46 CFR § 148.86 - Confined space entry.

---
identifier: "/us/cfr/t46/s148.86"
source: "ecfr"
legal_status: "authoritative_unofficial"
title: "46 CFR § 148.86 - Confined space entry."
title_number: 46
title_name: "Shipping"
section_number: "148.86"
section_name: "Confined space entry."
chapter_name: "COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY"
subchapter_number: "N"
subchapter_name: "DANGEROUS CARGOES"
part_number: "148"
part_name: "CARRIAGE OF BULK SOLID MATERIALS THAT REQUIRE SPECIAL HANDLING"
positive_law: false
currency: "2026-04-05"
last_updated: "2026-04-05"
format_version: "1.1.0"
generator: "[email protected]"
authority: "33 U.S.C. 1602; E.O. 12234, 45 FR 58801, 3 CFR, 1980 Comp., p. 277; 46 U.S.C. 3306, 5111; 49 U.S.C. 5103; Department of Homeland Security Delegation No. 0170.1."
regulatory_source: "75 FR 64591, Oct. 19, 2010, unless otherwise noted."
cfr_part: "148"
---


# 148.86 Confined space entry.

(a) Except in an emergency, no person may enter a confined space unless that space has been tested to ensure there is sufficient oxygen to support life. If the oxygen content is below 19.5 percent, the space must be ventilated and retested before entry.

(b) In an emergency, a confined space may be entered by a trained person wearing self-contained breathing apparatus, suitable protective clothing as necessary, and a wire rope safety line tended by a trained person outside the hold or in an adjacent space. Emergency entry into a confined space must be supervised by a responsible person as defined in § 148.3 of this part.