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Permit to work: the health and safety guide

With great hazards comes great responsibility. Those carrying out potentially hazardous workplace activities must do so to best practice. They must do so to prevent and mitigate major accidents.

This is where a permit to work comes into play. A permit to work is a key barrier of protection between unwanted causes and unwanted effects.

So let’s break down some key areas of this most important component of the health and safety machine.

Permit to work: the general principles

Permit to work systems are required to safely control work such as maintenance activities on bulk liquid storage plants.

In preventing major accidents, the following principles should be considered when formulating robust permit to work systems:

• Human factors
• Management of the work permit systems
• The skill level of a workforce
• Unconscious and conscious incompetence
• Objectives of the work permit system
• Types of work permits required and contents of the work permits

Permit to work: contributing factors to a major accident

On chemical, bulk liquid and high hazards sites, accident prevention and mitigation must always be the first line of defense.

The following issues may contribute towards a major accident or hazard:

• Failing of the site safety management system
• Failure to recognise a hazard before and during maintenance
• Failure to comply with the work permit system in hazardous environments
• Communication failure during the use of a work permit system

Permit to work: factors for an assessor to consider

As an assessor, your safety report should factor in the following areas:

• Have staff have been sufficiently informed, instructed, trained and supervised to minimise a potential human failing during operation of the work permit system?
• Does the work permit system include sufficient safety information, maintenance instructions, correct PPE and equipment for use?
• Does the work permit contain sufficient information about the type of work required (equipment removal, excavation, hot/cold work, repairing seals, vessel entry, waste disposal, isolation)?
• Is sufficient provision available to fulfil the requirements of the work permit system?
• Are the employees responsible for control of the maintenance work identified within the work permit system?
• Is the work properly authorised by a responsible person?
• Is the work permit system managed, regularly inspected and reviewed?
• Are all work permits are kept on file?
• Have you factored in human elements such as stress, fatigue, shift work and attitude?
• Have sufficient precautions been taken prior to initiating a work permit?
• Are staff aware of the type of environment they are working in during the operation of a work permit?
• Is the person responsible for operating the plant aware of the type of maintenance involved and how long it is likely to take?
• Does the work permit system involve a formal procedure whereby the maintained plant or equipment are handed back to operation?

Permit to work: major hazards

Major hazards could arise from the following:

• Wrong type of work permit used
• Wrong information about work required on the work permit
• Failure to recognise the hazards where work is carried out (e.g. flammable substances)
• Introduction of ignition source in controlled flameproof area (e.g. welding, non spark-proof tools, non-intrinsically safe equipment used in intrinsically safe zones)
• Terms of work permit not adhered to (e.g. failure to isolate plant and/or drain lines of hazardous substances)
• Failure to hand-over plant in safe condition on completion of work/cancelling of work permit
• Unauthorised staff performing work permit functions
  Poor management of the work permit system
• Insufficient monitoring of the work permit system

Permit to work: guidance

The Health and Safety Executive has a raft of fantastic publications ready-made to help tailor a permit to work system.

HSG250 outlines the roles and responsibilities in a permit to work system.

Download, print and share

Want to know more about permit to work training?

Great. The Reynolds Training Services Permit to Work training session is available for delivery at your site.

More about this half-day session