Any properly-filled out confined entry permit lists required personal protective equipment (PPE). Depending upon the situation, the list may include extraction equipment, respirator, special boots or boot coverings, heavy cloth suit, or special gloves. All this will be in addition to your safety glasses and hardhat, unless specifically noted. And usually none of it will include electrical PPE (because the permit is for entering that space, not necessarily for performing the work.
When that confined space is also hot and cramped and you’re sweating bullets, you might start to think that removing some of this PPE “just for a bit” is a good idea. But doing so could mean getting temporary relief at the cost of permanent disfigurement.
What about extraction gear? If you’ve got to wiggle your way around while wearing extraction gear that gets caught on something every time you try to move a few inches, what’s the obvious solution? Remove the extraction gear, then put it back on when you get to the final work location. But is an “obvious” solution necessarily a smart one? Not in this case. The dangers that can incapacitate you and thus require emergency extraction don’t lurk just at the spot where you’ll be working. They exist in that entire confined entry space.
