What counts as a confined space?

Definitions are set in the regulations made under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 and are broader than most people expect. They generally turn on a space being enclosed or partly enclosed, not designed for continuous occupancy, having restricted entry or exit, and being liable to contain a harmful atmosphere or cause engulfment. Pits, tanks, silos, sewers, vessels and some ducts and voids qualify. Check the definition that applies to you with Safe Work Australia and your state WHS regulator rather than judging by appearance.

Do we always need a permit?

Where the space meets the regulatory definition, a permit-based system is generally required, along with training, testing and rescue arrangements. Confirm the requirement in your jurisdiction with Safe Work Australia and your state WHS regulator. Treating a doubtful space as confined is the safe error to make.

Can the standby person enter to help if something goes wrong?

Not unless they are trained and equipped for confined space rescue and a replacement standby person is in place. Untrained rescuers entering confined spaces is the single most common way one fatality becomes several. The standby person raises the alarm, calls 000, and attempts non-entry retrieval.

How often must the atmosphere be retested?

At the interval set by the regulations in your jurisdiction and your own procedure, and continuously where the risk warrants it. Conditions change when work disturbs residue, when hot work is done, or when ventilation falters, so a single clear test before entry is not sufficient on its own.

Confined space entry permit template (free download)

Confined space entry permit

Confined space work is among the most lethal work there is, and a high proportion of those killed are would-be rescuers who entered without equipment. Entry is tightly regulated under the regulations made with the Work Health and Safety Act 2011, and typically requires a permit, atmospheric testing, a standby person and rescue arrangements established before anyone enters. This template structures that permit.

Who it's for: Confined space entry supervisors, authorised permit issuers, standby persons and entrants, in water, waste, manufacturing, agriculture, marine and facilities work.

Free to use and adapt · Last updated 2026-08-02 · No email required

Read this before using the form

This template does not authorise anyone to enter a confined space, and it does not replace the training, competence, atmospheric monitoring equipment and rescue capability the law requires. Entrants, standby persons and supervisors must be trained and competent, testing must be done with calibrated equipment by a competent person, and rescue must be arranged before entry, not improvised after an alarm.

Never enter to rescue someone unless you are trained and equipped for confined space rescue. Raise the alarm, call 000, and begin non-entry rescue if the retrieval system allows it. Multiple-fatality confined space incidents almost always begin with an untrained rescuer entering.

Acceptable atmospheric ranges, testing intervals and rescue requirements are set by the regulations in your jurisdiction and by your own procedure. Record the figures you are working to in the fields below and cite their source. Do not rely on remembered numbers.

Permit and space details

Permit number

Confined space identifier and exact location Tank, pit, silo, vessel, sewer, chamber, asset number

Description of work to be done inside

Reason entry is necessary State why the work cannot be done from outside. If it can, do that instead

Valid from and valid until (date and time)

Space previously contained Last contents, and any residue or sludge expected

Hazard identification

Oxygen deficiency or enrichment
Flammable or explosive atmosphere
Toxic atmosphere, including gases released by disturbing sludge or residue
Engulfment by liquid or free-flowing solid
Entrapment by converging walls or a sloping floor
Stored energy: mechanical, electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic, thermal
Inflow of liquid, gas or material from connected systems
Heat stress or cold
Falls into or within the space, and objects falling onto entrants
Restricted access or egress affecting escape and rescue
Noise, poor lighting or poor communications
Biological hazards

Isolation and preparation

Complete every applicable line before testing. Testing a space that is not isolated tells you only what the atmosphere was at that moment.

System or energy source	Isolation method	Isolation point	Verified by	Time	Lock or tag number

Atmospheric testing

Testing is done by a competent person with calibrated equipment, from outside the space, at the top, middle and bottom where the space allows, before entry and at the interval set by your procedure. Record the acceptable range you are working to and its source.

Acceptable ranges applied, and their source From the regulations in your jurisdiction and your confined space procedure. Write the figures and the reference

Instrument make, model and serial

Calibration or bump test date

Continuous monitoring in use (Y/N) If no, record the retest interval and who is responsible

Time	Oxygen	Flammable (LEL)	Toxic gas 1	Toxic gas 2	Within acceptable range (Y/N)	Tested by

Ventilation and breathing apparatus

Mechanical ventilation in place, running, and drawing from a clean source
Ventilation will continue for the whole entry, with a plan for power failure
Purging completed where required, and the space retested after purging
Breathing apparatus specified where the atmosphere cannot be made and kept safe
Air supply duration is sufficient for the task plus escape, with margin
Users of breathing apparatus are trained, fit tested and medically fit for it

Rescue arrangements, established before entry

Rescue is planned and resourced before anyone enters. If the plan is to call emergency services and wait, confirm they can actually reach and extract from this space, and record their expected response time.

Rescue plan written for this specific space, not generic
Non-entry retrieval system in place where the space allows: harness, line and mechanical device
Rescue team or trained rescuers identified, available and briefed for the duration of entry
Rescue equipment present, inspected and appropriate to the opening size
Communications between entrant and standby person tested and continuous
Method of raising the alarm confirmed, including how to call 000 from this location
Entrants and standby person briefed on the rescue plan before entry

People

Role	Name	Competency or training verified	Signature
Entry supervisor / permit issuer
Standby person (remains outside throughout)
Entrant 1
Entrant 2

Entry and exit log

The standby person keeps this log and never leaves the entry point while anyone is inside. The count out must match the count in before the permit is closed.

Name	Time in	Time out	Time in	Time out	Standby initials

Close-out

Headcount out matches headcount in (Y/N)

Permit closed by, and time

Accepted back by area owner, and time

All entrants accounted for and confirmed out of the space, by name
All tools, equipment and materials removed
Space secured against unauthorised entry
Isolations removed and systems restored, with the area owner informed
Any defect, near miss or unexpected reading recorded and reported