Last updated 2026-07-10
TL;DR
OSHA 29 CFR 1910.146(f) requires a written entry permit before anyone enters a permit-required confined space. The permit must carry at least 16 specific items, stay posted at the entry point during the operation, and be kept for at least one year after cancellation. Incomplete permits are among the most-cited confined space violations OSHA finds.
What is a confined space entry permit and why does OSHA require one?
A confined space entry permit is a written document that authorizes one specific entry into a permit-required confined space (PRCS). It is not filler paperwork. OSHA's standard at 29 CFR 1910.146(f)(1) makes the permit the tool the employer uses to verify, before entry starts, that every required precaution is actually in place.
A permit-required confined space meets the general confined space definition (large enough to bodily enter, limited means of entry or exit, not designed for continuous employee occupancy) and also holds or could hold a serious safety or health hazard. [1] A hazardous atmosphere, an engulfment risk, an internal shape that could trap a worker, or any other recognized serious hazard tips a space into the permit-required category. [1]
Here is why the paperwork earns its keep. Confined spaces kill workers at a rate far out of proportion to how often anyone enters them, and NIOSH surveillance found that a large share of those deaths are would-be rescuers who rushed in without testing the air or arranging a rescue plan. [10] A finished permit forces the crew to stop and confirm that testing is done, rescue is arranged, and communication is set before anyone drops through the hatch.
The permit is also a legal record. When OSHA investigates an incident, the compliance officer's first request is the entry permit from that day. No permit, or a half-filled one, is a serious citation on its own, whether or not anyone got hurt.
What are the 16 required items on a confined space entry permit?
29 CFR 1910.146(f)(1) sets the floor. Every one of these has to appear on every permit, no exceptions:
| # | Required Element | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Space to be entered | Specific name or location, more than "tank" |
| 2 | Purpose of entry | What work will be done |
| 3 | Date and authorized duration | Start date plus when the permit expires |
| 4 | Authorized entrants | By name or by a method to track who is inside |
| 5 | Personnel serving as attendants | By name |
| 6 | Entry supervisors | Who authorized the entry, by name |
| 7 | Hazards of the permit space | All known or suspected hazards |
| 8 | Measures used to isolate the space | Blanking, blinding, blocking, disconnecting, lockout/tagout |
| 9 | Acceptable entry conditions | Specific parameters: O2 range, LEL %, allowable levels for each contaminant |
| 10 | Results of initial and periodic atmospheric tests | Tester's initials, test time, values recorded |
| 11 | Rescue and emergency services | How to summon them, phone number or procedure |
| 12 | Communication procedures | How entrant and attendant will stay in contact |
| 13 | Equipment required | PPE, testing equipment, communications, lighting, barriers |
| 14 | Other permits required for work inside | Hot work permit, for example |
| 15 | Any other necessary information | Catch-all for site-specific hazards |
| 16 | Signature of entry supervisor | Authorizing the entry |
The entry supervisor signs at the bottom after confirming every condition is met. That signature is the go/no-go gate. [1]
Treat the permit like a pre-flight checklist. It does not guarantee nothing goes wrong. It does force every check to happen in order before the door opens. If you use lockout tagout as an isolation method, your LOTO procedure and the confined space permit must point to each other. They are separate documents covering overlapping hazards, and OSHA expects to see both.
What acceptable entry conditions must the permit specify?
Acceptable entry conditions have to be written as real numbers, not soft phrases like "good air quality." This is where a lot of small employers stumble.
Oxygen: the acceptable range under 29 CFR 1910.146 is 19.5% to 23.5% by volume. [1] Below 19.5% is oxygen-deficient and counts as an immediately dangerous to life or health (IDLH) atmosphere all by itself. Above 23.5% is oxygen-enriched and turns small ignition sources into big problems.
Flammable gases: the atmosphere has to stay below 10% of the lower explosive limit (LEL). At 10% LEL the standard demands continuous monitoring, and at or above 10% LEL, entry stops until you add controls. [1]
Airborne combustible dust has to stay below its LEL too.
Toxic atmospheres need the specific contaminant named with its permissible exposure limit (PEL), or the IDLH value if the PEL sits above IDLH. OSHA's PELs live in 29 CFR 1910 Subpart Z. [3] Many of those PELs are decades old and set higher than current NIOSH or ACGIH numbers, so plenty of safety pros use the lowest of the three as the permit threshold. That is a defensible call, and compliance officers tend to like seeing it.
