# Confined spaces

URL: https://hardhatbinder.com/en/toolbox-talks/confined-spaces
Last updated: 2026-10-23

Confined spaces like manholes, vaults, tanks, crawl spaces and pits can look harmless, but the air inside can kill you without warning. Many people who die in these spaces are the ones who went in to help someone else. Before anyone goes into a tight space on our job this week, we stop and check.

## Key points

1. Know which spaces on this site are confined or permit spaces. If you are not sure, ask the foreman before you go in.
2. Never enter a permit space unless you are trained and authorized, and the entry permit is filled out and posted at the entrance.
3. The air must be tested before entry, in this order: oxygen, flammable gases, then toxic gases. Keep monitoring while people are inside.
4. Lock out and block any lines, pipes, or equipment that could bring in water, gas, chemicals, or moving parts.
5. Never run gas engines, generators, or saws in or near the opening. Exhaust can fill a space fast. Use ventilation blowers as set up.
6. An attendant must stay outside the whole time, keep track of who is inside, and keep in contact. The attendant does not leave and does not go in.
7. If someone goes down inside, do not go in after them. Call for rescue and use the retrieval line and equipment from outside.

## Talk it over

- What spaces on this site could trap bad air or be hard to get out of?
- Who is our attendant and how do we call rescue if something goes wrong in a space?
- Have you ever felt dizzy, sick, or smelled something strange in a tight space? What did you do?

> **Remember:** Test the air, have an attendant, and never go in after a downed worker.

## Official sources

- [29 CFR 1926.1203](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-1926.1203) — Confined spaces — general requirements

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Source: HardHat Binder, operated by Leadspire LLC. Templates to be reviewed by a competent person before use; not legal advice; not affiliated with OSHA.