CPD Standards Office accreditedConfined Space Awareness Training
The Confined Spaces Regulations 1997 ban entering a confined space if the work can be done another way, and otherwise require a safe system of work and a rescue plan. Lift College's 2 hour online course gives you a CPD Standards Office accredited certificate on the day you pass, which employers can verify, plus a free refresher every 3 years.
- £19.99, pay once
- CPD certificate the day you pass
- Free refresher when it is due
- 14-day money back
Accredited CPD activityThe CPD Standards Office, provider 51289. Verify accreditation
14-day money back · Pay once, no subscription
Confined Space Awareness Training
You can do confined space awareness training online in the UK with Lift College's Confined Space Awareness Training course. It is 2 hours of learning in 5 short modules, covering what makes a space a confined space in law, the specified risks of fire, explosion, loss of consciousness from gas, fumes or lack of oxygen, drowning and asphyxiation from free-flowing solids, the duties in the Confined Spaces Regulations 1997, how to avoid entry, how to assess and plan an entry that cannot be avoided, permits to work, atmospheric testing and ventilation, and emergency and rescue arrangements. It costs £19.99, pay once, and your accredited CPD certificate is ready the same day you pass. Lift College recommends a refresh every 3 years, and the refresher is free.
HSE defines a confined space as one which is both enclosed or largely enclosed and has a reasonably foreseeable specified risk to workers. It may be small and restrictive, or as large as a grain silo. The danger comes from noxious fumes, reduced oxygen, fire, flooding, drowning or asphyxiation from dust, grain or another contaminant. HSE's case study is blunt: two men entered a closed crane compartment to look at a hydraulic fault; within a minute one had passed out, two others went in to help and were overcome, and two of the three died. Water had rusted the steel and used up the oxygen. Had the oxygen level been checked, the space could have been ventilated and nobody would have died.
The regulations follow the same logic. Wherever possible, avoid entry. If entry cannot be avoided, assess the risks and put a safe system of work in place that controls them: isolation, ventilation or breathing apparatus, gas testing, a competent and trained team, communication, and limits on who goes in. And before anyone enters, have emergency arrangements that will get them out if they are overcome, because it is not enough to rely on the emergency services. This course gives the awareness every worker, supervisor and manager needs to recognise a confined space, to refuse to enter one without the controls in place, and to understand their part in a safe entry. It is not a practical entry or rescue course, and it says so.
- Define a confined space using the two tests in the Confined Spaces Regulations 1997 and recognise examples that are not obvious
- Describe the specified risks: fire and explosion, loss of consciousness from gas, fumes, vapour or lack of oxygen, drowning, and asphyxiation from free-flowing solids
- Explain the duties of employers, the self-employed and workers under the Regulations and the Approved Code of Practice
- Apply the hierarchy: avoid entry, and where it cannot be avoided, assess and control the risks with a safe system of work
- Describe the parts of a safe system of work: isolation, purging and ventilation, atmospheric testing, breathing apparatus, communication, lighting, access and egress, permits to work and the role of a top person
- Explain why atmospheric testing happens before and during entry and what oxygen, flammable and toxic gas readings mean
- Describe emergency and rescue arrangements, why relying on the emergency services is not acceptable, and the role of the rescue team
- Recognise when to stop, leave and report
5 short modules, 2 hours in total.
What a confined space is
The two tests in the Regulations, enclosed or largely enclosed plus a specified risk, examples from tanks and sewers to plant rooms, trenches and vehicle compartments, and why a space that was safe yesterday may not be safe today.
Knowledge checkHow confined spaces kill
Oxygen depletion and enrichment, toxic gases and fumes, flammable atmospheres, free-flowing solids, flooding, heat, and HSE's case studies including the crane compartment where two rescuers died.
Knowledge checkThe law and the hierarchy
The Confined Spaces Regulations 1997, ACOP L101, the duties on employers, the self-employed and workers, avoiding entry by doing the work from outside, and when entry is justified.
Knowledge checkA safe system of work
Risk assessment, isolation and lock-off, purging and ventilation, atmospheric testing before and during entry, respiratory protective equipment, communication and the top person, permits to work, lighting, access and egress, time limits and competence.
Knowledge checkEmergencies and rescue
Why rescue must be planned before entry, rescue equipment and retrieval, trained rescue teams, raising the alarm, first aid and resuscitation, why would-be rescuers die, and reviewing the arrangements.
Knowledge checkFinal test and your certificate
Multiple choice, 80% to pass, unlimited attempts. Your CPD Standards Office accredited certificate is issued the day you pass.
This course is for you if
- You work in maintenance, utilities, water, construction, agriculture, food manufacturing or facilities
- You may need to enter a tank, chamber, silo, duct, pit, sewer or plant room
- You supervise or plan work that may involve confined spaces
- You are the top person or part of a rescue arrangement
- You run a site and need every worker to recognise a confined space before it hurts someone
Your CPD accredited certificate, issued the day you pass.