The permit must record the actual readings, the time each test happened, and the initials of whoever ran it. [1] One reading at the start is not enough when conditions can drift. If the work generates combustion products, coatings outgas solvents, or purging pushes in new vapors, the permit has to call for re-testing at a stated frequency. Write the interval down.
Who can sign and authorize a confined space entry permit?
Only the entry supervisor authorizes a permit, and they do it by signing. [1] The entry supervisor under 29 CFR 1910.146 is the person responsible for confirming acceptable conditions exist, authorizing entry, overseeing the operation, and ending entry when needed. Real responsibility rides on that role.
The entry supervisor does not need a supervisor title on the org chart. A lead worker, a safety coordinator, or a trained foreman can serve, as long as they are trained to the entry supervisor level under 29 CFR 1910.146(g)(4). That training has to cover the hazards of the space, how to test and evaluate those hazards, and how to verify acceptable conditions before signing.
One rule people miss: the entry supervisor can be one of the entrants, but never the attendant at the same time. The attendant stays outside, tracks who is inside, watches conditions, and triggers rescue if needed. That job cannot be shared with supervising the permit.
If the entry supervisor leaves the site, someone new has to take the role, review the permit and current conditions, and sign as the new authorizing person. Document that hand-off on the permit itself or on a record attached to it.
How long must you keep a confined space entry permit after the work is done?
One year, minimum. 29 CFR 1910.146(e)(6) requires canceled entry permits to be kept at least 12 months after cancellation so the employer can review the confined space program. [1]
The reason is spelled out in the standard: the employer must review the entry program using those retained permits within one year after each entry and revise it as needed. Keeping the permit is not only about surviving a citation. It is the source document for your annual program review.
Most careful employers keep permits longer, some forever. Certain chemical exposures carry long latency periods, so a record of exactly what conditions existed in a specific space on a specific date can matter years down the road. Digital storage costs almost nothing now. There is no good reason to shred at the twelve-month mark.
A common mistake: canceling the permit before the job is finished or before every entrant is confirmed out. The permit stays active and posted at the entry point until the operation is complete and all entrants have exited. Then you cancel it and file it.
Where must the permit be posted during a confined space entry?
The permit has to be available to every authorized entrant at the time of entry, either posted at the entry point or made available by another means that lets entrants confirm pre-entry prep is done. [1] Posting at the entry point is standard practice and the version that survives any reasonable audit.
Posting does real work beyond compliance. An entrant heading into a space has the right to check the conditions that were tested and confirmed before they go down. If they see atmospheric readings from three hours ago with no sign of re-testing, they have the documentation to stop the job on the spot.
Some crews laminate the permit and mark it with dry-erase. Others clip it to a board near the hatch. Both work fine. What fails is leaving the permit in the foreman's truck or back in the office while people are working inside the space.
When must a confined space entry permit be canceled or suspended?
The entry supervisor cancels the permit and ends entry the moment any of these hit: [1]
Acceptable entry conditions drop away or were never really there. Monitor alarms, work stops, everyone comes out, permit canceled.
A condition the permit never addressed shows up. Unexpected liquid coming in, a process change feeding the space, a gas release from nearby equipment. Stop, exit, re-evaluate.
Any entrant shows signs of distress that could be exposure-related.
The authorized duration expires. You cannot keep working on an expired permit. Issue a new one, which means verifying every entry condition again.
Canceling does not mean the space just became safe. It means the authorization for that specific operation under those specific conditions is over. A new permit restarts the hazard evaluation and verification from the top.
For hot work inside a confined space, the hot work permit and the entry permit run at the same time. Canceling one changes the picture for the other, so keep both documents together in the file.
What happens during OSHA's annual review of confined space entry permits?
29 CFR 1910.146(d)(14) requires the employer to review the permit space entry program, using the canceled permits from the prior 12 months, within one year after each entry. [1] The review has to judge whether the program still protects employees, and the employer has to revise it where it falls short.
In plain terms: pull the year's permits and ask hard questions. Did any near-misses get documented? Did any entry blow past acceptable parameters? Were rescues needed? Were there delays in summoning rescue services? Did any permits get canceled mid-entry?
Every "yes" is a flag that something needs attention, whether that is training, equipment, isolation methods, or communication. Document the review. Document what you concluded. Keep that record with the permits.
