Confined Space Training Online (OSHA and Cal/OSHA)
Short answer.
Employers must train every employee whose work is regulated by the permit-required confined space rules before the employee is first assigned duties under them, and the training must establish proficiency in those duties (29 CFR 1910.146(g) for general industry, 29 CFR 1926.1207 for construction, 8 CCR 5157(g) and 8 CCR 1956 in California). An online course can cover the classroom part. It cannot establish proficiency in rescue, air testing, equipment or the entry permit procedure at your site, and it does not certify or authorize anyone to enter. Your employer does that. OSHA has said computer-based training by itself is not enough for most of its training requirements, and that it works as part of an overall program that includes hands-on practice and a way to ask questions (OSHA letter, June 11, 1997).
Awareness or entrant and attendant: pick by your job
The two kinds of course are for different people.
| Awareness (non-entrant) | Entrant and attendant, classroom part | |
|---|---|---|
| Who it is for | Workers who do not enter permit spaces but work near them | Workers who will serve as authorized entrants or attendants |
| What the course teaches | What a confined space and a permit space are, the hazards, the warnings, what never to do, and why untrained rescuers die | The hazards, the entry permit, entrant and attendant duties, air testing and hazard control, equipment and respirators, and why you never go in after someone |
| Does it make you an entrant or attendant? | No. Our course page says it never qualifies anyone for those roles. | No. Your employer decides who is an authorized entrant or attendant and names you on the entry permit. |
| What your employer still does | Tells you where its permit spaces are and what the danger is; covers site-specific rules | Trains you on your site's spaces and equipment, checks your hands-on skills, and handles certification or training records |
Which course do I need?
Federal OSHA splits confined space rules in two. 29 CFR 1910.146 covers general industry and says it does not apply to agriculture, construction or shipyard employment. 29 CFR 1926 Subpart AA covers construction. California does the same in its own code: 8 CCR 5157 for general industry and 8 CCR 1950 to 1962 (Article 37, Confined Spaces in Construction) for construction.
The entrant and attendant courses are single courses that cover both the federal and the California rules. The awareness courses come in separate federal and Cal/OSHA versions. We do not list a non-entrant awareness course for construction, and we do not offer courses for entry supervisors or rescue teams. Both are outside the scope of the courses above.
To compare other courses, see the Federal OSHA online courses, the Cal/OSHA online courses and the Cursos en línea en español, or go to the M Squared Training Academy hub. If you are not sure which standard applies to your site or who owes what on a multi-employer job, read The Confined Space Standards: Which One Applies, and Who Owes What.
What the standards require for training
General industry (29 CFR 1910.146)
The employer must provide training so that employees acquire the understanding, knowledge and skills needed to do their assigned duties safely. It must be given before the employee is first assigned those duties, before a change in duties, whenever permit space operations change in a way that creates a hazard the employee has not been trained on, and whenever the employer has reason to believe procedures are not being followed or the employee's knowledge is inadequate (1910.146(g)(1) and (g)(2)). The training must establish employee proficiency ((g)(3)). The employer must also certify that the training was done, and the certification must contain each employee's name, the signatures or initials of the trainers and the dates of training ((g)(4)).
Construction (29 CFR 1926 Subpart AA)
Section 1926.1207 requires training at no cost to the employee, in a language and vocabulary the employee can understand. The training must result in an understanding of the hazards in the permit space and the methods used to isolate or control them. For employees not authorized to perform entry rescues, it must also cover the dangers of attempting such rescues ((a), (b)(1)). Training is required before first assignment, before a change in duties, when entry operations change in a way that creates a new hazard, and when there is evidence of a deviation from the entry procedures or gaps in the employee's knowledge ((b)(2) to (b)(5)). It must establish proficiency ((c)). Instead of the general industry certification, the construction rule requires training records with each employee's name, the name of the trainers and the dates of training ((d)).
California
General industry employers in California follow 8 CCR 5157(g), which reads the same as the federal text on timing, proficiency and certification. Construction employers follow 8 CCR 1956, which tracks the federal construction text on language, timing, proficiency and records.
What an online course covers and what it cannot
OSHA has addressed computer-based training in general terms. In 1994 it said self-paced interactive computer-based training can serve as a valuable training tool, that it can be part of an effective program provided trainees can ask questions of a qualified trainer, and that traditional hands-on training is the preferred method to prepare workers for tasks involving equipment (OSHA letter, November 22, 1994). In 1997 it repeated that computer-based training by itself would not be sufficient for most of its requirements, and said a telephone hotline to a qualified trainer is one way to meet the need for questions (OSHA letter, June 11, 1997). The 1997 letter was written about bloodborne pathogens training, and the 1994 letter was addressed to a utility and speaks to OSHA's training requirements in general terms. Neither is a confined space interpretation, so read them as OSHA's general position on computer-based training.
