Confined space anchor

Confined space anchor: creating a high point above or beside the opening

A shaft, manhole or tank almost never offers an anchor point above the opening. A confined space anchor creates that high point, to which the worker's fall arrester and the winch used to bring them back up are attached. KRATOS SAFETY offers tripods, davits and a gantry, together with the winches and mounting brackets that complete them, for 1 or 2 users.

Choosing an anchor for the opening and the site

• Manhole in open ground: a 2.15 m or 2.90 m high tripod, quick to set up above the opening.
• Access near an edge, a wall or a vehicle: a mobile davit on an H-base, which offsets the anchor point above the opening; accessories allow it to be fixed to a trailer, a parapet, a concrete floor or a wall.
• Side access: a suspended davit with an extendable arm, to enter a tank through a side opening.
• Large opening or uneven ground: an access gantry, more stable on difficult surfaces.

Thanks to universal mounting brackets, each structure takes a work and rescue winch or a self-retracting lifeline with retrieval system. Double-pulley heads allow both to be installed at once: one to lower the worker, the other to belay them.

Standards and regulations for confined space anchors

• EN 795 type B for tripods and davits, transportable temporary anchor devices,
• EN 1496 for rescue winches, class A or B depending on the model,
• CEN/TS 16415 for structures designed for two users.

This equipment falls under Regulation (EU) 2016/425; the user instructions, technical data sheet, EU type-examination certificate and declaration of conformity are in the Documents tab of each product page. Confined space work also requires a rescue plan drawn up before the job: the means of retrieval must be in place before the worker goes down.

Completing your equipment

• A fall arrest harness with an attachment point suited to retrieval,
• a self-retracting lifeline with retrieval system,
• an ATEX headlamp if the atmosphere may be explosive,
• a transport bag sized for the tripod.

The ADES range brings together the equipment designed for confined spaces.

Maintenance and inspection

• At each installation: check the stability of the tripod or davit, the locking of the legs and arms, and the condition of the winch cable and brake.
• Periodic examination at least once a year by a competent person, as required by national regulations, recorded in the inspection log.
• After an arrested fall or a real rescue: withdraw from service until inspected.

For complete evacuation equipment, see our rescue and evacuation range.