Employers who enter spaces only now and then forget this easily, because a year slips by fast. Put it on the calendar the day you file the last canceled permit. Inspectors do ask whether the annual review happened, and "we do it but never wrote it down" is not an answer that holds up.
This is also the point to revisit your written confined space program itself. If you are building or updating that program now, SafetyFolio's safety program generator walks you through the required elements for a general industry PRCS program in a fraction of the time drafting from scratch takes.
Does OSHA require a specific permit form, or can you design your own?
You can design your own. OSHA does not prescribe a form. 29 CFR 1910.146 Appendix D gives a sample permit, but it is labeled a sample. [1] The standard only requires that whatever form you run carries all 16 required elements.
Appendix D is a fine starting point. It is one page with a labeled section for each element. Plenty of employers use it as-is or bolt on a few site-specific hazard lines.
A few tweaks make a form more useful in the field:
Pre-print the acceptable entry conditions (O2 range, LEL threshold, contaminant limits) instead of asking workers to remember them each time. That kills the wrong-threshold mistake.
Leave room for several atmospheric readings with timestamps, more than one. A single reading rarely covers an entry that runs more than a few minutes.
Add a check box confirming rescue services are notified or retrieval gear is set at the entry point. The standard requires it, but generic forms bury it.
Electronic permits are fine. Some crews run a tablet at the hatch with a form that timestamps readings on its own. OSHA's letters of interpretation have consistently held that electronic records meet recordkeeping requirements as long as they stay accessible and can be produced during an inspection. A digital signature or PIN attestation meets the authorization requirement.
What are the most common permit documentation violations OSHA cites?
29 CFR 1910.146 lands on OSHA's most-cited list year after year. In OSHA's FY2023 Top 10 Most Frequently Cited Standards, confined spaces (1910.146) appeared among the ten most frequently cited general industry standards. [4]
The documentation failures that show up again and again:
Missing atmospheric test results, or results with no timestamp. A permit that says "tested" without the actual readings and times is not compliant.
No entry supervisor signature. Form filled out, nobody signed as the authorizing supervisor.
Vague acceptable entry conditions. "No hazardous atmosphere" written where real numerical thresholds belong.
Expired permits with work still running. The authorized duration passed and nobody issued a fresh permit.
No rescue procedures listed. The standard requires you to spell out how rescue services get summoned. A blank line there is a citation.
Missing PPE listing. The permit has to list every piece of equipment the entrant must use, personal protective equipment included. General OSHA requirements on PPE sit in 29 CFR 1910 Subpart I.
For a wider picture of how enforcement works and what compliance officers look for, the OSHA training side covers the certification levels tied to permit-space work. Knowing how to write an incident report correctly matters too, since a confined space near-miss may need to be recorded.
How do confined space permit requirements differ for construction versus general industry?
General industry runs on 29 CFR 1910.146, in effect since 1993. Construction has its own standard, 29 CFR 1926.1200 through 1926.1213, effective August 2015. [5] The construction version carries similar documentation duties and adds a few that go further.
The construction standard demands more explicit coordination between a controlling contractor and any subcontractors sharing a permit space. [5] The controlling contractor has to share information about known hazards and the permit program before subcontractors start work.
Under the construction rule, if a subcontractor performs the entry, they coordinate with the controlling contractor, and the permit has to reflect that coordination. That is a documentation step beyond what 1910.146 spells out.
Most small businesses in general industry (manufacturing, warehousing, food processing, utilities) fall under 1910.146. Contractors on job sites with confined spaces (construction, shipbuilding, underground utilities) fall under 1926 Subpart AA.
One difference worth knowing: 1910.146 allows an "alternate procedure" for permit spaces where the only hazard is a hazardous atmosphere that continuous forced-air ventilation can control. [1] In that narrow case, a written certification can replace some of the formal permit steps. The construction standard has no matching pathway.
What records does a host employer need to share with a contractor entering their confined spaces?
If contractors come onto your site to work in permit-required confined spaces, 29 CFR 1910.146(c)(8) puts documentation duties on you as the host employer. You have to:
Tell the contractor the space is permit-required and explain the permit program you use. [1]
Give them the hazards you have already identified in the space.
Coordinate entry operations if your workers and the contractor's workers will be in or near the space at the same time.
A debrief when the job wraps is required too. If the contractor found any new hazard during entry, they have to tell you, and you have to fold that into your permit program going forward.
Document the whole exchange. Keep a copy of what you told the contractor and the date. If the contractor ran the permit program, get copies of their canceled permits. Your annual review covers entries into your spaces no matter who ran the permit.
