1
Set the scene
Start with context
Fill the frame
2–3 ft for close-ups; keep ladders, cords and workers fully in view.
OSHA Compliance Guide
Confined Space Access Controls
Support permit programs with visible checks.
Use visual review for access, signage, attendant, and retrieval-equipment cues, then require the entry supervisor's permit, testing, isolation, and rescue verification.
Free preliminary visual review · No account required
Try it on a confined spaces photo
OSHA Scan may flag visible concerns. A photo cannot establish atmospheric safety, oxygen or contaminant readings, calibration, isolation, permit validity, attendant performance, or rescue capability.
Live OSHA hazard analysis
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Use the real site or facility name. If you save the scan after signup, it becomes the report name.
Three angles, one deeper scan
Only the wide shot is required — every extra angle gives the AI more places to look.
Required: Set the scene — one wide shot lets the AI sweep the whole area at once
Stand at the entry point and capture corner to corner: floors, ladders, scaffolds, and everyone at work
or choose from your library
Drop a job-site photo or walkthrough video
Click to upload, drag & drop, or snap a photo on site. Photos scan free in about 15 seconds — no signup, no card. Video walkthroughs (up to 3 min) run on a free account.
Results in ~15sReferences relevant OSHA standardsPrivate - deleted in 48h unless you save it
Accuracy boosters
Small habits, sharper scans
2
Capture clearly
Make the frame usable
Light it right
Keep the sun or lights behind you — glare and shadows hide hazards.
Tap to focus
Tap the hazard on screen and hold still one second — blur can't be flagged.
3
Choose the useful view
Give the AI room to understand
Go landscape
Turn your phone sideways — a wider frame catches more of the scene.
No job-site photo handy?
or scan with video
Only upload photos you have permission to use, and avoid images showing personal, customer, or confidential information. Demo photos and results are held privately for up to 48 hours so you can save them to a free account; unclaimed photos are deleted automatically. Results are an AI-assisted preliminary review, not an official OSHA determination.
What the AI can and can't detect
OSHA Scan reads a single photo. That makes it fast and easy for anyone on site — but it also means it has real limits. Here's an honest look at both.
What it can catch from a photo
- Missing or incorrect PPE that is visible in the frame
- Unprotected edges, open holes, and visible fall hazards
- Housekeeping, trip, and blocked walkway or exit hazards
- Visible electrical, struck-by, and equipment-guarding hazards
What a photo can't tell it
- Hazards hidden from view or anything outside the photo
- Exact heights, distances, weights, or measurements
- Training records, procedures, or how equipment is actually used
- Full legal compliance or an official OSHA pass/fail determination
A photo cannot establish atmospheric safety, oxygen or contaminant readings, calibration, isolation, permit validity, attendant performance, or rescue capability. Never authorize entry from an image.
Important Limitation: A photo cannot establish atmospheric safety, oxygen or contaminant readings, calibration, isolation, permit validity, attendant performance, or rescue capability. Never authorize entry from an image.
Quick Answer
A confined space is large enough to enter, has limited or restricted entry or exit, and is not designed for continuous occupancy. A permit-required space also has a hazardous atmosphere, engulfment potential, trapping configuration, or another serious hazard.
Reference: 29 CFR 1910.146; 29 CFR 1926 Subpart AA
Understanding Confined Spaces
Tanks, vessels, silos, storage bins, vaults, pits, manholes, and similar spaces may meet the confined-space definition. Classification depends on the actual space and hazards, not only its appearance.
A permit program addresses evaluation, entry permits, isolation, acceptable conditions, testing and monitoring, communications, attendant and supervisor duties, rescue, training, and review. Construction work follows 1926 Subpart AA; general industry follows 1910.146.
Permit
Control authorized permit-space entry
Atmosphere
Test and monitor as required
Attendant
Assign role-specific human duties
Rescue
Evaluate and plan before entry
Paused
Visualizing Confined-Space Access
The reviewed scene shows an open manhole entry and surrounding access conditions. Visual review can prompt a program check, but it cannot determine the atmosphere or authorize entry.
