How robust is your Permit to Work System: Complete an Audit

Established Risk Assessment Policy: Having an established policy for risk assessment of high-hazard operations and maintenance activities is crucial. This ensures that all potential risks are identified, evaluated, and mitigated before any work begins. It helps in maintaining a safe working environment and prevents accidents or incidents that could harm employees or damage equipment.

Clear Understanding of Permit System Objectives: The objectives of the permit system need to be clearly defined and understood by all involved. This ensures that everyone knows their roles and responsibilities, and what they need to do to comply with the system. It also ensures that the system is implemented and used correctly, which is essential for it to be effective in preventing accidents and ensuring safety.

Flexibility of the Permit System: The permit system should be flexible enough to accommodate potentially dangerous tasks that were not specifically recognized at the time of its inception. This is important because work environments and tasks can change over time, and new hazards can emerge. A flexible system can adapt to these changes and continue to provide effective risk management.

Clear definition of responsibilities: ensures that everyone involved in the system knows their roles and duties. This promotes accountability and effective implementation of the system.

Understanding the scope of the permit system: ensures that it is applied correctly and consistently, reducing the risk of accidents due to unpermitted work.

Clear guidelines on permit issuance: Clear guidelines ensure that only qualified and authorised individuals can approve potentially hazardous work, enhancing the safety of the workplace.

Clear procedures: Accessible and clear procedures are essential to make the permit system easy to use and follow, ensuring that all necessary permits are obtained before work begins.

Prevention from self-issue of permits: This rule prevents potential conflicts of interest and ensures that the permit approval process is unbiased and thorough.

Importance Recognised: Recognition of the system’s importance promotes compliance and ensures that the system is used whenever necessary.

Displaying permits together by area/equipment: Keeping and displaying permits together allows for easy tracking and coordination of work activities, reducing the risk of accidents due to overlapping work.

Coordination and avoiding clashes: Coordination of work activities helps prevent accidents caused by unexpected interactions between different tasks.

Cross-referencing with other certificates & permits: Cross-referencing permits ensures that all necessary permissions have been obtained and relevant safety procedures are followed.

Agreeing to permitted works: Gaining agreement from all affected parties ensures that everyone is aware of the planned work and can take necessary precautions.

Authorisation to Remove Isolation procedures: This procedure ensures that safety measures remain in place until all associated work has been completed and checked.

Recovery Method: A recovery method ensures that work coordination can continue even in the event of a system failure, maintaining safety and productivity.