For the wider set of written program duties that pair with confined space records, hazard communication requirements come up often, since chemical hazards in confined spaces mean SDS information has to reach the entrants.
What should a small business do to build a compliant permit system from scratch?
Start with a space inventory. Walk the whole facility and flag every space that meets the confined space definition: big enough to bodily enter, limited means of entry or exit, not built for continuous occupancy. List all of them. Then check each one for permit-required characteristics. [1]
For each permit-required space, write down the specific hazards (that becomes the hazard section of your permit), the acceptable entry conditions with real numbers, and the isolation methods required.
Adopt or build a permit form that covers all 16 elements. OSHA's Appendix D sample is free and meets the standard. Add columns for multiple readings and timestamps.
Train your people. Entry supervisors, authorized entrants, and attendants each have distinct training requirements under 29 CFR 1910.146(g). Training has to cover the hazards of your actual spaces, not the abstract idea of confined spaces. Keep the training records.
Set up rescue capability before anyone enters any permit space. Either you have in-house rescue (trained, equipped, practiced) or you have a contract with an outside rescue service that can arrive fast enough to matter. The permit has to name that rescue service or describe the in-house procedure.
Set a calendar reminder for the annual program review and name the person who owns it.
If writing out every permit program element from scratch feels like a wall, SafetyFolio's safety program generator structures the pieces for a 1910.146-compliant permit space program with prompts that track OSHA's actual requirements, so you are not guessing what belongs in each section.
Hazard communication documentation and SDS access often get built at the same time, since many spaces hold chemical hazards. The hazard communication rules will surface as you go.
Frequently asked questions
Can a confined space entry permit be handwritten?
Yes. OSHA does not require a typed or printed form. A handwritten permit works as long as it carries all 16 required elements under 29 CFR 1910.146(f)(1) and stays legible. In practice, pre-printed forms with blank fields for the variable information beat fully handwritten permits, because they cut the odds of skipping a required element under time pressure.
Does every confined space entry require a permit, or only some?
Only permit-required confined spaces (PRCS) need a formal entry permit. A space is permit-required if it meets the confined space definition and holds or could hold a serious safety or health hazard, has internal geometry that could trap a person, or contains material that could engulf an entrant. A confined space with none of those hazards is a non-permit space, and entry needs no written permit under 29 CFR 1910.146.
What is the minimum atmospheric testing requirement before signing a confined space permit?
29 CFR 1910.146(f)(1)(ix) requires the initial atmospheric test results to be recorded on the permit before entry. Test for oxygen content, flammable gases (as a percent of LEL), and possible toxic contaminants. Order matters: oxygen first, then flammable gases (many sensors are oxygen-dependent), then toxics. The permit must show the actual readings, the time, and the tester's initials, more than a checkmark.
Can the same person be both the entry supervisor and an authorized entrant?
Yes. Under 29 CFR 1910.146 the entry supervisor can also be one of the authorized entrants. What they cannot do at the same time is serve as the attendant, because the attendant has to stay outside the space, monitoring conditions and tracking who is inside. Combining supervisor and attendant duties would leave nobody outside to start a rescue.
What happens if conditions change after the permit is signed?
The entry supervisor cancels the permit and orders everyone out if acceptable conditions no longer hold or if any condition the permit never addressed shows up. Once all personnel are out, the supervisor evaluates whether the new conditions can be controlled. If they can, a new permit gets prepared, all conditions are re-verified, and the supervisor signs a fresh authorization before anyone re-enters.
Do you need a separate hot work permit when doing welding inside a confined space?
Yes. Hot work inside a confined space requires both the confined space entry permit and a separate hot work permit, and the two have to reference each other. The hot work permit handles ignition hazards, fire watch, and suppression. The confined space permit handles atmospheric conditions, isolation, and rescue. Canceling one affects the other. Keep both together in your records for that entry.
How often must atmospheric testing be repeated during an entry operation?
29 CFR 1910.146 requires periodic testing whenever conditions could change during entry, but it sets no fixed interval. The permit has to state the frequency based on the hazards. For any space where combustion, chemical reactions, or process flows could shift the atmosphere, continuous monitoring with a calibrated multi-gas monitor is the right standard. One initial reading is almost never enough for an entry that runs more than a few minutes.
Is there an OSHA penalty for an incomplete or missing confined space entry permit?
