OSHA CONFINED SPACE TRAINING

Confined space training on OSHA.com covers the applicable federal standards for its corresponding industry. The General Industry course follows OSHA 29 CFR 1910.146, which covers permit-required confined spaces. The Construction course follows 29 CFR 1926 Subpart AA. The MSHA surface mining course is aligned with Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) requirements for surface operations.

Yes. All available confined space courses on OSHA.com are available fully online and can be completed at your own pace. Online training is a practical option for workers and employers who need flexible scheduling or need to train multiple employees across different locations.

Pay for workers who perform confined space work varies widely by role, industry, and location. To give a general sense of the range, ZipRecruiter reports that Confined Space Rescue Technicians earn an average of $40,199 per year nationally, while the average Welder earns around $46,302 per year. Both roles may require confined space training as part of their work.

OSHA requires employers to train all workers who perform work in or around permit-required confined spaces before they begin that work. Under 29 CFR 1910.146, training must cover the worker's specific duties and the hazards of the spaces they will enter. Workers must also be retrained when their assigned duties change, when there is a new hazard in the space, or when their performance suggests they have not retained the required knowledge.

OSHA does not issue a formal certification for confined space training. Completing a confined space course results in a certificate of completion from the training provider, which shows that the worker has met the training requirements. Some industries or employers may use the word "certification" informally, but there is no OSHA-issued credential equivalent to, for example, a DOL wallet card from the Outreach Training Program.

OSHA identifies four key roles in a confined space entry operation:

1. Authorized Entrant: The worker who enters the confined space to perform the assigned task.
2. Attendant: The worker stationed outside the space who monitors the entrant and conditions inside, and who is not permitted to enter the space.
3. Entry Supervisor: The person responsible for determining if acceptable entry conditions are present, authorizing entry, and overseeing the operation.
4. Rescue and Emergency Services: Personnel responsible for rescuing entrants in the event of an emergency. These workers must be trained and equipped before entry begins.

Each role carries specific duties under OSHA's confined space standard, and all must be filled before a permit-required confined space entry can begin.

The main difference is the regulatory standard each course is based on and the type of work environment it covers. General Industry confined space training covers OSHA 29 CFR 1910.146 and is designed for workers in facilities such as manufacturing plants, utilities, and wastewater treatment sites. 

Construction confined space training covers OSHA 29 CFR 1926 Subpart AA and addresses the specific hazards found on construction sites, including excavations, manholes, and utility vaults. Workers should select the course that matches their work environment and the standard their employer or job site requires.

A permit-required confined space is a confined space that contains or has the potential to contain a serious hazard. This includes spaces with a hazardous atmosphere, material that could engulf an entrant, an internal configuration that could trap or asphyxiate a worker, or any other recognized serious safety or health hazard.

Entry into a PRCS requires a written entry permit that documents the conditions of entry, the hazards present, the control measures in place, and the personnel assigned to each role. For a deeper look at PRCS requirements, see our guide: What Is a Permit-Required Confined Space?