The document describes a confined space rescue scenario conducted by Abfad Limited at Thornhill Power Station. During scheduled maintenance work in the HRSG gas path, which could only be accessed through a small opening, a worker suffered a heart attack. The on-site rescue team from Abfad assessed the situation, provided first aid, and safely extracted the injured worker horizontally using a stretcher and pre-installed scaffolding boards. The scenario demonstrated the emergency procedures and rescue techniques used by Abfad to conduct safe rescues from confined spaces.

1. Horizontal Entry and Rescue
in Confined Spaces
Emergency Rescue and Safety Cover

2. What is a Confined Space?
How dangerous are they?
“A confined space is
any space of an
enclosed nature where
any danger of death
exists from any
number of sources”

3. What is a Confined Space?
How dangerous are they?
“A confined space is
any space of an
enclosed nature where
any danger of death
exists from any
number of sources”
Confined spaces are hazardous working
areas and a full risk assessment must
be carried out before any work is
started, identifying any risks that may
be present, or may arise as a result of
the work being conducted.

4. What do the regulations say?
Who will rescue me in an emergency?
“ You mu st make su itab le
arran gements for emergen c y
resc u e wh ic h will d ep en d on
the nature of the confined
sp ac e, th e risks id entified an d
th e likely n atu re of an
emergen c y resc u e. You sh ou ld
n ot rely on th e p u b lic
emergency ser vices ”
Regulation 5
‘Confined Spaces Regulations’

5. What do the regulations say?
Who will rescue me in an emergency?
“ You mu st make su itab le
arran gements for emergen c y
resc u e wh ic h will d ep en d on
the nature of the confined
sp ac e, th e risks id entified an d
th e likely n atu re of an
emergen c y resc u e. You sh ou ld
n ot rely on th e p u b lic
emergency ser vices ”
Regulation 5
‘Confined Spaces Regulations’
Safety measures must be put into place to ensure the safety
of all personnel during the confined spaces work.

6. What do the regulations say?
Who will rescue me in an emergency?
“ You mu st make su itab le
arran gements for emergen c y
resc u e wh ic h will d ep en d on
the nature of the confined
sp ac e, th e risks id entified an d
th e likely n atu re of an
emergen c y resc u e. You sh ou ld
n ot rely on th e p u b lic
emergency ser vices ”
Regulation 5
‘Confined Spaces Regulations’
Safety measures must be put into place to ensure the safety
of all personnel during the confined spaces work.
Including the provision of a specialist rescue team, who
can, in the course of an emergency situation arising,
perform the necessary assessment of the situation and
conduct any rescue needed, in a safe and controlled way.

7. What do the regulations say?
Who will rescue me in an emergency?
“ You mu st make su itab le
arran gements for emergen c y
resc u e wh ic h will d ep en d on
the nature of the confined
sp ac e, th e risks id entified an d
th e likely n atu re of an
emergen c y resc u e. You sh ou ld
n ot rely on th e p u b lic
emergency ser vices ”
Regulation 5
‘Confined Spaces Regulations’
Any kind of rescue should only be attempted by a specially
trained and equipped rescue team.
Safety measures must be put into place to ensure the safety
of all personnel during the confined spaces work.
Including the provision of a specialist rescue team, who
can, in the course of an emergency situation arising,
perform the necessary assessment of the situation and
conduct any rescue needed, in a safe and controlled way.

8. What do the regulations say?
Who will rescue me in an emergency?
“ You mu st make su itab le
arran gements for emergen c y
resc u e wh ic h will d ep en d on
the nature of the confined
sp ac e, th e risks id entified an d
th e likely n atu re of an
emergen c y resc u e. You sh ou ld
n ot rely on th e p u b lic
emergency ser vices ”
Regulation 5
‘Confined Spaces Regulations’
Any kind of rescue should only be attempted by a specially
trained and equipped rescue team.
Nearly two thirds of all deaths occurring within confined
spaces are attributed to an urgent rescue attempt by
untrained and unprepared people.
Safety measures must be put into place to ensure the safety
of all personnel during the confined spaces work.
Including the provision of a specialist rescue team, who
can, in the course of an emergency situation arising,
perform the necessary assessment of the situation and
conduct any rescue needed, in a safe and controlled way.

9. Thornhill Power Station
Confined Space Rescue Scenario
Thornhill Power Station is a combined cycle
gas turbine power station, based in
Ravensthorpe, Dewsbury.

10. Thornhill Power Station
Confined Space Rescue Scenario
Thornhill Power Station is a combined cycle
gas turbine power station, based in
Ravensthorpe, Dewsbury.
Abfad Limited’s rescue team was called in to
provide emergency rescue and safety cover
during a scheduled outage at the power
station.

11. Thornhill Power Station
Confined Space Rescue Scenario
Thornhill Power Station is a combined cycle
gas turbine power station, based in
Ravensthorpe, Dewsbury.
Abfad Limited’s rescue team was called in to
provide emergency rescue and safety cover
during a scheduled outage at the power
station.
Abfad ran through several scenarios to
demonstrate to site personnel the rescue
strategies and techniques that would be
used if an emergency situation occurred.