Yes. OSHA can cite an incomplete or missing permit under 29 CFR 1910.146(f) as a serious or willful violation. Serious citations for confined space violations carry penalties up to $16,131 per violation as of 2024 (adjusted yearly for inflation). Willful or repeated violations can reach $161,323 per violation. A fatality with no permit in place is nearly certain to draw a willful citation. [6]
Can a contractor use their own entry permit form in a host employer's facility?
Yes, as long as their form carries all 16 required elements. The host employer has to coordinate with the contractor under 29 CFR 1910.146(c)(8) and share information about known hazards before entry. If both parties have workers entering at the same time, their entry operations have to be coordinated so one crew's actions do not endanger the other. The host employer should get copies of the contractor's canceled permits for its own annual review.
What is the difference between an entry supervisor, an authorized entrant, and an attendant on the permit?
The entry supervisor confirms acceptable conditions exist, authorizes entry by signing, and can terminate entry. The authorized entrant is the worker who goes inside and must know the hazards, recognize exposure symptoms, and know how to exit when ordered. The attendant stays outside, tracks everyone inside, watches conditions and entrant behavior, keeps communication going, and starts rescue if needed. All three roles must be named on the permit.
Does OSHA require confined space permits to be in English?
29 CFR 1910.146(g) requires training that employees can understand, which implies materials in a language they know. OSHA has taken enforcement positions in letters of interpretation that safety materials, permits included, must be comprehensible to the workers who rely on them. For a workforce where English is not the primary language, permits in the relevant language are sound practice and likely required.
What is the alternate procedure exemption and how does it affect permit requirements?
Under 29 CFR 1910.146(c)(5), if the only hazard in a permit-required space is a hazardous atmosphere that continuous forced-air ventilation can control, the employer may reclassify it with a written certification instead of a full permit. The certification must record the space location, date, and basis for reclassification, and be kept until the next one. If any other hazard exists or ventilation stops, the full permit process applies. This exemption is narrow. Do not stretch it.
How does OSHA's confined space standard interact with lockout/tagout requirements?
When energy isolation is needed to make a confined space safe, 29 CFR 1910.147 (lockout/tagout) applies alongside 1910.146. The permit must list the isolation methods, including any lockout/tagout steps. The LOTO procedure has to be completed and verified before the entry supervisor signs. Both programs are documented separately but reference each other. See our article on lockout tagout for the full LOTO documentation requirements.
Sources
- OSHA, 29 CFR 1910.146 Permit-Required Confined Spaces standard (including Appendix D sample permit): Lists the 16 required permit elements, acceptable entry conditions (19.5-23.5% O2, below 10% LEL), one-year permit retention, annual program review, entry supervisor signature requirement, posting at entry point, contractor coordination, and alternate procedure certification
- BLS, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries summary: Source for context on confined space fatality rates in U.S. workplaces
- OSHA, 29 CFR 1910.1000 Subpart Z - Toxic and Hazardous Substances (Table Z-1 PELs): OSHA permissible exposure limits used as thresholds for toxic contaminant acceptable entry conditions on confined space permits
- OSHA, Top 10 Most Frequently Cited Standards FY2023: 29 CFR 1910.146 confined spaces appears among OSHA's most frequently cited general industry standards
- OSHA, 29 CFR 1926 Subpart AA - Confined Spaces in Construction (1926.1200-1926.1213): Construction confined space standard effective August 2015, adds controlling contractor coordination documentation requirements not in 1910.146
- OSHA, Penalties page: Serious violations up to $16,131 per violation; willful or repeated violations up to $161,323 per violation (2024 inflation-adjusted figures)
- NIOSH, Alert: Preventing Occupational Fatalities in Confined Spaces (DHHS NIOSH Publication No. 86-110): NIOSH data on confined space fatalities and the role of inadequate preparation including lack of atmospheric testing and rescue planning
- OSHA, 29 CFR 1910.147 - The Control of Hazardous Energy (Lockout/Tagout): Lockout/tagout requirements that apply when energy isolation is required as part of confined space entry preparation
- OSHA, Confined Spaces topic page: OSHA guidance on identifying permit-required confined spaces, permit program elements, and acceptable entry conditions
- NIOSH, Worker Deaths in Confined Spaces: A Summary of NIOSH Surveillance and Investigative Findings (Publication No. 94-103): NIOSH analysis showing a significant proportion of confined space deaths involve would-be rescuers who entered without preparation