AS/NZS 2865: the confined spaces standard

AS/NZS 2865 is the Australian Standard for safe work in and around confined spaces. It sets the requirements and risk-control measures for entering and working in a confined space, and it is the technical reference behind the confined-space duties in the WHS laws.

A note on the name: the current edition is AS 2865-2009, Confined spaces, which superseded the joint AS/NZS 2865:2001 (verified 2026-05-25). The 2009 revision is an Australian Standard, but “AS/NZS 2865” is still the name most people search and write, so the two refer to the same standard in practice.

Where it sits in the law

AS 2865 is a standard, not the law itself. The legal chain is:

WHS Regulations Part 4.3 (Confined spaces): the binding duties, when a permit is required, atmosphere requirements, isolation, signage, emergency procedures.
Work Health and Safety (Confined Spaces) Code of Practice: the approved how-to guidance under the WHS Act.
AS 2865-2009: the technical standard the Code and industry rely on for the detail.

A regulator and a SafeWork inspector will hold you to the Regulations and the Code; AS 2865 is how you meet them in practice.

What the standard covers

AS 2865 deals with planning and implementing entry to a confined space, including:

Risk assessment of the space and the work.
The entry permit: what it must record and authorise.
Atmosphere: pre-entry testing and continuous monitoring against safe limits.
Isolation and lockout of energy, mechanical, and fluid sources.
Signage and access control to the space.
A standby person stationed outside, and emergency and rescue arrangements.
Training and competency for entrants, standby, and supervisors.

The standard’s appendices include guidance on training, risk assessment, atmospheric monitoring, and sample permit forms.

What it does not cover

AS 2865 explicitly excludes several activities that are governed elsewhere: underground mining, tunnelling, excavation, trenching, abrasive blasting, and spray painting. It also does not cover spaces at pressures significantly above or below atmospheric, which need expert guidance.

For a builder

Confined spaces happen on ordinary jobs. Sub-floor voids, water tanks, sewer and pump pits, and some enclosed roof cavities can all meet the definition. The residential application is the practical walkthrough; this page is the standard behind it.
Comply with the Regulations and Code first. They are the law. AS 2865 is the recognised way to satisfy them, so building your procedure around it keeps you defensible.
Permit, test, standby, rescue. The four pillars: a permit, a clean atmosphere (tested and monitored), a standby person outside, and a workable rescue plan before anyone enters.
It is a competency, not common sense. Confined-space entry needs trained, competent people; it is a leading cause of multiple-fatality incidents, often of would-be rescuers.

Also known as: AS 2865-2009, AS 2865, confined spaces standard.

Where it sits in the law

What the standard covers

What it does not cover

For a builder

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