Providing safe work environments for employees is a critically important function of company management, especially in industries with inherent risk involved. Safety measures in the mining industry, for example, have advanced over the years and now involve state-of-the-art equipment and technologies.
Despite those advances, however, situations can occur that require the services of highly-trained confined space rescue teams.
As a company focused on land-based safety training and rescue, the team at NATT Safety Services is well aware of the type of specialized training required to execute confined space rescues. NATT Safety Services provides safety training and industrial services including CPO-Approved Working at Heights, Confined Space, Mobile Elevated Work Platform, Rope Rescue and much more. The company boasts a province-wide footprint, providing expertise with shutdowns and projects across the province and servicing all industries including Ontario’s mining sector.
As NATT was being contracted for an increasingly large amount of out-of-town confined space rescue services the need to have a mobile confined space rescue training unit became apparent in order to train employees who were hired for rescue work.
As a result, NATT Safety purchased a new mobile confined space training unit, which became operational in April of this year. It has quickly become a welcome addition to NATT’s menu of services, this according to Kevin Pattison, CEO and President of NATT Safety Services.
“The reason we bought it is to take it to places where it is very expensive for companies to send their people long distances for training,” said Pattison, whose company operates out of Lively, Ontario, just west of Sudbury. “Flights, motels, and other travel can amount to massive costs. With the addition of the mobile training unit, we can now bring our training program to companies with employees requiring confined space and other types of training.”
Providing rescue services that require individuals to operate in highly confined spaces requires not only physical training but also psychological training. Pattison says that’s an important part of the training program, and the mobile unit is designed to help trainees overcome any fears or anxieties that might arise.
“Some people do not overcome that, as it’s no surprise that some people are highly claustrophobic,” said Pattison. “With our training simulator we can decipher that quickly. It doesn’t put you into a dangerous position when you are training. If you have a phobia of confined spaces you may well overcome that. Some people do not overcome that. The good thing about our mobile unit is if you were to enter into the confined space and you were to panic, it’s built so that we can open it and you get out right away.”
During confined spaces drills, workers are timed to get on their gear, enter the space, find various objects and deal with things like noise, smoke, and barriers in the space.
These are simulated situations that could occur within the mining, paper and forestry industries. The unit is also used to train people who may go into vessels, tanks, or anything regulated as a confined space.
Successful participants in the three-day confined space rescue program receive certification that requires annual upgrades to ensure skills are up to date. Pattison said the purchase of the new mobile unit has expanded the ability of NATT Safety Services to expand its reach across Ontario to help companies provide expert safety training to their employees.
“The exciting part about the mobile unit is it’s one of a very few that are in the province of Ontario. The difference for us is we have multiple certified trainers that are capable of taking that unit to customers and training them with it.”
Companies interested in employee training or contracting the mobile confined space training unit can contact NATT Safety Services online.