LINQ confined space rescue kit 1

Buying the rescue system as a kit rather than piecing it together means the components are matched and supplied ready to deploy: a tripod to set up over the access point, a winch to raise or lower a person, karabiners to make the connections, and a heavy duty bag to keep it all together between jobs.

Linq has designed the kit so one person can set it up, and it is meant to be moved around site rather than left in one spot. The 25m wire rope winch is the working heart of it. You wind it by hand to lower someone into the space or raise them back out, and it carries a bracket made to mount on the LINQ tripod. The winch conforms to EN1496:2006, and the kit as a whole is listed against the Australian standards AS/NZS 1891 and AS 2865:2009, which is the standard covering confined space entry and work.

If you run a maintenance crew, a council works team, or any operation where people periodically enter pits, tanks, or vessels, this is the sort of equipment that has to be on hand before entry happens, not sourced afterwards. You can read the full listing and check the latest component details on the LINQ Confined Space Rescue Kit 1 product page.

Working out if this is the right kit

Start with the standard. AS 2865:2009 covers confined space entry, and any rescue arrangement you put together has to suit the spaces you actually enter. This kit is listed against AS 2865:2009 and AS/NZS 1891, which makes it a fit for vertical entry through a top opening where a tripod can stand over the access point. Check that the rated load of 135kg covers your heaviest worker plus whatever they carry, and that 25m of lift reaches the bottom of your deepest space. The tested load is listed as 1350kg, but the rated load of 135kg is the figure you plan around for a person.

Setting up and using it

The winch is wound by hand, so a person on the surface controls the descent and lift. The kit is built so one person can stand the tripod over the opening, mount the winch on the supplied bracket, and connect the worker with the snap hooks and the two screw gate karabiners. Always lock the screw gates before load is applied. Practise the setup before you need it in anger, and make sure your standby person can wind a casualty up unaided, because a rescue is not the moment to learn the gear.

Inspection and storage

Height safety gear like this is subject to inspection requirements under AS/NZS 1891, so log the kit, keep records, and have it inspected on the schedule your safety system sets. Look over the wire rope for kinks or broken strands, check the karabiner gates open and lock cleanly, and confirm the winch winds smoothly in both directions. The waterproof duffel (HSKB710) keeps the parts together and protected between jobs, which also makes the pre use check quicker because everything lives in one place. For exact service intervals and any in service inspection or recertification requirements, confirm the current instructions on the product page or datasheet.

Done Right Safety lists three height safety products that all relate to working in and rescuing from confined spaces. CONFKIT1 and the RES-Q kit (RESQKIT) are both rescue systems for raising and lowering a person, so they compare closely. The Davit Base (DAVBASE) sits next to them as an adjacent option rather than a like-for-like swap, because it is a mounting point rather than a lifting device. The real question is which arrangement suits your access point and how you plan to lift a person.

If your spaces are entered from the top and you want one bag that holds everything (tripod, winch, karabiners), CONFKIT1 is the straightforward choice because it is supplied ready to deploy and the winch gives you a controlled 25m lift. The RES-Q Rescue Kit (RESQKIT) takes a different approach: a 4:1 pulley means a rescuer hauling a 100kg casualty only puts in around 25kg of effort, and the kernmantle rope carries AS/NZS 4142 traceability with a 35kN minimum break load, so it suits teams who want manual mechanical advantage and rope based raise and lower.

The Davit Base (DAVBASE) is not a like swap. It is the floor mounted anchor that a davit arm sits in, listed to EN375:2012 and AS/NZS 5532:2013, so you would choose it when you want a fixed, permanent access point at a location people return to often, rather than a portable kit you carry from job to job.

As a packaged system, CONFKIT1 covers the basics of vertical confined space rescue without you having to match components yourself. The winch, tripod, karabiners, and snap hooks arrive together in a waterproof bag, and the listing is clear about the figures that matter: a 135kg rated load, 25m of lift, a hand wound winch conforming to EN1496:2006, and an overall listing against AS/NZS 1891 and AS 2865:2009. For a top entry rescue setup that one person can deploy, that is a sensible foundation.

What is confirmed on the listing is the standards, the load and lift figures, the bag dimensions, and the karabiner specs. What the listing does not spell out is the exact tripod working height and footprint, the winding ratio of the winch, and the in service inspection or recertification schedule. Those are the things to confirm before you commit, because they decide whether the tripod clears your opening and whether the kit fits your maintenance regime.

Check the current component list and any datasheet on the product page, and make sure the rescue plan you build around this kit is signed off by a competent person. The equipment is only part of it; the procedure and the trained standby person matter just as much.