This document outlines the roles, duties, and responsibilities of a standby man for confined space work. It defines a standby man as a competent person assigned to remain outside a confined space to monitor workers inside, communicate with them, operate safety equipment, and initiate emergency procedures if needed. The document discusses confined space hazards and provides examples. It also describes the standby man's responsibilities to continuously monitor workers, order evacuations if needed, summon rescue services in emergencies, and perform non-entry rescues according to procedure. Maintaining effective communication and emergency response capabilities are emphasized as key duties of the standby man position.

1. Roles, Duties and Responsibilities
of a Stand-by Man
Presented
By
Emmanuel Essen
As Part Of The On-going Knowledge Sharing
Amongst Maintenance Teams
In
Nigeria LNG Ltd
June, 2016
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Objectives
At the end of the presentation, the participants will know
 Who is a Standby-man.
 The definition and Characteristics of a confined space.
 Examples of a confined space.
 Different types of risk environment in a confined space.
 Hazards in a confined space.
 Major factors that lead to fatalities in a confined space.
 Qualities of a competent Standby-Man.
 Roles, Duties and Responsibilities of a Standby-man
- Responsibilities of the standby-man at the worksite.
- What should be done when preparing to enter the confined space.
- Duties of the standby-man when the work is ongoing

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Who is a Standby-man
Whenever a confined space job is to be carried out, the team meets and
nominates another worker who is competent and qualified to act as a
Standby-man.
This Standby-man must be properly equipped to carry out this duties
and responsibilities at ease without any hindrance as the fate of all the
team members rest on him.
This standby man must acquired the necessary training will qualified
him to work independently and during emergency situation.
Then, the question is, Who is a Standby-man?

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Therefore, a Standby-man may be defined as a competent person
who is
 Assigned to remain on the outside and in closed proximity to a
confined space.
 Capable of being in continuous communication with and, if
practicable, able to observe persons working inside the confined
space.
 Capable of operating monitoring equipment used to ensure safety
during entry to and working in the confined space.
 Capable of initiating emergency procedures (including rescue
procedures). But the golden rule while working as a standby-man is,
‘NEVER ENTER A CONFINED SPACE TO RESCUE ANY VICTIM’

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The Definition and Characteristics of a confined space
Confined space may be defined as
 The space with limited/restricted opening for entry and exit.
 The space which is not intended for continuous human occupancy or
habitation.
 The space which is large enough for personnel to enter and conduct
work.
Graphically; see next slide

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Restricted entry or exit
Space is large enough for
Personnel to enter and
conduct work
Space is not intended for
continuous human
habitation
Is a confined space
Is not a confined space
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
No

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Characteristics Of A Confined Space
The following are the characteristics of a confined space;
 It contains or could contain hazardous atmosphere e.g Sewer,
Manhole, Gasoline storage tank etc.
 It contains material that could engulf the person entering into the
space e.g Mole sieve vessel, Activated carbon filter vessel.
 It has a inwardly converging wall or floor that slopes downward
and taper to a small cross section.
 It contains any other recognised safety hazard e.g electrocutio,
loose objects.

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Examples of a confined space

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10. Employer shall ensure that all authorized
entrants:
Know the hazards that may be faced during
entry (mode, signs, symptoms, and
consequences of exposure);
Properly use all required equipment;
Communicate with attendant as necessary
to enable attendant to monitor status and
alert entrants of need to evacuate. Alert
attendant whenever any warning sign or
symptom of exposure to a dangerous
situation or a prohibited condition is
detected.
Exit from permit space as quickly as possible
whenever:
Order to evacuate is given by attendant or
entry supervisor; Entrant recognizes any
warning sign or symptom of exposure to a
dangerous situation;
Entrant detects a prohibited condition; or
Evacuation alarm is activated.
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11. Employer shall ensure that each attendant:
Knows that hazards that may be faced during entry;
Know the possible behavioral effects of hazards;
Continuously maintain accurate count of entrants; Remains
outside permit space during entry operations until relieved by
another attendant;
Communicates with entrants as necessary to monitor status and
alert of need to evacuate space;
Monitors activities inside and outside space to determine if safe
for entrants to remain in space and orders evacuation when
necessaryTakes the following actions when unauthorized
persons approach or enter a permit space while entry is
underway:
Warns them to stay away;
Advised them to exit immediately if they have entered; and
Informs authorized entrants and entry supervisor if
unauthorized persons enter space. Summons rescue and
emergency services when emergency exit from permit space is
necessary;
Performs non-entry rescues per employer’s procedure; and
Performs no duties that might interfere with their primary duty
to monitor and protect authorized entrants.
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12. UNACCEPTABLE TEST RESULTS:
Know your emergency response
procedures!
Immediately notify entrants of unsafe
conditions!
If there is any doubt - EVACUATE THE
SPACE!
Know the time it takes to evacuate!
Don’t try to remedy before ordering
evacuation!
EVACUATE THEN CONTROL THE
HAZARD!
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13. Standby Person - Roles and Responsibilities
Standby Person (aka. Spotter, Sentry, Observer, Attendant, Hole Watch, Cockatoo or Look-out)
This is a vital function, a position often held by the highest qualified member of a confined space
team.
This person (or people) has responsibilities that are defined in State OHS Regulations and
Standards. These responsibilities include maintaining constant communication (monitoring
wellness of entrants and able to signal evacuation), initiating emergency response and keeping a
record of entry and exit. In addition, the standby person may operate and monitor equipment for
the safety of personnel in the confined space and monitor conditions outside the space.
The preference is that the Standby Person is qualified to provide CPR First Aid, though this
function may be provided by a second person who is readily available.
In practice, the standby person controls entry and exit to the confined space and is prepared to
respond (but not enter) during a confined space incident
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14. Particular attention is drawn to the requirement for standby persons to
be available whenever confined spaces are occupied to ensure issues of;
communication, safe work procedures and implementation of
emergency procedures are maintained.
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