1
Open access
Flag an open manhole, hatch, or portal and route it for barricade, signage, fall, and entry-status review.
2
Entry-control cues
Note visible signs, barriers, attendant position, communication, and retrieval equipment without inferring their adequacy.
3
Ventilation context
Record a visible ventilation setup as a prompt to check placement, isolation, air movement, and monitoring.
4
No atmosphere inference
A detector, hose, or clear opening does not prove acceptable oxygen, flammability, toxicity, or other conditions.
Securing Confined Spaces
The reviewed scene shows entrant, attendant, and retrieval equipment supporting an entry-plan documentation workflow; it does not prove a rescue system or safe entry.
Avoid or isolate entry
Eliminate entry where feasible and isolate energy, lines, engulfment sources, and other hazards before entry.
Test and monitor
Use a suitable, calibrated instrument and the permit procedure to test before entry and monitor as required; a photo cannot perform the test.
Control the opening
Use signs, barricades, access control, ventilation, communications, and a dedicated attendant as the program requires.
Evaluate rescue
Arrange a trained, equipped, and evaluated rescue capability; do not assume 911 or a visible tripod is an adequate rescue plan.
Paused
Confined-Space Training
Train entrants, attendants, entry supervisors, and rescuers for their distinct duties, hazards, equipment, communication, and emergency procedures.
- Recognize the space-specific hazards and prohibited conditions
- Use permits, testing, monitoring, ventilation, isolation, communication, and PPE
- Perform entrant, attendant, and entry-supervisor duties and stop entry when conditions change
- Practice rescue roles, equipment, first aid/CPR expectations, and the dangers of unplanned rescue
Permits and Documentation
Keep the space inventory and evaluation, job-specific permit, hazard and isolation records, instrument and calibration information, pre-entry/ongoing readings, ventilation and communication checks, role assignments, rescue plan/evaluation, training, drills, and corrective close-out. Retain canceled permits as required.
A photograph can document the visible entry setup on a date. It cannot replace the permit, atmospheric readings, calibration, isolation verification, or rescue evaluation and never authorizes entry.
Photo-based reviews support documentation. Your responsible program owner must arrange on-site verification by people with the qualifications and designated roles required for the task.
OSHA Requirements & Safety Guidance
Review the cited requirements, proposals, and educational guidance separately. State plans may have additional or different requirements.
29 CFR 1910.146
Permit-required confined spaces
Binding general-industry requirements for space evaluation, permit programs, entry, attendants, testing, rescue, and training.
29 CFR 1926 Subpart AA
Confined spaces in construction
Binding construction requirements for identifying, evaluating, entering, and rescuing from confined spaces.
OSHA guidance
Confined-space hazards and solutions
Educational guidance emphasizing atmospheric testing and continuous monitoring when the hazard requires it; not a substitute for the standard.
NIOSH/CPWR · 2026-08-17
Confined Spaces and Safety Toolbox Talk
Recent educational guidance that cites OSHA construction requirements; it is guidance, not a new binding rule.
OSHA QuickCard
Permit-required confined spaces
Educational overview of permit spaces, entry controls, attendants, and rescue.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q.Can visual AI act as an attendant or authorize entry?
A.Absolutely not. Entry decisions, attendant duties, testing, monitoring, and rescue require trained people and the site's permit-space program.
Q.Does every confined space need a permit?
A.No. The employer must evaluate the space under the applicable standard. A space that meets the permit-required definition needs the applicable permit program and controls.
Q.Can a visible tripod prove rescue readiness?
A.No. A photo cannot verify equipment compatibility, anchorage, trained rescuers, communications, retrieval, or the evaluated rescue plan.
Related Safety Resources
About the Author
Reviewed by OSHA Scan Editorial
Last updated September 11, 2026
This content is produced by the OSHA Scan Editorial team and reviewed with AI assistance. It is general safety information, not legal or compliance advice. OSHA Scan is an independent tool and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or certified by OSHA or the U.S. Department of Labor.
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