How long is confined space training valid for ?

How Long Is Confined Space Training Valid For in Western Australia?

If you work in mining, construction, utilities, maintenance, manufacturing or shutdown work, you may have been asked whether your confined space ticket is still current. The question sounds simple, but the answer is often misunderstood.

In Western Australia, a nationally recognised Statement of Attainment for RIIWHS202E – Enter and work in confined spaces does not normally have a fixed legal expiry date. However, that does not mean a person can rely indefinitely on training completed many years ago without showing that their skills remain current.

The practical answer is:

Many Western Australian employers and worksites use a two-year refresher period, but WA legislation does not automatically make every confined space qualification expire after two years.

A worker must still be competent for the work, understand the site’s procedures and hazards, and meet any refresher or verification requirements imposed by the employer, principal contractor, mine operator or site owner.

Does a confined space ticket expire in WA?

What workers commonly call a “confined space ticket” is generally a Statement of Attainment issued after successful completion of a nationally recognised unit such as RIIWHS202E.

The Statement of Attainment records that the person was assessed as competent at the time of assessment. It is not the same as a driver’s licence or a high-risk work licence with a printed expiry date.

The document itself is not generally cancelled simply because two years have passed. The more important question is whether the worker’s competency remains current and suitable for the work they are about to perform.

A certificate may still be genuine while no longer being accepted by a particular employer or site. For example, a contractor may hold a Statement of Attainment issued four years ago, but a project may require evidence of training or reassessment completed within the previous 24 months.

That does not necessarily mean the original Statement of Attainment has legally expired. It means the site has established a currency requirement as part of its risk-management system.

What does Western Australian law require?

Confined space work in Western Australia is governed by the Work Health and Safety Act 2020 and the relevant Work Health and Safety Regulations 2022, including the General Regulations and, where applicable, the Mines Regulations.

Under the WA framework, a person conducting a business or undertaking must provide information, training, instruction and supervision that is suitable and adequate for the work, the risks involved and the control measures being used.

For confined spaces, relevant workers must receive suitable and adequate information, training and instruction concerning:

• confined space hazards

• the controls needed to manage those hazards

• the selection and use of personal protective equipment

• confined space entry permits

• emergency procedures.

These duties are not limited to the person entering the space. Depending on their role, they may also apply to supervisors, standby persons, permit personnel, workers monitoring conditions and people involved in emergency arrangements.

The legislation focuses on whether training is suitable and adequate. It does not prescribe one universal expiry date for every confined space worker in every WA industry. [1]

Why do people believe confined space training expires every two years?

There are two main reasons.

First, many employers, mine sites, construction projects and industrial facilities have adopted a 24-month refresher or verification period. This is common because confined space work is high risk and some workers may go long periods without using the relevant skills.

Second, regulation 76 requires a PCBU to keep a record of confined space training provided to a relevant worker for two years. [2]

That recordkeeping period is sometimes mistaken for the validity period of the worker’s qualification. They are not the same thing.

The requirement to retain a training record for two years does not say that a Statement of Attainment expires after two years. Even so, a two-year refresher cycle remains a practical and widely used benchmark. It allows an employer to verify that workers can still apply permits, identify hazards, use monitoring equipment, follow isolation requirements and respond appropriately if conditions change.

What does the WA Confined Spaces Code of Practice say?

The Western Australian Confined spaces: Code of practice states that retraining or refresher training should be provided as appropriate for the particular workplace. It also says the frequency should depend on how often workers perform tasks associated with confined space entry or work. [3]

This is an important distinction. The Code does not say that every person must automatically redo the course on the same date every two years.

Refresher frequency should reflect matters such as:

• how often the worker performs confined space tasks

• the complexity and risk of the work

• changes to equipment, procedures or legislation

• the worker’s ability to demonstrate the required skills

• incidents, near misses or identified performance gaps

• employer and site requirements.

A worker who enters confined spaces regularly may retain practical familiarity. A worker who completed training two years ago but has not entered a confined space since may require more substantial retraining and reassessment.

What does AS/NZS 2865 require?

AS/NZS 2865:2009, Confined spaces, remains the principal Australian and New Zealand Standard dealing with confined space safety, with an amendment published in 2025. [4]

The Standard supports the need for people performing confined-space-related tasks to be trained, competent and reassessed at appropriate intervals. It does not establish a universal rule that every confined space certificate expires exactly two years after issue.

For WA workplaces, refresher and reassessment intervals should be based on risk, task frequency, workplace requirements and the worker’s ability to demonstrate current competency.

A WorkSafe WA confined space audit guide for mining illustrates this approach by referring to reassessment at appropriate intervals and checking that site requirements are based on a risk assessment, including the maximum period between entries considered acceptable for maintaining competence. [5]

When should confined space training be refreshed?

