Tripod or davit
A tripod stands over the opening on three legs and is the right answer for a manhole, a pit or a tank hatch in open ground. It sets up in minutes, packs into a bag, and moves between sites in the back of a ute. Its limit is the opening: the legs need clear floor around the entry point, and the head sits directly over the centre.
A davit does not stand over the opening. It mounts to a base fixed to the structure, a floor plate, a wall bracket, a concrete sleeve, a barrel rim or a trailer hitch, and reaches over the entry on a single arm. That matters in three situations a tripod cannot handle: an entry point against a wall, an entry point on a surface too uneven or too congested for three legs, and an entry point used often enough to justify a permanent base.
If you are entering the same vessel every week, a permanent base with a portable arm is usually cheaper over five years than replacing tripods and faster to set up each time. If you are entering a different site every day, take the tripod.
Choosing the winch
A confined space winch does one of two jobs and the difference is not cosmetic. A materials winch lifts equipment. A man riding or personnel winch is rated and certified to lift a person. They are not interchangeable and the rating is stated on the product, not implied by the size.
Beyond that, three things decide the choice: cable length against the depth of the space, whether you need a separate fall arrest block alongside the winch or an integrated retrieval block that does both, and whether the winch bracket matches the tripod or davit head you already own. Bracket compatibility is the most common reason a purchase has to be returned. Check it before ordering.
Choosing the harness
A confined space harness is not the same as a standard fall arrest harness. The distinguishing feature is a pair of shoulder attachment points that let a casualty be lifted vertically in a controlled, upright position through a narrow opening. A standard dorsal D ring lifts a person at an angle, which is what you want arresting a fall and the opposite of what you want extracting someone through a 600mm manhole.
Beyond the shoulder points, the decisions are environmental. Hot work and any risk of flash fire calls for a fire resistant harness. Mining and long shifts standing in a harness call for a padded waist belt. Frequent donning calls for quick connect buckles rather than pass through.
Kit or components
A complete kit removes the compatibility question. The tripod, winch, block, harness and lanyard in a kit are specified to work together, the whole assembly arrives at once, and there is one part number on the purchase order. That is why kits dominate the top of this page.
Buy components when you already own a tripod and are adding capability, when you need a specific harness the kit does not include, or when different crews need different configurations from a shared pool of hardware. Buy the kit when this is a first purchase or when procurement needs a single line item.
Getting it wrong is expensive in a way that is not about money
Confined space work is the part of height safety where a bad equipment decision does not fail gradually. If the winch is not rated to lift a person, it will still lift the load right up until the moment it matters. Talk to us before ordering if there is any doubt about rating, compatibility or configuration.
