Extraction Geometry Field Checklist
A free, one-page pre-entry retrieval-feasibility check. Sketch and measure the space, analyze the extraction path, and match your retrieval method to the actual geometry. All before the permit is signed.
Retrieval Is the Weakest Part of Most Confined Space Plans
Most permit-required confined space plans are built around getting someone in. Fewer are built around getting them out fast when something goes wrong. And it's the geometry of the space, not just the size of the opening, that determines whether a standard vertical retrieval system will actually work. This checklist is a judgment tool for reading the way out before anyone goes in.
Developed by Jon Cordoba, CHST, CIT, and used as the takeaway from his Extraction Geometry presentation, it walks through three steps: sketch and measure the space, analyze the extraction path for directional changes and dead zones, and match the retrieval method (access, equipment, or staffing) to what the geometry actually demands. It includes a stop gate: if the path defeats a standard vertical system, the checklist tells you to fix it now, while you still can.
If you're here from the Tri-State Seminar 2026 (EHSS Track), the slide deck from Jon's talk, “Extraction Geometry: Mapping the Way Out Before Anyone Goes In,” is right above, next to the checklist.
Three Steps, One Stop Gate
- Sketch the space in plan and section
- Measure horizontal drag distance and vertical clearance
- Count directional changes along the extraction path
- Locate anchors relative to the entrant, not just the portal
- Identify atmospheric dead-zones a portal monitor can miss
- Mark the point where a standard vertical haul loses advantage
- Confirm the retrieval system fits the actual path, not just the opening
- Verify retrieval meets 1910.146 provisions
This is a presenter judgment guide, not a substitute for your written program or 29 CFR 1910.146.