BlueSafe
Confined Spaces Risk Assessment

Confined Spaces Risk Assessment

  • • 100% Compliant with Australian WHS Acts & Regulations
  • • Fully Editable MS Word & PDF Formats Included
  • • Pre-filled Content – Ready to Deploy Immediately
  • • Customisable – Easily Add Your Logo & Site Details
  • • Includes 2 Years of Free Compliance Updates

Confined Spaces Risk Assessment

Product Overview

Identify and control organisational risks associated with Confined Spaces Risk Management through a structured, management-level assessment that supports planning, policy, training, and system design. This Risk Assessment helps demonstrate Due Diligence under the WHS Act, reduce operational liability, and strengthen your organisation’s overall WHS compliance framework.

Risk Categories & Hazards Covered

This document assesses risks and outlines management controls for:

  • Governance, WHS Duties and Consultation: Assessment of PCBU, officer and worker obligations, consultation mechanisms, and leadership responsibilities for confined space activities.
  • Confined Space Identification and Register Management: Management of confined space recognition, classification, labelling, and maintenance of an accurate confined space register across all sites.
  • Confined Space Risk Management System: Development of formal risk assessment processes, hierarchy of control application, and integration with broader WHS risk management systems.
  • Confined Space Entry Permit System: Protocols for permit-to-work design, authorisation, verification, and record-keeping to control and document all entries.
  • Training, Competency and Authorisation: Assessment of competency standards, refresher training intervals, verification of competency (VoC), and authorisation procedures for entrants, stand-by personnel and permit issuers.
  • Contractor and Supplier Management: Controls for prequalification, induction, information sharing, and monitoring of contractors and service providers involved in confined space work.
  • Plant, Design and Isolation Systems: Management of plant design, engineering controls, energy isolation (LOTO), and integration of confined space considerations into procurement and modification processes.
  • Atmospheric Testing, Monitoring and Equipment Management: Protocols for gas detection, continuous monitoring, equipment calibration, maintenance, and safe use of atmospheric testing devices.
  • Personal Protective Equipment and Respiratory Protection Programs: Selection, fit-testing, maintenance, and replacement programs for PPE and RPE, including policy, training and storage requirements.
  • Supervision, Monitoring and Work Scheduling: Assessment of supervision levels, communication systems, lone worker controls, and scheduling to minimise fatigue and high-risk timeframes.
  • Emergency Planning, Rescue and First Aid: Development of site-specific confined space rescue plans, equipment selection, first aid provisions, and coordination with emergency services.
  • Health Monitoring, Fitness for Work and Psychosocial Risks: Systems for medical assessments, fitness for work checks, fatigue management, and management of stress and other psychosocial hazards.
  • Information, Documentation and Signage: Management of procedures, work instructions, safety data, confined space signage, and communication of critical information to all affected parties.
  • Auditing, Monitoring, Incident Management and Continuous Improvement: Processes for inspections, performance monitoring, incident investigation, corrective actions, and ongoing improvement of confined space safety systems.

Who is this for?

This Risk Assessment is designed for Business Owners, Officers, WHS Managers and Safety Advisors responsible for planning, approving and overseeing confined space operations within their organisation.

