What it is
A permit to work is the formal gate on high-risk tasks — confined space, hot work, working at heights, electrical, excavation. The permit register lets you raise a permit against a type, have it approved, activate it for the agreed work window, and close it on completion. No active permit, no work: it is the control that makes sure the hazards are checked and the precautions are in place before anyone starts.
Permits exist because the work that needs them is the work that hurts people when it goes wrong. Running them properly — requested, approved, active, closed — means there is always a clear answer to who authorised this, for what window, and was it shut down cleanly when the job was done. The lifecycle is the evidence and the safeguard in one.
When to use it
- High-risk work is planned — hot work, confined space, heights, electrical, excavation
- A permit needs authorising before a crew can begin
- Work is starting and the permit needs to go active for its window
- The job is finished and the permit must be closed out
How it works
Step by step.
- 1
Raise the permit
Choose the permit type and raise the request against the task, site and intended work window.
- 2
Approve it
An authoriser reviews the controls and approves. Until then the permit cannot go active.
- 3
Activate for the window
When work is about to start, activate the permit for its agreed window. The work is now authorised.
- 4
Monitor while active
Active permits are visible to everyone who needs to see them. Filter by type or status to keep track on a busy site.
- 5
Close on completion
When the job is done, close the permit. A permit that runs past its window expires rather than lingering open.
Worked example
Follow it through.
The scenario
Hot-work welding is needed on a mezzanine handrail at Harbour Point Terminal during a Coastline Logistics shift.
- 1 Raise a permit, type "Hot work", task "Weld mezzanine handrail bracket", site Harbour Point Terminal.
- 2 The authoriser reviews fire-watch and isolation controls and approves it.
- 3 Activate the permit for the window Wed 11 Jun, 08:00–12:00.
- 4 Daniel Cho carries out the welding with a fire watch in place; the permit shows active to the site team.
- 5 On completion, close the permit and confirm the area is cold and clear.
The result
The hot-work permit shows a clean lifecycle — requested, approved, active for its window, then closed — with the controls authorised before any welding began.
Tips & notes
Good to know.
- Keep the work window tight; a permit that expires unclosed is a flag that the close-out step was missed.
- Filter to "active" before a site walk to see exactly what high-risk work is underway right now.
- Approval is a real gate, not a rubber stamp — the authoriser is confirming the controls, so give them the detail.
- Pair a permit with the matching method statement so the crew knows the safe steps, not just that they are cleared to start.
When you’re done
High-risk work runs under an approved, time-boxed permit that is closed out cleanly when the job is done.