Hole Watcher/Standby Man/Fire Watcher and Confined Space Entry Attendant

Hole Watcher & their Duties

Hole Watcher is also called as – Standby Man and Confined Space Entry Attendant. 

Hole Watcher is the person who will recognize dangerous situations, raise the alarm, and initiate evacuation, He is not supposed to enter the confined space and attempt a rescue, that is to be left to the rescue professionals.

Before starting the Duties of Hole Watcher, let me tell you that on most of the sites the same person is appointed for both Hole Watcher and Fire Watcher work, and after training is assigned for the work as per the requirement.

Hole Watcher Duties / Responsibilities

1. When the entry is about to take place in the Confined Space, the Hole Watcher has to first check the CSE Training Card of those going inside the Confined Space. After that a Sign-in/Sign-out Log Sheet has to be noted along with the name of the person going in and the timing of their going in and out. This confirms that who and how many people are working inside the Confined Space.

2. Before letting anyone inside, Hole Watcher has to confirm that they have Valid Work Permit and Gas Test has been done to the inside Atmosphere.

3. It is the responsibility of the Hole Watcher to ensure that the entrants have all the necessary and required PPE’s, and how they will be communicated in case of an emergency.

4. The duty of Hole Watcher includes being in constant contact with the people working inside the Confined Space and getting information about their condition. If it is not possible to see the people working inside, then it is the duty of Hole Watcher to find out the situation inside by using the signal of Radio or Rope.

5. It is the duty of Hole Watcher to do Atmospheric Monitoring of Confined Space through Gas Monitor, to keep an eye on its readings and to call people out without losing time in case of any Abnormal Reading.

6. If there is any kind of untoward or emergency inside the Confined Space, it is the duty of the Hole Watcher to evacuate the people working inside without losing time and to call the Emergency Service.

7. If someone gets hurt or faints inside the Confined Space, the Hole Watcher should not make the mistake of going inside himself. His duty is to call the Emergency Rescue Service and wait outside the Manway’s Access until help arrives. Hole Watcher should not make the mistake of going inside the Confined Space even by mistake.

8. It is also included in the duty of Hole Watcher to prevent Unauthorized Person from going inside the Confined Space and to inform the Concern Person in case of any Unauthorized Entry.

9. In the next duty of Hole Watcher, after the work of Confined Space is over, taking all the people out and getting them to sign-out by writing Timing in the Log Sheet, ensuring that no one is present inside the Confined Space, after that the Confined Space It is the responsibility of the Hole Watcher to lock the Manway i.e. Entry Point by putting a sign board and handing over its key to the Authorized Person.

10. It is the responsibility of the Hole Watcher that as long as work is going on inside the Confined Space, he should not leave the location at any cost. If for any reason he has to leave from there, then all the entrants should be removed from the location after getting the work stopped, and if it is not possible to stop the work, then another Trained Hole Watcher should be assigned.