Authorized Entrant and Standby Person
Scope and Responsibilities
What is an Authorized Entrant and Standby Person (AESP)?
An Authorised Entrant (AE) is a designated individual who has undergone specialized training to enter confined spaces for various purposes like tank cleaning, sewer and utility work, rescue operations, inspecting tanker trucks, and many more. On the other hand, the Entry Supervisor stations outside a confined space and monitors the Authorised Entrants.
Such confined spaces pose various hazards, such as lack of oxygen and toxic gases making it one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. That is why the AESP must have undergone training and passed the test or examination conducted by NIOSH or any other training provider recognized by DOSH.
How businesses rely on Authorised Entrants and Standby Person to ensure operations run smoothly.
There are many cases where businesses need AESP. From cleaning and installations to inspections and maintenance, AESPs are indispensable, especially in the manufacturing, construction, utilities, and petrochemical industries. These sectors often deal with equipment maintenance, inspections, repairs, and installations within confined spaces.
Some businesses decide to train their own Authorised Entrants while others outsource them. So here comes a question – should you train or outsource one?
Outsourcing vs in-house Authorised Entrant and Standby Person
When should businesses consider outsourcing an Authorized Entrant instead of training their personnel?
Infrequent Confined Space Work
For businesses that rarely encounter confined space work, outsourcing can be more cost-effective and efficient than maintaining a dedicated in-house team. Training and maintaining a specialized team may not be justified for infrequent confined space projects.
Frequent Confined Space Work
However, even if your business constantly encounters confined space work, there can still be advantages to outsourcing Authorised Entrant and Standby Person (AESP). While maintaining an in-house confined space entry team may seem like the obvious choice, outsourcing can offer several benefits that contribute to overall efficiency, safety, and cost-effectiveness. Here are some advantages :
- Specialized Expertise and Experience: Outsourcing companies often have a pool of highly trained and experienced AESPs who specialize in confined space entry. These professionals have dealt with a wide range of confined space challenges and are well-versed in the latest safety practices, making them efficient and effective in their roles.
- Flexibility and Scalability: Outsourcing allows businesses to scale their AESP requirements based on workload. During peak periods or large projects, you can easily engage additional AESP as needed, ensuring you have the right personnel without the burden of hiring and training more full-time employees.
- Compliance and Certification: Reputable outsourcing companies ensure that their AESPs are up-to-date with certifications, training, and compliance with safety regulations. This relieves your business from the responsibility of continuous training and certification tracking.
- Reduced Administrative Burden: Hiring and managing an in-house AESP team requires time, effort, and administrative resources. By outsourcing, you delegate tasks such as recruitment, training, and payroll to the external provider, allowing your internal staff to focus on core business activities.
- Access to Advanced Technology: Outsourcing companies may have access to advanced technologies and equipment for confined space entry and monitoring. This can enhance safety measures and efficiency during operations.
- Cost Savings: Outsourcing can lead to cost savings compared to maintaining a full-time in-house AESP team. You can avoid expenses related to recruitment, training, benefits, and ongoing personnel management.
- Risk Mitigation: By partnering with experienced outsourcing providers, you can reduce the risk of potential incidents during confined space entry operations. These providers have established safety protocols and contingency plans to handle emergencies effectively.
- Continuous Coverage: Outsourcing AESP ensures continuous coverage for confined space entry, even during vacations, sick leaves, or other personnel shortages that may affect an in-house team’s availability.
- Focus on Core Competencies: By entrusting the confined space entry responsibilities to a specialized outsourcing company, your business can focus on its core competencies and core operations, leading to increased productivity.
In summary, outsourcing AESP offers businesses with regular confined space work the advantages of specialized expertise, flexibility, cost savings, and risk mitigation. Careful consideration of the outsourcing provider and establishing clear communication and expectations can lead to a successful partnership that enhances the safety and efficiency of confined space entry operations.
Looking to hire Authorised Entrant and Standby Person?
With a proven track record of 10 years, Myda Safety & Risk has amassed invaluable experience in the field of confined space and tank cleaning. We have successfully managed and executed numerous confined space entry projects, demonstrating our expertise in handling diverse challenges with utmost professionalism.
Myda Safety & Risk’s commitment to excellence is further underscored by our certifications and recognitions from both public and private entities. We have undergone rigorous training and obtained the necessary qualifications to meet industry-specific standards. This ensures that our Authorised Entrant and Standby Person personnels are well-prepared to handle any confined space entry operation with proficiency and precision.