Your certificate records that you completed Confined Space Awareness Training with Lift College. It shows 2 hours of learning, your completion date and a recommended refresh date 3 years on.
- One price, £19.99. One payment, one learner, no subscription.
- Short modules with a knowledge check after each one and a final test. Instant results.
- 80% to pass, with unlimited free retakes.
- A CPD accredited certificate as a PDF the same day you pass, carrying the CPD Standards Office mark, our provider number 51289, a unique number and a verification link.
- Access for as long as Lift College offers the course, and never less than 3 years from the day you buy.
- A free refresher when your recommended refresh date arrives. Changed your mind? Ask within 14 days of paying and we refund you in full.
LC-CPD-SAMPLECertificate numberAccredited continuing professional developmentCertificate of CompletionThis is to certify thatAlex Johnsonhas successfully completed the CPD course
Dr Kate StrohmManaging Director, Lift CollegeSample certificateAn example only. It has no numberand cannot be verified.LC-CPD-SAMPLELift College Limited is a CPD Standards Office accredited provider (number 51289). This course is an accredited CPD activity.This certificate confirms completion of a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) course. It is not an Ofqual-regulated qualification.Lift College Ltd · Registered in England and Wales, Company No. 17337303 · Unit 3 E/F Suffolk House Business Park, Ashwells Road, Brentwood, Essex, CM15 9SG · liftcollege.co.ukA sample. Yours carries your name, the date you pass and a unique certificate number with a QR code anyone can scan to check it, or check a certificate at liftcollege.co.uk/verify.
The law this course supports
Confined Spaces Regulations 1997
Apply across Great Britain. No one may enter a confined space to carry out work where it is reasonably practicable to do the work another way. Where entry cannot be avoided, a safe system of work must be in place, and suitable emergency arrangements must exist before anyone enters. Northern Ireland has the Confined Spaces Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1999 to the same effect.
Read the legislation →HSE L101: Safe work in confined spaces, Approved Code of Practice
The Approved Code of Practice and guidance to the Regulations. It explains the two-part definition, the specified risks, what a safe system of work must contain and what emergency arrangements are expected. Following the ACOP is the usual way of showing compliance.
Read the legislation →HSE: Introduction to working in confined spaces
HSE's plain-English summary: avoid entry wherever possible, assess and control the risks where you cannot, make sure the person doing the work is capable and trained, and have emergency arrangements that do not rely on the emergency services.
Read the legislation →Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, regulation 3
Employers must carry out a suitable and sufficient risk assessment of the work, which for confined spaces means identifying the spaces, the hazards inside them and the controls needed before any entry.
Read the legislation →£19.99. Pay once, nothing added.
One payment for one learner. You keep access for as long as Lift College offers the course, and never less than 3 years. Changed your mind? Ask within 14 days and we refund you in full.
- PaySecure card payment, one time only.
- Sign inYour learner account is ready straight away.
- StartBegin module 1 the same minute.
Free refresher when it is due
We recommend a refresh every 3 years. We email you 30 days before, and from the refresh date you can retake the latest version free and download a new certificate.
Buying Confined Space Awareness Training for a team?
Open a free organisation account, buy places and give each person their own login. The price falls the more places you buy.
Multiple enrolment discounts
The price of a place is set by the places in one order, on this course or any mix of our CPD courses. Saving against the £19.99 single place.
| Places in one order | Price a place | Saving |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 9 places | £16.99 | 15% off |
| 10 to 49 | £14.99 | 25% off |
| 50 to 99 | £12.99 | 35% off |
| 100 to 249 | £10.99 | 45% off |
| 250 or more | £9.99 | 50% off |
What would your team cost?
Training each person on several courses? A sector pack or the annual plan can cost less. Your quote compares all three for you.
Prefer to talk first? Request a call back
- 1
Your own training portal in 2 minutes
Open a free account with your work email. No sales call, and no minimum order.
- 2
See where everyone stands
A progress dashboard, a training matrix and an Excel progress report for your records.
- 3
Reminders sent for you
Welcome emails, nudges for anyone who stalls, and refresher dates so nobody goes out of date.
- 4
Pay by card or invoice
Card, or invoice on 30-day terms with your PO. Places stay valid for 3 years.
- 5
A human tutor with every course
Real tutor support for your staff, unlimited free retakes and a certificate the day they pass.
- 6
Accredited by the CPD Standards Office
Provider 51289. Every CPD course is an accredited CPD activity.
Check any learner's certificate in our register →
What our learners say
Stories from Lift College learners on our qualifications, in their own words.
“I had been a care assistant for four years without a formal qualification. Lift College made the whole process straightforward, my assessor visited regularly and I completed my Level 3 Diploma in Adult Care in just over a year. I was promoted to senior care worker the month after I qualified.”
