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home Protective services
Specialist rescue operative

Specialist rescue operative

Protective services

Level 4 - Higher Technical Occupation

Efficiently and safely completing rescue operations from confined spaces including at height or underground.

Reference: OCC0487

Status: assignment_turned_inApproved occupation

Average (median) salary: £36,369 per year

SOC 2020 code: 3319 Protective service associate professionals n.e.c.

SOC 2020 sub unit groups:

  • 3319/99 Protective service associate professionals n.e.c.
  • 3313/01 Firefighters
  • 3319/01 Coastguard

Technical Education Products

ST0487:

Specialist rescue operative

(Level 4)

Approved for delivery

Employers involved in creating the standard:

Compass Minerals UK Ltd, ICL, Albion Stone PLC, The Coal Authority, MRS Training and Rescue, Crossgates, Hanson UK, ABMEC, M-I Swac, Ronnie Munro, MAUK

Summary

The main duties and tasks of a Specialist Rescue Operative are to provide rescue cover to people operating at height, in a confined space, exceptional hazards or underground in a mine for example, and to efficiently and safely complete rescue operations from confined spaces including at height or underground. They will also be required to train others to operate competently in the rescue environment. This is with the aim of preventing accidents and incidents occurring. This will include, in the event of an accident or incident, carrying out rescues, saving and preserving lives. All of this will be achieved while complying with current legislation, company policies and procedures. Duties include carrying out preventative and routine inspections of competence and equipment. Furthermore, they are expected to report deficiencies, defects, conduct risk assessments, work alone and in a team, demonstrate a good knowledge and a strong discipline towards safety, health and environment. They will have behaviours associated with taking an acceptable risk within the job role but have an absolute understanding of what is not acceptable as a risk. This will be achieved by a detailed hazard identification and risk assessment capability which will take into account: The competencies (including knowledge, skills and behaviours) required to undertake the performance requirements of the job role safely and productively. The main sectors who would utilise the specialist rescue operative are utilities (water and power generation) and underground mines. Normally they will be required to operate in small teams for search and rescue purposes and have the ability to operate as part of a larger team when a casualty rescue and transport in respiratory protection is required. The role will require travel across the UK. In the role of a trainer, the candidates will be expected to take responsibility and operate alone. The training role will require the specialist rescue operative to be competent in the subject and have the ability to give examples, from their own personal experience to highlight issues of knowledge and performance requirements, the role requires maintenance of detailed and up to date record of continuing competence (CPD) in the job role. Specialist Rescue Operatives provide immediate rescue cover for people who are carrying out work or operating at height or in a confined space. This will include any platform, wind turbine, chamber, tank, vat, silo, pit, trench, pipe, sewer, flue, well, underground mine or similar space in which by virtue of its enclosed nature, there arises a reasonably foreseeable specified risk. Rescue cover will include taking preventative actions to minimise the risk to people operating with the confined space, exceptional hazard or underground environment. This will normally involve facilitating the escape and rescue of persons, including casualties, from the confined space and/or underground environment. This will normally involve the specialist rescue operative co-ordination with other small teams to carry out an effective rescue to locate missing and injured persons. This will include the use of environmental monitoring, respiratory protection (breathing apparatus including regenerative 4hr), specialist first aid, extraction and transport. The key to this will be communication requiring these small teams to come together and form a larger team to facilitate a complex rescue and transport of a casualty/casualties. The apprentice will be required to have the individual competences to ensure the team is effective. The Specialist Rescue Operative will be competent at operating all available monitoring and rescue equipment, including that supplied to save and preserve endangered life. The Specialist Rescue Operative will have the skills required to provide training and quality assurance to new specialist rescue operatives in a range of subjects which will normally be health and safety related. This will include but will not be limited to the health and safety at work act, the current mining and confined space regulations.

Employers involved in creating the standard:

Compass Minerals UK Ltd, ICL, Albion Stone PLC, The Coal Authority, MRS Training and Rescue, Crossgates, Hanson UK, ABMEC, M-I Swac, Ronnie Munro, MAUK

Keywords:

Health And Safety
Protection
Protective Services
Rescue
Rescue Operations

Knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSBs)

