Permit to work: does this task need one?

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Pick the task and where it is, and get a straight answer on whether it goes on a permit, which permit, who issues it and the regulation behind it.

Where the law stands on permits

No regulation uses the words "permit to work" as a general requirement. What the law does require is a safe system of work for every task, a risk assessment, and for some tasks specific written controls - a safe system and emergency arrangements for confined spaces, a written demolition plan under CDM 2015 regulation 20, a lift plan under LOLER. The permit is the industry's recognised way of meeting those duties for high-risk, non-routine work, and HSE guidance HSG250 describes how a permit system should run.

What a permit actually does

It is a formal written check that the hazards have been identified, the precautions are in place, the people are competent and everyone affected knows the work is happening. It has a start and an end, it is signed by the issuer and the person doing the work, and it is cancelled when the work stops. The value is in the discipline: nobody strikes the arc until the fire watch is standing there with the extinguisher.

The common failures

Permits issued from the office for a job nobody has looked at. Permits that run for a week. Permits for everything, so nobody reads them. Permits signed by the person doing the work. And the one that kills people: the permit is written for the job, but a second gang is sent to help and never briefed. Our guide to what a permit to work is and the hot works permit guide go into the detail.

FAQs

Is a permit to work a legal requirement?

Not by that name. The law requires a safe system of work and, for some tasks, specific written controls - a safe system and emergency arrangements for confined space entry, a written demolition plan under CDM 2015, a lift plan under LOLER. A permit to work is the recognised way to meet those duties for high-risk work, described in HSE guidance HSG250.

Does hot work always need a permit?

In practice yes on construction sites. HSG168 and the Joint Code of Practice on fire prevention expect a hot work permit with a fire watch that continues for at least 60 minutes after the work stops, and most insurers make it a policy condition. Grinding and cutting count as hot work, not just welding.

Who can issue a permit to work?

A person authorised in writing by the site or the business, competent to judge the hazards and precautions for that task, who has looked at the job. On someone else's site their authorised person issues the permit, not the visiting contractor.

How long should a permit last?

One task, one shift, is the norm. A permit that runs for days stops being a control. If the work runs on, the permit is re-checked and re-issued.

Get the documents ready-made

Once you know the task needs a permit, the permit itself needs to be right - the isolation checks, the fire watch, the gas test, the sign-on and sign-off. Ours are editable Word documents you can put your name on and print on site.

General guidance only. This article explains how the rules generally work in UK construction. It is not advice for your specific site, task or project, and it is not legal advice. Your own risk assessment, method statement and arrangements must be prepared and checked by a competent person for the actual work being done.