Importance of Work Permits

• A permit to work system provides an easy solution to organisations for keeping an eye on industrial work-flows, by making use of a wellstructured system that not only helps streamline operations, but that also aids in improving industrial safety outcomes.

• In the absence of a safety work permit, you might unknowingly put yourself as well as others around you at risk. For instance, think of you being asphyxiated or stuck in a confined area when no one knows where you actually are – or, operating a machine without having enough practice or training.

• Improved Safety: Safety permits help ensure that a worker has access to the right set of tools, is trained with ample work safety procedures and is well instructed on taskspecific vulnerabilities and risks prior to getting started with the task.

• Enhanced Accountability: Through a permit to work system, the workforce as well as contractors has the authorisation to carry out and finish an assigned work. Hence, any mishap or near miss, after getting the written permit, puts the responsibility and obligation exclusively on the organisation.

• Better Analysis: A well-organised collection of data offers a better understanding on how to prevent incidents from happening while considering the possibility of human errors and investing in novel operational procedures and advanced safety equipment.

Different Types of Work Permits

• There are seven major types of permits to work. Each of these work permits is classified, based on the nature of the task and the risk involved.

• Hot Work Permit: Approval for carrying out tasks in conditions that may create flames, sparks and/or any other ignition source. Soldering, welding, flammable gases and any other heat-producing operations are common examples of Hot Work Permit in the UK.

• Cold Work Permit: Formal approval for operating machinery and performing other similar tasks that do not produce any kind of heat in the industrial process. Mechanically induced shearing, bending, drawing and squeezing are a few examples of Cold Work Permit.

• Height Work Permit: Authorisation for working on elevated surfaces (2 metres from the ground), including scaffolds, ladders, mobile elevated work platforms (MEWP) or other surfaces that are above the ground.

• Confined Spaces Work Permit: Authorisation for carrying out tasks in cramped spaces, where there is likelihood of hazards, such as asphyxiation, presence of toxic air, etc. Confined spaces usually refer to shafts, vents, tanks, sewages, etc.

• Excavation Permit: Approval to the workforce to dig or mine land to extract natural resources, create infrastructure, or unearth valuable artefacts. The risk involved in such tasks includes being trapped, falling, airborne contaminants, explosions, etc.

• Chemical Work Permit: Approval for handling hazardous chemicals or working in a chemically induced environment, which is either corrosive or toxic. This permit is necessary for chemical engineers that usually work in chemical labs and plants.

• Electrical Isolation Permit: Authorisation for working in high voltage areas that are vulnerable to unchecked dispersion of electric current. Common tasks involve maintaining and managing lock-out systems as well as worksite maintenance by electrical engineers.