Under 29 CFR 1910.146(d)(4), the employer must provide the following equipment at no cost to employees, maintain it properly, and make sure employees use it properly:
- Testing and monitoring equipment
- Ventilating equipment needed to obtain acceptable entry conditions
- Communications equipment
- Personal protective equipment, insofar as engineering and work practice controls don't adequately protect employees
- Lighting equipment needed to work safely and exit quickly in an emergency
- Barriers and shields, such as pedestrian and vehicle barriers
- Equipment, such as ladders, needed for safe entry and exit
- Rescue and emergency equipment, except to the extent it's provided by rescue services
- Any other equipment necessary for safe entry and rescue
Here is what each category usually looks like in the field.
1. Gas monitors
A 4-gas monitor (oxygen, LEL, hydrogen sulfide, carbon monoxide) is standard. Add sensors or a PID for other contaminants, such as volatile organic compounds, ammonia or chlorine, when the space calls for it.
- Use a sampling pump and hose or probe for pre-entry testing from outside, at several levels.
- Bump test before each day's use and calibrate per the manufacturer. See bump test vs. calibration.
- Entrants should wear a personal monitor in the breathing zone during entry.
2. Ventilation: blowers and fans
- Electric centrifugal or axial blowers with flexible ducting for supply or exhaust.
- Explosion-proof or intrinsically safe models where flammable atmospheres may exist.
- Air-driven (venturi) blowers powered by compressed air, often used where electricity is a concern.
- Ducting in lengths that reach the work area; check the airflow drop with duct length and bends.
Estimate purge time with the ventilation purge calculator.
3. Communications
- Voice and line-of-sight for small spaces.
- Two-way radios (intrinsically safe where needed) for larger or noisy spaces.
- Hardwired or through-the-wall systems for deep or shielded spaces where radios fail.
- Agreed rope signals as a backup.
4. Personal protective equipment
Depends on the hazards: hard hat, eye and face protection, gloves, chemical-resistant clothing, hearing protection, and respiratory protection when ventilation alone can't keep the atmosphere acceptable. IDLH or inerted atmospheres require supplied-air respirators (SCBA or airline with escape cylinder). Respirators require a program under 29 CFR 1910.134.
5. Lighting
Lights strong enough to work safely and find the way out in an emergency. Use intrinsically safe or explosion-proof lighting in potentially flammable atmospheres, and low-voltage or GFCI-protected lighting in wet spaces.
6. Barriers and shields
Manhole guards, cones, barricades and traffic control to keep people and vehicles away from the opening and protect the attendant, plus shields against falling objects.
7. Ladders and entry equipment
Fixed or portable ladders, rope ladders, or work platforms suited to the space, plus fall protection where entrants climb.
8. Rescue and retrieval equipment
- Tripod or davit arm positioned over the opening.
- Retrieval winch (mechanical device), required to be available for vertical permit spaces more than 5 feet deep.
- Self-retracting lifeline (SRL) with retrieval capability, which provides fall arrest and a winch in one unit.
- Full-body harness with a back or shoulder D-ring, or wristlets where a harness is infeasible.
- Rescue team equipment: litters, SKED-style stretchers, SCBA, first aid kit and AED.
Maintenance and inspection
Equipment that isn't maintained can fail when needed. Inspect harnesses, lanyards, winches and SRLs before each use and per the manufacturer's schedule, keep calibration records for monitors, and take damaged gear out of service.
Sources and official references
Last reviewed: October 25, 2026 · Free general education based on OSHA 29 CFR 1910.146 and 29 CFR 1926 Subpart AA. It does not replace the site-specific training, written program and hands-on evaluation your employer must provide, and it does not issue a certificate. Nothing you enter on this page is saved or sent.