Purpose and Principles

A permit to work is a formal written authorisation to carry out a specified task, in a specified place, at a specified time, under specified conditions. It is a control over the interface between the people doing the work and the people who own the plant.

What it achieves

• Communication. The plant owner and the work party agree on the same understanding of the hazards and the controls.
• Authorisation. A competent person has assessed the situation and decided the work may proceed now.
• Coordination. Conflicting activities in the same area are identified before they collide.
• A record. Of what was agreed, by whom, and under what conditions.

What it is not

A permit is not a risk assessment, although it depends on one. It is not a substitute for competence or supervision. And it does not make a task safe — the controls do that. A permit issued for a task with inadequate controls simply documents an authorised hazard.