Confined Space Entry Training Online — OSHA 29 CFR 1910.146

Under OSHA 29 CFR 1910.146, a confined space is defined as a space that:

• Is large enough and configured so an employee can bodily enter and perform assigned work
• Has limited or restricted means for entry or exit
• Is not designed for continuous employee occupancy

Examples of confined spaces may include tanks, pits, vaults, silos, pipelines, boilers, manholes, tunnels, storage bins, and sewer systems.

Some confined spaces may also qualify as Permit-Required Confined Spaces (PRCS) if they contain serious hazards such as hazardous atmospheres, engulfment hazards, inwardly converging walls, or other recognized safety and health dangers capable of causing serious injury or death.

Not all confined spaces are permit-required. A permit-required confined space (PRCS) is a confined space that contains — or has the potential to contain — one or more of the following: a hazardous atmosphere, material that could engulf an entrant, an internal configuration that could trap or asphyxiate an entrant, or any other recognized serious safety or health hazard. Permit-required confined spaces require a formal written entry permit, a trained attendant stationed outside, and specific entry procedures under 29 CFR 1910.146. Non-permit confined spaces have none of these hazard characteristics and have less stringent entry requirements.

Any employee whose work is regulated by 29 CFR 1910.146 must be trained before performing those duties. This includes authorized entrants (workers who enter the space), attendants (workers who monitor from outside), entry supervisors (workers who authorize entry permits and oversee operations), and rescue personnel. Employers are responsible for ensuring that all affected personnel are properly trained and that training records are documented.

This course is designed to meet OSHA’s General Industry standard, 29 CFR 1910.146. If your work involves construction activities — such as building new structures or reconfiguring existing spaces — the applicable standard is 29 CFR 1926 Subpart AA (Confined Spaces in Construction), which includes additional requirements for a “competent person.” Check with your employer or site safety officer to confirm which standard governs your work before enrolling.

OSHA does not specify a mandatory expiration period for confined space training. However, retraining is required when an employee’s assigned duties change, when there is reason to believe the employee lacks the knowledge or skills required for safe performance, or when new hazards are introduced to the workplace. Employers are also required to review their permit-required confined space program annually and to conduct rescue practice at least once every 12 months. Because of these requirements, many employers adopt an annual refresher schedule as standard practice.

The Confined Space Entry Training course is approximately 4 hours in duration. You have one full year from the date of registration to complete the course, so you can work through it at your own pace across multiple sessions without losing your progress.

Upon successfully passing the final exam, you can immediately download your official certificate of completion. A copy is stored in the OSHACode® system, so you can access additional copies at any time. The certificate demonstrates compliance with OSHA’s confined space training requirements under 29 CFR 1910.146.

Yes. This course is developed to meet the requirements of OSHA 29 CFR 1910.146 and includes scenario-based competency assessments, qualified instructor access, and documented time-on-task tracking — the elements OSHA looks for when evaluating whether training meets the intent of the standard. As with all safety training, employers retain the right to require additional site-specific training before allowing employees to enter confined spaces at their specific work location.

4 hours

Our Online Confined Space Entry Training is built on over 25 years of real-world confined space operations — not recycled classroom slides. Through engaging lessons, real-world scenarios, and interactive CompetencyScenario™ knowledge checks, participants develop the judgment and skills required to perform safe confined space operations under OSHA’s Permit-Required Confined Spaces standard.

The course covers the full scope of 29 CFR 1910.146 requirements: identifying and classifying confined spaces, understanding atmospheric hazards including oxygen deficiency, toxic gases, and flammable vapors, conducting pre-entry air monitoring, selecting and using PPE, executing the entry permit process, and responding to emergencies.

Critically, the course addresses all three occupational roles that OSHA requires to be trained separately — the authorized entrant, the attendant, and the entry supervisor — ensuring each worker understands not just their own responsibilities, but how the roles interlock to create a safe entry system.

Module 1: Introduction

Employer responsibilities under 29 CFR 1910.146 — What constitutes a confined space and a permit-required confined space — Confined space fatality statistics and case studies — Types of confined spaces found across industries — Roles and responsibilities: Authorized Entrant, Attendant, Entry Supervisor, and Rescue Team

Module 2: Physical and Chemical Properties

Understanding the physical properties of hazardous substances encountered in confined spaces — Water, boiling point, flash point, vapor pressure, density, solubility, flammability — pH scale — Radiation types — Fire triangle — Phase behavior of chemicals in enclosed environments

Module 3: Air Monitoring

Types of air monitoring equipment and their applications — Pre-entry atmospheric testing procedures — Testing for oxygen content, flammable gases, and toxic contaminants — Entry permit documentation and atmospheric monitoring recordkeeping

Module 4: Confined Space Entry and Work Conditions — Part 1

Confined space entry sequence — Key occupational role responsibilities during active entry — Fire suppression equipment — Hazard recognition: hot work, inert atmospheres, electrical equipment, corrosives — Equipment used in emergency response

Module 5: Confined Space Entry and Work Conditions — Part 2

Protective devices and controls — Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) procedures in confined space operations — Safety barriers and isolation methods — Top entry procedures — Communication protocols between entrant and attendant — Rescue operations planning and execution

After successfully passing a final exam, you can immediately download your official certificate. A copy is stored in our site database should you need additional copies. View Certificate Example