The employer must provide training to each employee whose work is regulated by this standard, at no cost to the employee, and ensure that the employee possesses the understanding, knowledge, and skills necessary for the safe performance of the duties assigned under this standard. This training must result in an understanding of the hazards in the permit space and the methods used to isolate, control or in other ways protect employees from these hazards, and for those employees not authorized to perform entry rescues, in the dangers of attempting such rescues.

Training required by this section must be provided to each affected employee:

In both a language and vocabulary that the employee can understand;

Before the employee is first assigned duties under this standard;

Before there is a change in assigned duties;

Whenever there is a change in permit space entry operations that presents a hazard about which an employee has not previously been trained; and

Whenever there is any evidence of a deviation from the permit space entry procedures required by § 1926.1204(c) or there are inadequacies in the employee's knowledge or use of these procedures.

The training must establish employee proficiency in the duties required by this standard and must introduce new or revised procedures, as necessary, for compliance with this standard.

The employer must maintain training records to show that the training required by paragraphs (a) through (c) of this section has been accomplished. The training records must contain each employee's name, the name of the trainers, and the dates of training. The documentation must be available for inspection by employees and their authorized representatives, for the period of time the employee is employed by that employer.