A worker should not wait for an arbitrary anniversary date if there is reason to doubt their currency.

The employer or site requires it

A site may require confined space training completed within the past 12 or 24 months. Contractors should confirm this before mobilisation rather than discovering the requirement during induction.

The worker has not used the skills recently

Confined space entry can require permit interpretation, hazard controls, isolation awareness, atmospheric monitoring, communication, PPE selection and emergency procedures. Skills that are not used can deteriorate.

Procedures or equipment have changed

A new permit system, gas detector, retrieval device, communication method, ventilation arrangement or isolation procedure may require additional training even when the worker’s original training is recent.

The worker changes industry or work environment

Experience in a clean water tank does not automatically prepare a worker for every vessel, pit, sewer, silo or process plant. Site-specific hazards and controls must still be addressed.

An incident or performance gap is identified

An incident, failed permit, incorrect gas test, communication breakdown or inability to demonstrate the required process should trigger a review. Retraining or reassessment may be needed before the worker is authorised to continue.

Is a refresher the same as completing the full course again?

Not always.

The correct approach depends on the worker’s evidence, experience and present ability. An experienced worker with recent evidence may be suitable for a structured refresher and reassessment. A person whose training is old, who has not used the skills or who cannot demonstrate competency may need to complete the full unit again.

Employers should also distinguish between:

• a workplace induction or toolbox discussion

• a verification of competency

• non-accredited refresher instruction

• nationally recognised training and assessment resulting in a Statement of Attainment.

These activities serve different purposes. A short site induction can explain local procedures, but it is not automatically equivalent to assessment against all requirements of RIIWHS202E. Likewise, holding a card does not prove that the worker remains competent.

What is covered in RIIWHS202E?

RIIWHS202E is the nationally recognised unit commonly used for workers entering and working in confined spaces in resources and infrastructure settings. It requires workers to plan and prepare, apply workplace documentation, identify hazards, obtain an entry permit, select PPE, understand emergency procedures, test and monitor the atmosphere, apply tagging and lockout procedures, communicate with the standby person, comply with the permit and complete exit and close-out activities. [6]

Assessment must include access to relevant PPE, confined space equipment and documentation. It must occur in a safe environment reflecting the industry context, and any simulated assessment must be realistic and sufficiently rigorous.

This is why credible confined space training should include practical assessment rather than being treated as a brief online awareness exercise.

Confined space training with Safety Heights and Rescue Training

Safety Heights and Rescue Training — RTO 52610 delivers face-to-face RIIWHS202E – Enter and work in confined spaces training in Western Australia.

Training at our Naval Base facility includes practical, scenario-based activities using confined space permits, atmospheric monitoring equipment, harnesses, tripods, retrieval equipment and ventilation systems. Participants must demonstrate the skills and knowledge required by the unit rather than simply attending and receiving a card. [7]

We also deliver combined confined space and gas-testing training for workers whose duties require them to test atmospheres and interpret gas-monitor readings.

For employers, we can assist with initial training, refresher training and reassessment arrangements based on the group’s experience and workplace requirements. The employer or site must still determine what currency interval and site-specific instruction are appropriate for its risks.

Course information and available dates are published at www.rescue-training.com.au.

Frequently asked questions

How long is confined space training valid for in Western Australia?

A RIIWHS202E Statement of Attainment does not generally have a fixed statutory expiry date. Many WA employers and sites require refresher training or reassessment every two years, but the appropriate interval should reflect workplace risk, task frequency, demonstrated competency and site rules.

Is confined space training legally valid for two years?

WA law requires suitable and adequate training and requires records of confined space training to be kept for two years. The two-year recordkeeping requirement is not itself a legal expiry date for the worker’s Statement of Attainment.

Can a site reject a confined space ticket that is more than two years old?

Yes. An employer or site can establish a reasonable currency requirement within its safety management system. Workers and contractors should check the requirement before attending work.

Is gas testing included in confined space training?

RIIWHS202E includes atmospheric testing and monitoring within the entry process. However, a worker whose duties include independently testing atmospheres may also be required to hold a separate unit such as MSMWHS217 – Gas test atmospheres.

The practical answer

So, how long is confined space training valid for?

The certificate itself does not simply become invalid at the two-year mark. The worker must nevertheless remain competent, meet the employer’s requirements and be capable of applying current procedures safely.

For many Western Australian workplaces, refreshing or reassessing confined space competency every two years is a sensible administrative benchmark. It should not replace a risk-based decision. More frequent reassessment may be appropriate where work is complex, procedures change or skills are rarely used.

Before booking training, confirm the exact unit required by your employer or site. To discuss confined space training or available course dates with Safety Heights and Rescue Training, RTO 52610, visit www.rescue-training.com.au.

This article provides general information and does not replace workplace-specific risk assessment, legal advice or the requirements of a principal contractor, mine operator, employer or site owner.