Hazards & Risks Covered

Hazard Risk Description
1. Governance, WHS Duties and Consultation
  • • Lack of clear allocation of WHS duties for confined spaces under WHS Act 2011 and WHS Regulations
  • • Inadequate officer due diligence in verifying that confined space risks are identified, assessed and controlled
  • • Poor consultation, cooperation and coordination between PCBUs sharing the workplace (e.g. host employer, contractors)
  • • Absence of worker participation in development and review of confined spaces procedures and risk assessments
  • • Failure to keep up to date with changes to legislation, codes of practice or Australian Standards relevant to confined spaces
2. Confined Space Identification and Register Management
  • • Confined spaces not correctly identified in design, construction or modification stages
  • • Inaccurate, incomplete or outdated confined space register across multiple sites
  • • Reliance on informal knowledge of long‑term workers instead of documented space identification
  • • Spaces incorrectly classified as ‘confined’ or ‘not confined’, leading to over‑control or under‑control
  • • Failure to capture temporary or task‑created confined spaces (e.g. liners, shrouds, plastic wraps, trenches with partial cover)
3. Risk Management System for Confined Spaces
  • • No formal, documented risk management process specific to confined spaces
  • • Confined space risk assessments not task‑specific, not reviewed, or treated as generic templates
  • • Risk assessments completed by persons without adequate competency or site knowledge
  • • Failure to consider interaction of multiple hazards (e.g. atmospheric contaminants, engulfment, energised plant, psychological stress)
  • • Inadequate documentation and storage of risk assessments, making them inaccessible to workers and supervisors
4. Confined Space Entry Permit System
  • • No formal confined space entry permit system or inconsistent use across different workgroups and contractors
  • • Permits treated as a paperwork exercise rather than a genuine verification process
  • • Permits issued by people who are not competent or do not have authority to verify controls
  • • Permit conditions not communicated effectively to all persons involved (including stand‑by personnel and contractors)
  • • Inadequate record‑keeping of permits, making it difficult to review past entries, trends or compliance
5. Training, Competency and Authorisation
  • • Workers, supervisors and contractors entering confined spaces without suitable training or assessment of competency
  • • Training delivered as one‑off events with no refresher or practical verification of skills
  • • No defined competency profiles for key roles (entrant, stand‑by, gas tester, permit issuer, rescue team, supervisor)
  • • Over‑reliance on generic online modules that do not address site‑specific confined space hazards and procedures
  • • Lack of systems to track, monitor and enforce currency of confined space competencies
6. Contractor and Supplier Management
  • • Contractors undertaking confined space work without equivalent WHS standards or compatible procedures
  • • Inadequate verification of contractor training, competency and confined space experience
  • • Differences between contractor and host‑PCBU confined space systems causing confusion or unsafe practices
  • • Poor communication of site‑specific confined space hazards, rescue arrangements and permit requirements to contractors
  • • Subcontractors engaged by primary contractors without the knowledge or assessment of the host PCBU
7. Plant, Design and Isolation Systems
  • • Confined spaces designed or modified without considering safe access, egress, isolation and ventilation requirements
  • • Inadequate or poorly documented isolation procedures for mechanical, electrical, pneumatic, hydraulic and process energy sources
  • • Shared services (e.g. interconnected tanks, lines and vents) allowing contaminants to enter a confined space during entry
  • • Absence of standardised lockout‑tagout systems and isolation verification processes specific to confined spaces
  • • Failure to decommission or redesign obsolete confined spaces that are no longer needed but remain accessible
8. Atmospheric Testing, Monitoring and Equipment Management
  • • Inadequate systems for selection, calibration, maintenance and use of gas detectors and atmospheric monitoring equipment
  • • Reliance on a single test without procedures for ongoing or continuous monitoring where conditions can change
  • • Testers not deemed competent to conduct, interpret or document atmospheric testing results
  • • Lack of clear criteria and documented limits for safe oxygen levels, flammable/explosive atmospheres and toxic contaminants
  • • Failure to integrate atmospheric test results into permit conditions, entry duration and control decisions
9. Personal Protective Equipment and Respiratory Protection Programs
  • • Over‑reliance on PPE instead of higher‑order controls for confined space risks
  • • Incorrect selection, fit or use of respiratory protective equipment (RPE) for the identified hazards and exposure levels
  • • No formal RPE program covering fit testing, maintenance, storage and medical suitability
  • • Inconsistent availability and management of harnesses, retrieval systems and other confined space PPE across sites
  • • Lack of systems to ensure PPE and RPE used by contractors meets site and legislative requirements
10. Supervision, Monitoring and Work Scheduling
  • • Insufficient supervision of confined space activities, particularly during high‑risk or non‑routine work
  • • Supervisors lacking specific knowledge of confined space risks, permits and emergency procedures
  • • Work scheduled during periods of minimal staffing, reduced emergency response capability or extreme environmental conditions
  • • Failure to monitor worker fatigue, physical capability and mental readiness for confined space tasks
  • • Inadequate systems to control unauthorised entry into confined spaces or by‑passing of permit requirements
11. Emergency Planning, Rescue and First Aid
  • • No documented confined space emergency response plan integrated with site emergency procedures
  • • Over‑reliance on external emergency services without realistic consideration of response times and capabilities
  • • Rescue plans not specific to each confined space configuration, hazards and access constraints
  • • Rescue equipment not available, maintained or familiar to the designated rescue team
  • • Insufficient training and practical drills for on‑site rescue personnel and stand‑by attendants
12. Health Monitoring, Fitness for Work and Psychosocial Risks
  • • Lack of systems for health monitoring where workers may be exposed to hazardous substances in confined spaces
  • • Workers entering confined spaces despite medical conditions or limitations that increase personal risk (e.g. respiratory, cardiac, claustrophobia)
  • • Psychological stress, anxiety or claustrophobia not identified or managed, leading to panic or impaired judgement
  • • Insufficient consideration of heat stress, dehydration and other environmental health risks in planning confined space work
  • • No confidential process for workers to disclose concerns about their fitness for confined space work without fear of reprisal
13. Information, Documentation and Signage
  • • Critical confined space information not readily available to workers, supervisors and contractors
  • • Outdated or conflicting procedures, drawings, P&IDs and isolation diagrams causing confusion
  • • Insufficient or unclear signage at confined spaces leading to inadvertent entry by uninformed persons
  • • Poor version control for confined space documents resulting in use of superseded risk assessments or permits
  • • Lack of documented instructions for non‑entry tasks that may affect confined spaces (e.g. opening valves, starting pumps, purging systems)
14. Auditing, Monitoring, Incident Management and Continuous Improvement
  • • Absence of systematic auditing and monitoring of confined space management systems
  • • Under‑reporting of confined space incidents, near misses and non‑conformances
  • • Failure to investigate confined space incidents to identify root causes and systemic issues
  • • Action items from audits and investigations not tracked or closed, leading to repeat issues
  • • Reliance on lag indicators only, with no proactive performance measures for confined space safety