12. Thornhill Power Station
Confined Space Rescue Scenario
Inspection work was
due to be carried out
in the Diverter
Damper box area of
the HRSG gas path/GT
exhaust duct.
Risks and Assessment

13. Thornhill Power Station
Confined Space Rescue Scenario
Inspection work was
due to be carried out
in the Diverter
Damper box area of
the HRSG gas path/GT
exhaust duct.
Risks and Assessment
The gas path can only be accessed horizontally
through an opening approximately 2’ square.

14. Thornhill Power Station
Confined Space Rescue Scenario
Inspection work was
due to be carried out
in the Diverter
Damper box area of
the HRSG gas path/GT
exhaust duct.
Risks and Assessment
The gas path can only be accessed horizontally
through an opening approximately 2’ square.
Personnel working within have a possible risk
of asphyxiation from natural and methane
gasses.

15. Thornhill Power Station
Confined Space Rescue Scenario
Inspection work was
due to be carried out
in the Diverter
Damper box area of
the HRSG gas path/GT
exhaust duct.
Risks and Assessment
The gas path can only be accessed horizontally
through an opening approximately 2’ square.
Personnel working within have a possible risk
of asphyxiation from natural and methane
gasses.
Poor lighting in the space, and multiple slip,
trip and fall hazards from the many studs and
bolts present.

16. Confined space risk assessment
Confined Space Rescue Scenario
Scaffold boards were placed
over the studs at the access
hatchway, these also formed
part of the emergency
arrangements necessary for
any rescue.

17. What happened during the scenario?
Confined Space Rescue Scenario
The scenario consisted of:
A member of staff working in the Confined
Space complaining of chest pains and
suffering a possible heart attack.

18. What happened during the scenario?
Confined Space Rescue Scenario
The scenario consisted of:
A member of staff working in the Confined
Space complaining of chest pains and
suffering a possible heart attack.
The injured person collapsed, raising the
alarm verbally to the standby safety man.

19. What happened during the scenario?
Confined Space Rescue Scenario
The scenario consisted of:
A member of staff working in the Confined
Space complaining of chest pains and
suffering a possible heart attack.
The injured person collapsed, raising the
alarm verbally to the standby safety man.
The standby safety man confirmed that the
air remained breathable and entered via the
access hatch.

20. What happened during the scenario?
Confined Space Rescue Scenario
The standby safety member of the rescue
team assesses the injured worked and
provides initial first aid.

21. What happened during the scenario?
Confined Space Rescue Scenario
The standby safety member of the rescue
team assesses the injured worked and
provides initial first aid.
The rest of the rescue team are then called
into the Confined Space to provide additional
help and assistance evacuating the injured
party.

22. What happened during the scenario?
Confined Space Rescue Scenario
The standby safety member of the rescue
team assesses the injured worked and
provides initial first aid.
The rest of the rescue team are then called
into the Confined Space to provide additional
help and assistance evacuating the injured
party.
Staff are also instructed to call the
emergency services, so that once outside of
the Confined Space, the worker can be given
further treatment and taken swiftly to
hospital.

23. What happened during the scenario?
Confined Space Rescue Scenario
The collapsed worker was secured into a
rescue stretcher, to be removed safely
from the Confined Space.

24. What happened during the scenario?
Confined Space Rescue Scenario
The collapsed worker was secured into a
rescue stretcher, to be removed safely
from the Confined Space.
The rescue team used the pre-installed
scaffold boards to extract the worker
safely to an outside area.

25. What happened during the scenario?
Confined Space Rescue Scenario
The collapsed worker was secured into a
rescue stretcher, to be removed safely
from the Confined Space.
The rescue team used the pre-installed
scaffold boards to extract the worker
safely to an outside area.
Once outside, more treatment was given
by the rescue team, the emergency
services and site personnel.

26. What happened during the scenario?
Confined Space Rescue Scenario
“The exercise proved a
successful demonstration to
site personnel of a basic,
horizontal, Confined Space
rescue, demonstrating the
site emergency procedures
and the strategies and
techniques used by the rescue
team to perform any kind of
rescue in this situation.”

27. A successful demonstration
Horizontal Entry and Rescue
Site personnel
commented on
the exercise
“The control of the work by the rescue team was
to a very high standard”
“The exercise was conducted very professionally
by Abfad”

28. Who are we?
Are we qualified for this stuff?
“We are Abfad Limited, based
in the North East, we provide
emergency rescue and safety
cover for Working at Height
and within Confined Spaces.
We provide these services to
many industries, including the
power generation sector.”

29. Who are we?
Are we qualified for this stuff?
“We are Abfad Limited, based
in the North East, we provide
emergency rescue and safety
cover for Working at Height
and within Confined Spaces.
We provide these services to
many industries, including the
power generation sector.”
We are often called on to provide rope rescue teams to various
industry sectors for safety cover work, we can demonstrate
various rescue strategies and techniques to site personnel before
any Confined Spaces work is carried out.
This gives personnel a visible demonstration of the techniques
and strategies that will be employed if an emergency situation
arises, ensuring their safety at all times.

30. www.abfad.co.uk
info@abfad.co.uk / +44 (0)191 543 7166
Abfad Limited have been established since 1996 and provide IRATA approved rope access
services, including emergency rescue and safety cover for other people Working at height or
within Confined Spaces.