For confined space work that means the online course is the classroom part. The proficiency requirement ((g)(3) in general industry, (c) in construction) is what an online course cannot meet on its own, because the duties include things like using a retrieval system, testing the atmosphere with your site's meter, and working the entry permit. Our entrant and attendant course pages say the same thing: the course does not include rescue practice, gas meter use or respirator fit testing, and the employer checks hands-on skills with a checklist before M Squared issues the certificate of completion.
If you have a question about the material, call an M Squared trainer at 949-954-6581, Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM Pacific time.
What the employer still has to do
Finishing a course does not complete the employer's duties. The list below comes from the standards, not from our courses.
- Find the permit spaces. General industry employers must evaluate the workplace to see whether any spaces are permit-required confined spaces (1910.146(c)(1)). On construction sites a competent person must identify all confined spaces and each permit space before work begins (1926.1203(a)).
- Warn employees. If the workplace has permit spaces, the employer must inform exposed employees by posting danger signs or by an equally effective means (1910.146(c)(2); 1926.1203(b)(1)). This is the duty that makes awareness training a workplace matter, not just a course.
- Keep people out or write a program. If employees will not enter, the employer must take effective measures to prevent entry (1910.146(c)(3)). If they will enter, the employer must develop and implement a written permit space program that employees can inspect (1910.146(c)(4)).
- Issue and run entry permits. The construction permit must identify the space, the purpose, the duration, the authorized entrants, each attendant and the entry supervisor, the hazards, the isolation and control measures, the acceptable entry conditions, the test results, the rescue services and the communication procedures, among other items (1926.1206).
- Provide rescue. An employer that designates rescue services must evaluate the rescuers' ability to respond in time and their proficiency with the equipment, inform them of the hazards and give them access to the spaces (1910.146(k)(1); 1926.1211(a)). Employees designated as rescuers must be trained to the authorized entrant level and in first aid and CPR, and must practice simulated rescues at least once every 12 months, with a limited exception in construction when the employees properly performed a rescue in the same or a similar permit space during the last 12 months (1910.146(k)(2); 1926.1211(b)(4)).
- Use retrieval systems. Non-entry rescue is the default: retrieval systems or methods must be used whenever an authorized entrant enters a permit space, unless the retrieval equipment would increase the overall risk of entry or would not contribute to the rescue (1910.146(k)(3); 1926.1211(c)).
- Certify or record the training. General industry requires a certification (1910.146(g)(4)). Construction requires training records (1926.1207(d)).
Retrieval and rescue equipment
If your program uses non-entry rescue, you need a retrieval system. The Malta Dynamics XSERIES X250 is described on its product page as an anchor for fall protection with additional capability for confined space rescue and retrieval. Pricing is by quote. For the full list, see our confined space equipment collection and the article Confined Space Rescue and Retrieval Equipment: What the Standard Requires. Equipment selection depends on the space, so call 949-954-6581 before you buy.
State plans
This page covers federal OSHA and California. If you work in a state with its own OSHA-approved plan, that state's rules apply to your workplace, so check the OSHA training requirements by state page.
Questions you may have
Who has to be trained, and when?
Each employee whose work is regulated by the permit space rules must be trained before first being assigned duties under them, before a change in duties, and when conditions or knowledge gaps call for it (29 CFR 1910.146(g)(2); 29 CFR 1926.1207(b)).
Can confined space entrant training be done entirely online?
Not by itself. The rules do not name a delivery method, but the training must establish proficiency in the duties assigned (1910.146(g)(3); 1926.1207(c)), and proficiency in rescue, air testing and the permit procedure needs hands-on work. OSHA has said computer-based training by itself would not be sufficient to meet the intent of most of its training requirements (OSHA letter, June 11, 1997). An online course can be the classroom part, and the employer completes the hands-on part and certifies or records the training.
Do workers who never enter a permit space need training?
The employer must tell exposed employees where the permit spaces are and what the danger is (1910.146(c)(2)). On construction sites, training for employees who are not authorized to perform entry rescues must cover the dangers of attempting such rescues (1926.1207(a)). An awareness course helps with the general content. The employer still covers its own spaces and signs.
Is the rule the same for construction and general industry?
No. Federal OSHA's general industry rule says it does not apply to construction (29 CFR 1910.146(a)). Construction work is under Subpart AA, and construction in California is under 8 CCR 1950 to 1962. The construction rule also has exceptions for work regulated by the excavation, underground construction and diving subparts (1926.1201(b)).
Can training be given in Spanish?
The construction rule requires training in a language and vocabulary the employee can understand (1926.1207(b)(1)). Each of our courses has a Spanish version, linked in the table above.
What do I receive when I finish?
Per the course pages, you receive a certificate of completion from M Squared Safety Solutions, Inc. For the entrant and attendant courses, that certificate is issued after your employer's signed hands-on checklist is reviewed. It is not an OSHA or Cal/OSHA credential, and it does not authorize you to enter a permit space.
How training works here
You take the course online, at your own pace, on a phone or a computer. Each course has a final exam. The limit: these courses do not replace the training your employer must give on your own job, including site-specific training, hands-on practice and evaluation where the rule requires them.