Need to add specific hazards for your workplace?

Don't worry if a specific hazard isn't listed above. Once you purchase, simply log in to your Client Portal and add your own custom hazards at no extra cost. We take care of the hard work—creating the risk ratings and control measures for free—to ensure your document is compliant within minutes.

Legislation & References

This document was researched and developed to align with:

  • Work Health and Safety Act 2011
  • Work Health and Safety Regulations 2017
  • Safe Work Australia Code of Practice – Confined Spaces: Guidance on managing risks associated with confined spaces.
  • Safe Work Australia Code of Practice – How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks: Framework for identifying, assessing and controlling workplace risks.
  • Safe Work Australia Code of Practice – Managing the Work Environment and Facilities: Requirements for safe work environments, including ventilation and emergency arrangements.
  • AS/NZS ISO 31000:2018: Risk management — Guidelines.
  • AS 2865 – Confined Spaces: Requirements for safe working in confined spaces, including design, entry and emergency response.
  • AS/NZS 1715: Selection, use and maintenance of respiratory protective equipment.
  • AS/NZS 1716: Respiratory protective devices — Performance and testing requirements.
  • AS/NZS 45001 (ISO 45001): Occupational health and safety management systems — Requirements with guidance for use.
Standard Risk Assessment Features (Click to Expand)
  • Comprehensive hazard identification for all activities
  • Risk rating matrix with likelihood and consequence analysis
  • Existing control measures evaluation
  • Residual risk assessment after controls
  • Hierarchy of controls recommendations
  • Action priority rankings
  • Review and monitoring requirements
  • Consultation and communication records
  • Legal compliance references
  • Sign-off and approval sections

$79.5

Safe Work Australia Aligned