“My employer was clear, I needed GCSE English to move into a supervisory role. Lift College helped me find the right exam board and an exam centre five minutes from home. Passed grade 4. Got the promotion.”
“My employer needed me to have Level 2 maths before they could register me on the Level 3 apprenticeship programme. Lift College was fast, the tutor was brilliant, and I resit my maths once after a near-miss and passed the second time. The whole thing took twelve weeks.”
Questions about Confined Space Awareness Training
Does this course qualify me to enter confined spaces?
No. It is an awareness course: it gives the knowledge in the Regulations and ACOP L101 that every worker, supervisor and manager needs to recognise a confined space and understand a safe system of work. Entry into medium or high-risk confined spaces and rescue need practical training with the equipment, assessed in person, which an online course cannot provide. Your employer decides what each role needs.
Is this course CPD accredited?
Yes. Confined Space Awareness Training is an accredited CPD activity with the CPD Standards Office, the UK's research-led CPD accreditation body. Lift College Limited is a CPD Standards Office accredited provider (provider number 51289), and your certificate carries the CPD Standards Office mark and our provider number so an employer or professional body can check it.
What counts as a confined space?
A space that is both enclosed or largely enclosed and has a reasonably foreseeable specified risk: fire or explosion, loss of consciousness from gas, fumes, vapour or lack of oxygen, drowning, or asphyxiation from a free-flowing solid. Tanks, silos, sewers, ducts, pits, vats, chambers and some plant rooms, trenches and vehicle compartments can all qualify. A space that is safe one day may not be the next.
Why do rescuers die in confined spaces?
Because they go in without checking the atmosphere or without breathing apparatus and are overcome by the same gas or lack of oxygen that affected the first person. HSE's case study of the crane compartment is in module 2. The Regulations require emergency arrangements to be in place before entry, with rescue equipment and trained people, and HSE says it is not enough to rely on the emergency services.
Is a permit to work always needed?
Not in law, but a permit is the usual way to control entry into higher-risk confined spaces: it records the checks, the isolations, the gas test results, who is in, who is on top and how long they may stay. The course explains what a permit covers and when a simpler safe system of work is enough.
What does this course not cover?
It does not cover the practical use of gas detectors, breathing apparatus, harnesses, tripods and winches, or rescue techniques, which need hands-on training. It does not replace a site-specific risk assessment or method statement.
How long do I keep access?
You keep your access for as long as Lift College offers the course, and never less than 3 years from the day you buy. Your certificate PDF is yours to keep.
What is the free refresher?
Lift College recommends refreshing this course every 3 years. When your date comes round, you can retake the latest version free and get a new certificate. We email you 30 days before.
Does it count towards my CPD?
Yes. The course is 2 hours of learning, shown on your CPD Standards Office accredited certificate, so you can log the hours in your CPD record.
Can I get my money back?
Yes. Ask within 14 days of paying and we refund you in full.
Can my employer pay?
Yes. Your receipt shows the course, the date and the amount paid, and you can pass it to your employer. Buying for a team? Open a free organisation account: every course is £16.99, and you can pay by card or invoice with your PO.
Can my team do this course in another language?
Yes, on an organisation account with 10 or more places. Your team can study Confined Space Awareness Training in Polish, Romanian, Punjabi, Urdu or Welsh, prepared within 1 working day of your order. The final test and the certificate stay in the English course name, so the certificate is the one every employer recognises. Tell us the languages you need when you order or ask for a quote.
Where can I do confined space awareness training online in the UK?
Lift College offers Confined Space Awareness Training online for £19.99, pay once. It is 2 hours of learning in 5 short modules, written for workplaces across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Your accredited CPD certificate is ready the same day you pass.
How long does online confined space awareness training take?
Confined Space Awareness Training is 2 hours of learning in 5 short modules, each with a knowledge check. You can finish it in one sitting or across several and pick up where you left off on any device. The final test needs 80% to pass, with unlimited free retakes.
How much does Confined Space Awareness Training cost online?
Lift College's Confined Space Awareness Training is £19.99, pay once, with no subscription. Training a team? It is £16.99 a course on a free organisation account.
How is Confined Space Awareness Training assessed?
By a short knowledge check after each of the 5 modules and a final test. You need 80% to pass, with unlimited free retakes, and your accredited CPD certificate is ready the same day you pass.
Can I start Confined Space Awareness Training today?
Yes. You start the moment you pay, on any device, and you can finish the 2 hours of learning in one sitting or across several. Your accredited CPD certificate is ready the same day you pass. Buying for a team? Open a free organisation account.
Working at Height Training
Avoid, prevent, minimise: planning work at height and using ladders, towers and MEWPs safely. 1.5 hours, £19.99.
COSHH Training
Hazard symbols, safety data sheets, routes of exposure and the controls that keep you safe. 1.5 hours, £19.99.
Risk Assessment Training
Hazards and risks, the five steps, rating risk, the hierarchy of control and recording your findings. 2 hours, £19.99.