K1: The importance and reasons for legal and regulatory compliance
K2: An understanding of the importance of following policies, procedures and work instructions. These will include but will not be limited to: health and safely policy including signed statement. The hazard identification and risk assessment process aligned to the ability to implement controls to reduce the risk to an acceptable level
K3: The procedures and processes for responding to and conducting emergency rescue operations
K4: The operational and technical aspects of working at height, confined space entry and specialist rescue operations in underground mines, heights and confined spaces (see sub sector section above).This will require the specialist rescue operative to ensure those entering it are competent. Working at height hazards and a detailed understanding of operations being undertaken at height including and understanding of maintaining safe systems coupled to a backup (fall arrest) requirement
K5: Working at height recovery and retrieval systems
K6: Requirements of suitable and effective anchor point to provide a safe point to commence work or rescue from height
K7: The operations being undertaken within the confined space. This will provide information to the rescue teams as to the likely equipment required to facilitate a successful rescue. This service is required by those entering confined spaces, or other similar space in which there is a reasonably foreseeable specified risk
K8: The hazards and risks associated with working at height, confined space and underground environments and how to control them to an acceptable level
K9: The operation of equipment that will be utilised in providing an effective rescue. This will include access and egress equipment, environmental monitors, respiratory protective devices, compressed air escape breathing apparatus, chemical oxygen breathing apparatus, compressed air breathing apparatus, long duration oxygen regenerative (4 hr) breathing apparatus, extraction equipment, advanced first aid, resuscitation equipment, pain relief equipment
K10: The legal and regulatory maintenance and servicing requirements of rescue equipment
K11: How to train others in health and safety requirements to operate in a confined space and in an underground mine
K12: An acknowledgement that different people learn in different ways and have the ability to change teaching methods to adapt to this
K13: The importance of reporting and evaluation of all potential work hazards and site-specific hazards, including near misses and dangerous occurrences
K14: When it may be necessary not to rescue an injured person
K15: How to fight fires and when not to fight fires
K16: How fire spreads and how to fight fires in the underground and confined space environments
K17: How to save and preserve an endangered life
K18: How to identify the risks of activities using approved assessment processes, such as research into the history of the confined space or underground mine, hazard identification, risk assessment, control measures to ensure that the level of risk is at an acceptable level. Examples would be knowing how to maintain an atmosphere at an acceptable (safe) level; monitoring a trend of gases within a confined space or underground mine and understanding results; monitoring atmospheric pressure and understanding impact on a confined space and underground mine
K19: Risk assessments, legislation, regulations (such as working at height, mines act, confined space, PUWER, first aid, LOLER), safe systems of work, and limits of responsibility
K20: The reporting lines in both day-to-day and emergency situations
K21: How to communicate effectively and how to develop and maintain effective working relationships
K22: Inclusive teaching and learning approaches and how to use them
K23: Ways to create an inclusive teaching and learning environment
K24: Training aids including visual, Aural, Reading, Writing and kinaesthetic
K25: Individual learning styles and how to assess them
K26: Plan, prepare, deliver and assess training

S1: Operate as part of an effective and efficient rescue team to the required company standards, safe systems of work and current regulations such as Confined Spaces and Mines Regulations
S2: Train and assess competence of others in the environments they themselves are deemed competent in. (a mine, a confined space and at height)
S3: Conduct rescue operations in multiple environments and hazardous situations, such as at height, oxygen deficient, toxic and hot atmospheres, and carry out rescues involving casualty entrapment. Examples would be confined spaces, heights or underground mines with complex entry and exits with various options for ventilating the confined space or underground mine. These complex confined spaces and underground mines would or may have multiple operations being undertaken simultaneously
S4: Fight different types of fires in both above ground and underground environments that may contain various gasses and other underground hazards
S5: Preserve an endangered life, conduct a rescue if possible
S6: Remain calm and objective under pressure
S7: Transport trapped people through an irrespirable atmosphere
S8: Transport casualties to a place of safety and further assistance
S9: Fault find, test, maintain and service/re-service all rescue equipment
S10: Minimise the effect of emissions from fire, fumes or other gases in the confined space or underground environment
S11: Conduct routine and reactive maintenance of all equipment and breathing apparatus in accordance with company policy, procedures and manufacturers specifications
S12: Use materials, fluids, gases and lubricants required for everyday operations and maintenance in accordance with company policy, procedures, Control of Substances Hazardous to Health data (COSHH) and manufacturers specifications
S13: Plan and arrange equipment and resources and complete required rescue standby tasks in line with company key performance indicators and measures and record progress against them.
S14: Plan the work required, follow the plan and look for and implement improvements in this plan as well as future work plans
S15: Plan inclusive teaching and learning incorporating people learning styles
S16: Deliver inclusive teaching and learning
S17: Evaluate the delivery of inclusive teaching and learning, modifying delivery where required
S18: Assess learners using a range of methods, against competency requirements and skills matrices

B1: Assess own level of competence and know when to seek advice from colleagues
B2: Actively delegate actions effectively in emergency or hazardous situations
B3: Recognise, accept and continue duties when it may have been necessary not to rescue a severely injured person
B4: Critically identify own development needs and take action to meet those needs
B5: Use own knowledge and expertise to help others
B6: Actively maintain levels of knowledge and skills through continuing professional development, maintain CPD records
B7: Pro-actively communicate with operational team effectively ensuring information is passed clearly and promptly using a range of methods
B8: Accept responsibility for own behaviours, actions and standards of work
B9: Take ownership of issues in an emergency situation and deal with appropriately
B10: Actively promote a positive health, safety and environmental culture through situational awareness and by personal example, taking appropriate actions if others are acting in an unsafe manner

Occupational Progression

This occupational progression map shows technical occupations that have transferable knowledge and skills.

In this map, the focused occupation is highlighted in yellow. The arrows indicate where transferable knowledge and skills exist between two occupations. This map shows some of the strongest progression links between the focused occupation and other occupations.

It is anticipated that individuals would be required to undertake further learning or training to progress to and from occupations. To find out more about an occupation featured in the progression map, including the learning options available, click the occupation.

Progression decisions have been reached by comparing the knowledge and skills statements between occupational standards, combined with individualised learner movement data.

Technical Occupations

Levels 2-3

Higher Technical Occupations

Levels 4-5

Professional Occupations

Levels 6-7

Progression link into focused occupation.
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Level 3

This is the focused occupation.
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Level 4

Protective services