• If “Call 9-1-1” is listed as your rescue plan, you are planning for a body recovery, not a rescue. OSHA states that the rescue team, or responding units, must “Evaluate a prospective rescuer’s ability to respond to a rescue summons in a timely manner” as stated in 29 CFR 1910.146 Confined Space. If a person within a confined space has a cardiac arrest and 9-1-1 is called, units may take up to 10 minutes to arrive, in a best-case scenario. Brain death begins in 4-6 minutes. People die in confined spaces most often because there is no rescue team onsite to perform a rescue. It is also important to note that if you are entering an IDHL Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health permit-required confined space, the rescue team is required to be at the space, onsite and ready to perform a rescue prior to entry, according to 1910.134. In addition to the atmosphere causing an injury or a fatality, facilities must also remember that medical-related issues such as heat exhaustion, heart attack or stroke are more often the cause of death when trained medical rescue personnel are not on standby.