Permit to Work; The Right Way!

‘Make sure the controls are there, you are confident in the person undertaking the work and you monitor what is going on’ In this episode, Colin reviews the importance of a ‘permit to work’ and the responsibility that is undertaken by those who issue them. Listen in and make sure you understand the process and use ‘permit to work’ effectively on your work site.   KEY TAKEAWAYS For lesser jobs, permission to proceed and an authorisation process can be implemented. For those jobs that require a permit consider when and where the permit is required. When you complete a risk assessment, consider the control measures necessary. You need to look at the risk assessment and the controls identified. These controls then form part of the permit. A permit to work is based on someone going to the site and checking that the controls are in place, once they are confident the controls are in place they are permitting the work taking place. The person raising a permit is undertaking a high level of responsibility. A permit to work doesn’t replace a risk assessment it supports the process. You are issuing the permit to someone else so you must have confidence in them and their ability to carry out the work. Never treat a  permit to work as a form-filling exercise treat it  is a fundamental.   BEST MOMENTS ‘The person raising a permit is undertaking a high level of responsibility so don’t give your signature away’ ‘If that person leaves the site the permit should be viewed as no longer valid because they are the individual who is undertaking the responsibility of carrying out the controls’ ‘You have determined it’s an activity where someone could get hurt or seriously injured’   VALUABLE RESOURCES  The Interesting Health & Safety Podcast    ABOUT THE HOST Colin Nottage ‘Making health and safety as important as everything else we do.’ This is the belief that Colin is passionate about and through his consultancy Influential Management Group (IMG) is able to spread into industry. Colin works at a strategic level with company owners and board members. He helps business leaders establish and achieve their health and safety ambitions. He has developed a number of leading competency improvement programmes that are delivered across industry and his strengths are his ability to take a practical approach to problem-solving and being able to liaise at all levels within an organisation. Colin also runs a company that vets contractors online and a network that develops and support H&S consultancies to become better businesses. Colin chairs the Construction Dust Partnership, an industry collaboration directly involving many organisations, including the Health and Safety Executive. He is a Post Graduate Tutor at Strathclyde University and a highly sought-after health and safety speaker and trainer. He has a Post Graduate Certificate in Safety and Risk management, an engineering degree and is a Chartered Member of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH).