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Home›Courses›Safety Training›Confined Spaces: Acceptable Entry Conditions

Confined Spaces: Acceptable Entry Conditions

19 minutesEN / ES / MLCCSafety Training29 CFR 1910.146 - Permit-Required Confined Spaces
Quick Answer

Confined Spaces: Acceptable Entry Conditions is a 19-minute online course that teaches employees how to identify permit-required confined spaces, evaluate atmospheric and physical hazards, and follow proper entry procedures as required by OSHA's Permit-Required Confined Spaces standard (29 CFR 1910.146). It is designed for authorized entrants, attendants, and entry supervisors in general industry, and includes a downloadable certificate of completion.

Course Overview

Confined space incidents are among the deadliest workplace events in the United States. Between 2011 and 2018, 1,030 workers died from occupational injuries involving confined spaces according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics - an average of nearly 130 deaths per year. More than 60% of confined space fatalities involve would-be rescuers who enter without proper preparation, making this one of the few workplace hazards that routinely kills multiple people in a single incident. Atmospheric hazards including oxygen deficiency, hydrogen sulfide, and carbon monoxide account for over half of all confined space deaths.

This course prepares your employees to recognize confined spaces, determine whether a permit is required, evaluate the conditions that must be met before entry, and follow the procedures that keep entrants, attendants, and supervisors safe. Your team will learn the specific atmospheric testing requirements, the roles and responsibilities of each person involved in a confined space entry, and the critical importance of following the written permit system. The training addresses the real-world scenarios that lead to confined space fatalities and the systematic approach that prevents them.

What You'll Learn

  • Definition and identification of confined spaces under 29 CFR 1910.146
  • The distinction between permit-required and non-permit confined spaces
  • Atmospheric testing requirements for oxygen, flammability, and toxicity
  • Acceptable entry conditions and when a permit must be issued
  • Roles and responsibilities of entrants, attendants, and entry supervisors
  • Entry permit procedures and documentation requirements
  • Emergency response and rescue planning for confined space operations
  • How to recognize and respond to atmospheric hazard indicators

Who Needs This Training

  • Authorized entrants who physically enter permit-required confined spaces
  • Attendants stationed outside confined spaces to monitor entrants
  • Entry supervisors who authorize and oversee confined space operations
  • Maintenance and facilities workers who encounter tanks, vaults, and manholes
  • Wastewater treatment plant operators working around manholes and wet wells
  • Manufacturing employees who service or clean vessels, silos, and process equipment

Regulatory Background

OSHA's Permit-Required Confined Spaces standard (29 CFR 1910.146) is one of the most comprehensive safety regulations in general industry. It requires employers to evaluate their workplaces for permit-required confined spaces, implement a written confined space entry program, conduct atmospheric testing before and during entry, and ensure trained rescue services are available. Between 2011 and 2018, the BLS documented 1,030 confined space fatalities, with atmospheric hazards causing over 56% of deaths. OSHA regularly cites employers for confined space violations, and penalties can be severe - serious violations carry fines up to $16,550 each, and willful violations can reach $165,514 as of 2025. In one 2024 enforcement case, OSHA cited a contractor for 13 violations related to a single confined space fatality, with proposed penalties exceeding $103,000. Employers must retrain workers whenever there are changes to their confined space program or when deficiencies in employee knowledge are observed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Under 29 CFR 1910.146, a permit-required confined space is a confined space that has one or more of these characteristics: contains or could contain a hazardous atmosphere, contains material that could engulf an entrant, has inwardly converging walls or floors that could trap an entrant, or contains any other recognized serious safety or health hazard. A space that meets the basic definition of a confined space but has none of these hazards may be classified as non-permit.
Before entry, the atmosphere must be tested for oxygen content (between 19.5% and 23.5%), flammable gases and vapors (below 10% of the lower flammable limit), and toxic contaminants (below OSHA PELs). Testing must be performed in the order: oxygen first, combustible gases second, toxic gases third. Continuous monitoring during the entry is required whenever atmospheric hazards could develop.
Both. Under 29 CFR 1910.146(c)(8) and (c)(9), the host employer must inform contractors about the confined space hazards, provide the results of prior entry operations, and coordinate entry activities to prevent hazards. The contractor must train its own employees and follow its own confined space entry procedures. When both host and contractor employees are involved, entry operations must be coordinated to prevent one operation from creating hazards for the other.
Yes, under specific conditions. If all hazards within the space can be permanently eliminated without entry, the space may be reclassified as non-permit. If entry is needed to eliminate hazards, that entry must follow full permit procedures. Important: controlling atmospheric hazards through forced air ventilation alone does not constitute elimination of the hazard under 29 CFR 1910.146(c)(7).
More than 60% of confined space fatalities involve would-be rescuers, according to NIOSH. Rescuers who enter without proper atmospheric assessment, PPE, and training face the same hazards that incapacitated the original entrant. OSHA requires employers to have rescue services or teams that are equipped and capable of responding within an appropriate timeframe, and prohibits untrained entry for rescue purposes.

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Employers with confined space operations frequently pair this course with Carbon Monoxide Poisoning (PPE) to address one of the most common atmospheric hazards in confined spaces, and Lockout Tagout: Secure Safely to cover the energy isolation procedures that are critical before entering spaces with mechanical hazards.

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$24.95
per person
Volume Pricing
Team Size Price per Person
1 - 9$24.95
10 - 24$19.95
25 - 49$17.95
50 - 99$17.50
Subtotal $24.95
Language

This course is available in English, Spanish, and Multi-Language CC at no additional charge.

Certificate of completion included. Downloadable upon passing the final assessment.

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$24.95
per person