 days a year
- 50+ yrsin the field
The problems this ends
A rescue plan that names the local fire department and has never been tested against your entry point.
A response time measured from a station nobody ever asked how long it takes to reach the unit.
Work stopped at the permit desk because there is no rescue coverage for the shift.
Entrants in a space with one obstructed opening, and a retrieval line nobody has tried on it.
Rescue coverage bought at a third party day rate on a job where the PMI cleaning crew is already certified and manned for it.
Scope of work
What you get
OSHA 1910.146 requires rescue capability for every permit required confined space. Naming the local fire department satisfies that on paper, but most industrial sites sit outside a response time that matters, and municipal departments do not train on the space you are asking them to enter. Our technicians are trained in Basic OSHA Confined Space to 1910.146, and they run a drill on your space before the permit opens.
Standby rescue at the entry point
A dedicated team staged at the opening for the duration of the permit, rigged and briefed before the first entrant goes in.
Non entry retrieval
Tripods, davit arms and winches set on the opening, so an entrant can be brought out without a second person going in after them.
Entry rescue and extraction
Rope rescue, patient packaging and litter extraction for the spaces where retrieval from outside will not work.
Atmospheric monitoring and ventilation
Multi gas monitoring for oxygen, LEL, hydrogen sulfide and carbon monoxide, with blowers on the space and readings carried through the permit.
First aid on site
Technicians trained in First Aid, CPR and AED, with basic first aid kits at the opening until the space is closed.
Site specific drills
A mock rescue run on the actual space before the permit opens, so the rigging, the route and the radio traffic are proven instead of assumed.
Rescue plan and permit support
We work to your rescue plan, or write one for the space if there is none, and we take your lockout and tagout program through your site specific orientation.
Equipment on the truck
Intrinsically safe radios, full body harnesses, SCBA and supplied air respirators, litters and first aid kits, all brought to the job by PMI.
Questions we get
Confined Space Rescue Team & Standby Services FAQs
Why not just call 911?
Because the standard asks whether that rescue service can reach your entrant in time, and most sites cannot answer yes. Municipal departments are built for structures and vehicles, they may be a long drive from your gate, and they do not train on your vessels. OSHA expects you to evaluate that before you rely on it.
How fast can your team reach an entrant?
The team is already at the opening, so the clock starts at the rigging, not at a dispatch call. Actual retrieval time depends on the space, the opening and the entrant's condition, which is what the pre entry drill is for.
How does your crew work with our lockout and tagout?
We adopt yours. PMI technicians take your site specific orientation and follow your lockout and tagout program, your permits and your isolation procedure. We do not bring a competing system onto your site.
What if the entry point is obstructed or the space is awkward to reach?
That is the case we plan for first. Anchor points, rigging and the retrieval path get set before the permit opens, and the team runs a mock rescue on the actual space. Where a straight vertical retrieval will not work, they are trained and equipped for rope rescue and litter extraction.
Whose rescue plan governs the job?
Yours, if you have one, and we train to it. If the space has no written plan, we will write one and walk it with your permit writer before anybody enters.
Do we have to buy cleaning from PMI to get rescue coverage?
No. Standby rescue is sold on its own for clients running their own entry crews. Bundled is usually cheaper: when PMI is already doing the cleaning, our crews are certified in confined space rescue and the coverage rides on the same ticket instead of a separate day rate.
What training do your rescue technicians hold?
Basic OSHA Confined Space training to 1910.146, rope rescue, confined space operations, First Aid, CPR and AED, and Hazmat awareness. Everybody drills on the space before the permit opens.
What equipment comes with the team?
Tripods, davit arms and winches, multi gas detectors, blowers, intrinsically safe radios, full body harnesses, SCBA and supplied air respirators, litters and first aid kits.
Who hires PMI for confined space rescue?
Petrochemical plants, refineries, power generation, manufacturing plants, drilling contractors, operators and tank terminals. Anywhere a permit required space has to be entered on a schedule.
Tell us about the space.
Send the space, the opening and the dates the permit runs. We will tell you what the standby team looks like, and whether bundling it with the cleaning scope brings the cost down. Dispatch answers around the clock.
