Confined space entry permit
Draft a confined space entry permit: pre-entry isolations and preparation, atmosphere testing, the named entrants and posted attendant, non-entry rescue and the close-out. Print it for the issuing authority to review and sign on site.
Free to use — no signup, nothing stored. Use as a planning aid, then review against the actual site.
Issue · brief · sign off
Permit to work
printable · time-bound · signed
Confined Space Entry Permit — details
Fill in the permit, then print it for wet-ink signature. This tool drafts the form — only the named issuing authority on site can issue the permit and authorise work to start.
Validity window
A confined space entry permit covers one continuous work period only and must be kept short. The atmosphere must be re-tested before re-entry after any break, and the permit re-assessed if conditions change. It does not span shifts.
Pre-entry — can entry be avoided?
Avoiding entry is the first duty (reg 4(1)). Only proceed with a permit if entry is genuinely unavoidable and a safe system of work is in place.
Atmosphere testing & monitoring
A safe atmosphere is proven, not assumed. Test before entry and monitor continuously throughout.
Entry controls
Who goes in, who stays out, and how they stay in contact and get out.
Rescue & emergency arrangements
Adequate rescue must be in place before entry (reg 5). Non-entry rescue is preferred — pulling a casualty out without a second person going in.
Authorisation
Signed on the printed permit. The issuing authority confirms the controls are in place; the person accepting the permit confirms they understand and will work to it.
Confined Space Entry Permit
A confined space entry permit covers one continuous work period only and must be kept short. The atmosphere must be re-tested before re-entry after any break, and the permit re-assessed if conditions change. It does not span shifts.
- Only the named issuing authority may issue this permit and authorise entry.
- Most people who die in confined spaces are would-be rescuers — never enter to help without the planned rescue arrangements and your own protection.
- No entry is permitted unless the attendant (top man) is in place and communications are confirmed.
Pre-entry — can entry be avoided?
- [Critical] Confined space risk assessment and safe system of work are in place for this entry
- [Critical] Entry confirmed genuinely unavoidable — the work cannot reasonably be done from outside
- Work to be carried out inside the space (task, equipment, materials): __________________________
- [Critical] Inflows and energy sources isolated and locked off — liquids, gases, mechanical, electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic
- [Critical] Space drained, purged, cleaned and ventilated as needed before entry
Atmosphere testing & monitoring
- [Critical] Pre-entry atmosphere tested by a competent person using a calibrated multi-gas detector
- Oxygen reading (record %): __________________________
- Flammable / explosive reading (record % LEL): __________________________
- Toxic gas readings (e.g. H₂S, CO — record ppm): __________________________
- [Critical] Continuous atmosphere monitoring arranged for the duration of the entry
Entry controls
- [Critical] Entrants named, briefed on the safe system of work, and competent for the task
- Entrant(s) (names): __________________________
- [Critical] Attendant (top man) posted outside, with no other duties, in place before entry
- Attendant / top man (name): __________________________
- [Critical] Communications method between entrants and attendant agreed and tested
- [Critical] Access and egress adequate for the entrants and any rescue equipment
- Intrinsically safe lighting and equipment used where a flammable atmosphere is foreseeable
- Escape breathing sets provided where justified by the assessment, and entrants trained in their use
Rescue & emergency arrangements
- [Critical] Non-entry rescue equipment in place — retrieval harness and line on a tripod / winch over the opening
- [Critical] Trained rescuers and rescue arrangements available on site for the duration of the entry
- Resuscitation equipment available and someone trained to use it
- [Critical] Emergency procedure agreed and briefed — the plan does not rely on dialling 999 alone
Authorisation
By signing, the issuing authority confirms the controls above are in place. The permit holder confirms they understand the conditions and will work to them.
Close-out & cancellation
Completed on site when the work and any post-work watch are finished. The permit is only cancelled once every line is confirmed.
- All persons out of the space and accounted for against the entry record
- Tools, equipment and monitors removed from the space
- Space secured against unauthorised or accidental entry; isolations reinstated only when safe
- Permit cancelled — entry is no longer authorised under it
Why confined space entry needs a permit
Under the Confined Spaces Regulations 1997, if entry cannot reasonably be avoided you must work to a safe system of work (reg 4(2)) with adequate emergency arrangements in place first (reg 5). The entry permit is that control: it forces the pre-entry isolations, the atmosphere test, the posted attendant and the rescue plan to be confirmed before anyone goes in, and it puts a firm time limit on the entry.
Before you reach for a permit, start one step earlier. Use the confined space assessment first: is it even a confined space, and can you avoid entry altogether? Avoiding entry (reg 4(1)) — remote inspection, long-reach tools, draining and cleaning from outside — is always the first duty. A permit is for the entries you genuinely cannot avoid.
Atmosphere and the posted attendant
A safe atmosphere is proven, not assumed. A competent person tests with a calibrated multi-gas detector before entry — oxygen, flammable and toxic readings recorded — and monitoring runs continuously throughout, because conditions change. Equally non-negotiable is the attendant (top man): posted outside with no other duties, controlling entry, keeping a head count and maintaining contact. No one enters until the attendant is in place and communications are confirmed.
Rescue is the part that kills people
HSE is blunt about this: a large share of people who die in confined spaces are would-be rescuers who go in without protection when something goes wrong. An oxygen-deficient or toxic atmosphere can incapacitate a rescuer in seconds. That is why this permit treats non-entry rescue — a retrieval harness and line on a tripod and winch over the opening — as the default, with trained rescuers and resuscitation equipment on site and an emergency procedure that never relies on dialling 999 alone.
This template aligns with the Confined Spaces Regulations 1997 and HSE's Approved Code of Practice L101 “Safe work in confined spaces” (see also hse.gov.uk/confinedspace). It drafts the form only — the permit is live work, and only the named issuing authority on site can issue it and authorise entry.
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