Confined space permit to work
Manholes, inspection chambers, tanks, pits and voids kill workers and the people who try to rescue them. Fill in the space, the risks, the gas readings and the rescue plan, and print an entry permit to sign before anyone goes in.
What the law says
The Confined Spaces Regulations 1997 apply to any enclosed place, such as a chamber, tank, pit, trench, sewer, flue or well, where there is a reasonably foreseeable risk of fire or explosion, loss of consciousness from heat, gas, fume or lack of oxygen, drowning, or engulfment by free-flowing solids.
Regulation 4 says nobody may enter a confined space to work unless it is not reasonably practicable to do the work without entering, and any entry must follow a safe system of work. Regulation 5 says nobody may enter until suitable rescue arrangements have been prepared, including resuscitation equipment where it may be needed.
What counts as a confined space?
A space that is substantially enclosed and where a specified risk is reasonably foreseeable because of that. A deep manhole with no ventilation is one; an open room usually is not. The risk, not the size, is what matters.
Is a permit to work a legal requirement?
The regulations require a safe system of work and rescue arrangements before entry. A permit is the usual way to make sure every step of that system has been checked and signed off before anyone goes in.
Can the attendant go in to help?
Not unless they are part of the planned rescue, trained and equipped for it. Untrained rescuers are often among the casualties. The attendant raises the alarm and starts the planned rescue from outside.
Checked against legislation.gov.uk (Confined Spaces Regulations 1997, regulations 1, 4 and 5) on 31 October 2026. This page is general guidance, not legal advice.