Occupational health and safety
Permit to Work
Definition
A permit to work is a formal, documented system used to control high-risk activities — confined space entry, hot work, electrical work, work at height, excavation — requiring written authorisation before work starts. The permit specifies the work, hazards, precautions, isolations and responsible persons, and is signed off at completion to ensure safe handback.
References
system design and application
regulatory basis in process safety
Overview
What it means
Permit systems create a disciplined pause: hazards must be identified and controls verified by people with authority before dangerous work proceeds. Failures of permit discipline — simultaneous operations, lapsed isolations, poor handover — are recurring root causes of major industrial accidents.
How it is used
Permit-to-work systems are standard in oil and gas, chemicals, construction and energy, and are a core element of process safety management regimes such as OSHA PSM and the EU Seveso framework.
Why it matters
Most catastrophic workplace incidents involve known hazards and violated procedures; permit systems are how high-hazard industries convert safety knowledge into controlled practice at the point of work.