Confined Space Rescue Success Starts Before Entry

Why safety managers need to carefully consider tripods, rescue planning, and equipment selection in complex confined spaces.

• By David Kopf
• Jun 18, 2026

Confined space entry systems are often viewed as straightforward: set up a tripod, attach a winch or SRL, and lower a worker into the space. However, the reality is far more complicated.

The challenge for safety managers is not simply choosing compliant equipment. It is ensuring that the equipment, the entry method, the rescue plan, and the confined space itself all work together safely under real-world conditions, according to Zack Winters, Director of Product & Applied Engineering at FallTech.

“Every single confined space is different,” Winters says. “The hazards in every confined space are different.”

That variability is where many confined space programs begin to break down. From improper tripod use to incomplete rescue planning, Winters says many organizations underestimate the complexity of confined space entry and retrieval systems, particularly when rescue scenarios become more difficult than anticipated.

Tripods Are Not Universal Solutions

One of the most common mistakes Winters sees in the field involves using equipment outside its intended application.

“Trying to use a tripod in a horizontal means is not correct, and we do run into that,” he says. “Making sure that you’re using vertical entry equipment for vertical entries and horizontals for horizontal entries is certainly a big deal.”

Tripods are designed primarily for vertical confined space entries such as manholes or tanks. Problems arise when workers attempt to adapt those systems to spaces that require horizontal travel or offset access points. In those situations, the equipment may no longer provide effective rescue capability.

Winters noted that setup practices can also create avoidable rescue complications. One common issue is configuring tripods at their shortest height simply to speed up work.

“You really do want to set up the tripod as tall as you can because that gives you the most room to potentially work with when you need to,” he explained.

That additional clearance becomes critical during rescue operations. Winters described situations in which an unconscious worker is partially raised from a manhole, but rescuers cannot fully clear the opening because the tripod does not provide enough elevation.

As a result, attendants sometimes resort to unsafe improvisation.

“The guy who’s the attendant outside of the confined space is going to raise the victim as high as he can get them,” Winters says. “And then he’s just going to knock the tripod over and the guy’s going to hit the deck with the tripod because that’s the only way he can get the worker to be clear of the hole.”

He emphasized that while such actions may stem from urgency, they can create additional injury risks during rescue.

Matching the System to the Space

According to Winters, one of the first questions safety managers should ask is whether a tripod is even appropriate for the confined space involved.

“If you can’t walk around the entire entry, then you can’t really use — it’s probably unlikely you’re going to be able to use a tripod,” he says.

Large tanks, irregular openings, obstructed access points, or confined spaces requiring horizontal travel may demand entirely different anchorage approaches. In many cases, organizations may need to evaluate davit systems or fixed anchor solutions instead of portable tripods.

“You can set the tripod up, but we can’t get the head centered over where the guy’s going to be working,” Winters explained. “Those all present challenges.”

The physical layout of the site also influences whether anchorage systems can be safely deployed. Winters noted that the supporting surface itself must be evaluated carefully, especially when fixed systems are involved.

“If the davit is fully expanded out, that moment load can get quite high,” he says. “You need to have a fairly robust floor that you’re bolting a fixed base into.”

Even when a tripod can technically fit around an opening, that does not necessarily mean it is the best choice for rescue. Some of the most difficult confined space scenarios involve vertical descent followed by horizontal movement through shafts or tunnels.

“That really technically requires two systems,” Winters says. “Or requires you to kind of build a custom temporary safety system.”

In those situations, a vertical retrieval device may not be capable of effectively extracting a worker from a horizontal section of the space.

“If that guy has a problem in the horizontal shaft, this equipment is not going to very effectively be able to pull them out horizontally,” he says.

For safety managers, the takeaway is clear: rescue planning must account for the actual geometry of the confined space, not simply the initial point of entry.

Plan for the Worst

Throughout the interview, Winters repeatedly returned to the importance of planning for worst-case rescue scenarios before entry begins.

“You should never assume that the victim is going to be able to help you in the rescue,” he says. “Assume that they are completely incompetent and they are unconscious.”

That mindset changes how organizations evaluate staffing, equipment, and procedures.

Many confined space fatalities occur when additional workers attempt rescue without proper planning or protection. Winters stressed that confined space rescue operations should avoid creating additional victims.

“You’re not sending somebody into the confined space to rescue that person because that’s how we end up with two victims instead of one,” he says.

He described how incidents can quickly escalate when workers attempt spontaneous rescue efforts.

“Third guy goes in to save both or wonders where those guys are. Now you’ve got three victims and it just becomes a cascading problem.”

For organizations dealing with complex confined spaces, rescue planning may require significantly more personnel and procedural detail than initially expected. A confined space that combines vertical and horizontal travel, for example, may demand multiple rescue systems and additional standby personnel.

“We may only be able to, in the horizontal part, have a guy exposed,” Winters says. “So now we need four people on this site instead of two.”

He emphasized that companies must evaluate rescue procedures systematically and rehearse realistic failure scenarios rather than relying on generalized assumptions.

“The only way is to kind of game plan what could go wrong and do your best to protect against that,” Winters says.

Equipment Compatibility Matters

Even when the correct anchorage system is selected, safety managers still must ensure compatibility between harnesses, winches, SRLs, and retrieval systems.

“There definitely can be” compatibility issues, Winters says.

While ANSI-compliant equipment generally provides a level of interoperability, complications arise when organizations mix traditional fall protection systems with rope-access or suspension-style confined space equipment.

Harness selection is one example. Winters cautioned that basic fall arrest harnesses designed only for dorsal attachment points may not be suitable for confined space lowering operations.

“If you’re going to be lowered into a confined space, you can’t use a $40 harness that only has a dorsal D-ring,” he says.

Workers being suspended into confined spaces require harnesses with appropriate attachment points that allow safe lowering and retrieval configurations.

“You need multiple attachment points just to be suspended, period, in a confined space,” Winters explained.

He also noted that seating support can reduce additional physiological risks during prolonged suspension.

“A bosun seat is a great way to raise and lower somebody into a confined space because then you’re not putting them in suspension trauma,” he says.

Winters added that winches themselves are frequently misused in the field, often because workers misunderstand how the systems are intended to function.

“The winch itself is not keeping tension,” he explained. “It’s really up to the user of the equipment to maintain tension.”

Without proper operation, winch cables can lose effectiveness quickly, creating tangles or unsafe conditions that compromise rescue performance.

Training and Simplification

Although confined space workers often receive more training than general fall protection users, Winters believes there is still substantial room for improvement.

“With all fall protection, training is hugely important,” he says.

That training becomes especially important as confined space entries grow more complex and involve multiple systems, rescue contingencies, and environmental hazards.

At the same time, Winters encouraged safety managers to simplify confined space operations wherever possible.

“Anything they can do to simplify the exposure,” he says, “the better off it is overall.”

In some cases, relatively simple changes can reduce operational complexity and improve rescue capability. For example, installing a temporary ladder may eliminate the need to fully suspend a worker during entry.

“Now you don’t have to put the guy in suspension,” Winters says. “That makes the entry and exit part of a confined space a little bit safer and a little bit lower stress.”

Still, he cautioned against oversimplifying hazards or assuming one solution will apply universally.

“It would be nice to say, ‘Hey, you just do A, B, C and you’re good,’” Winters says. “But unfortunately, every single confined space is different.”

This article originally appeared in the issue of Occupational Health & Safety.