Permit to Work (PTW)
1
Permit to Work (PTW)
INTRODUCTION
• The permit to work procedure is a formal written system used to control certain types of
potentially hazardous work. It is also a means of establishing an effective means of
communication and understanding between personnel requiring the work to be done and the
personnel or contractors who are going to do the work.
2
NEED OF WORK PERMIT SYSTEM
•The basic purpose of the work permit system is to ensure that work is carried out in the safest
possible manner to prevent injuries to personnel, protect property from damage, avoid fire etc.
•Most routine work has defined safe work practices or procedures. In the absence of such
procedures, safe work permits should be used.
3
WHY WE NEED WORK PERMIT SYSTEM
• Alberta’s Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Act and Factory Rules require employers to
provide workers with a safe place of work and to identify known safety hazards. This can be
partly achieved through the use of a safe work permit system. Verbal instructions can be
misinterpreted or forgotten, whereas a great deal of control is achieved through the use of
safe work practices or safe work permits.
4
Goals and Objectives:
At the end of this session you will:
- be familiar with jobs requiring safe work permits.
- be generally familiar with the Safe Work Permit system.
- pass a quiz with a score of 100
5
Three copies of the permit to work
➢Normally permits are issued in triplicate.
1. The first copy shall be taken by the Permit Applicant. [If a Permit Holder is appointed, then the first
copy is passed to the Permit Holder.]
2. The second copy shall be displayed at the job location to make other people aware of the job, fire
hazards, isolations, other precautions etc. Applicant, or Holder, shall post the copy at site.
3. The authoriser shall retain the third copy.
6
Permit Applicant
❑ The applicant is the supervisor from Maintenance, Inspection or Construction organisation
whose subordinates will perform the work.
❑ The applicant for the job will discuss (interactive) the potential hazards, precautions,
protections and restrictions of the job with his subordinates to confirm they understand
these safety requirements before they begin the work.
❑ The applicant will also confirm his/her subordinates have the necessary tools, equipment,
supplies and PPE, in good condition, to perform the job.
❑ If the Permit Applicant appoints a Permit Holder for the work, then he/she shall pass the
first copy of the work permit to the Permit Holder. The Permit Holder shall supervise the
work and remain at the work location while the job is in progress.
7
Permit Holder
➢The Permit Holder shall
1. supervise and monitor the work involved in only one job,
2. remain in communication with the workers,
3. prevent access to the barricaded work site by outsiders and pedestrians moving near the area,
and
4. stop the work when conditions change and violate the safety requirements of the work permit.
The Permit Holder shall not supervise, oversee or direct any other work.
8
Permit Authoriser
❑ The permit authorizer shall be a person appointed by the Head of the Department. He/she
shall issue and authorise the permit.
❑ The authorizer shall personally inspect the job location and ensure that the area is safe for
carrying out the work as requested by the Applicant.
❑ The authorizer shall determine the safety precautions that must be taken and mention in the
permit all safety precautions, protections and restrictions to be followed without exception
while doing the job.
❑ After completion of the job, including housekeeping, the display copy shall be returned by the
permit holder to the applicant to be signed. The authorizer then closes the permit by signing
the permit upon inspection of the job site and receipt of the signed copy from the applicant.
9
TYPES OF WORK PERMITS & CERTIFICATES
Hot Work • Hot work includes gas cutting, welding etc.
Cold Work • Cold Work includes Opening Process Machinery, Blinding, De-blinding.
Work at Height • Work carried out at a height of 1.8m or 6 feet .
Excavation • must be obtained prior to the start of digging or soil removal
• where there is only one exit & entry, oxygen level is 19.5 to 23.5% &
Confined Space combustibility is (LEL<10%).
10
TYPES OF WORK PERMITS & CERTIFICATES
Hydra (Pick & Carry • Where ever there is use of Hydra Crane.
Crane)
Heavy Lift Certificates applies to mobile cranes, hydras, crawler cranes, truck cranes,
locomotive cranes, powered winches, pulleys and manual hoists.
• Before working on electrical equipment in the factory require this
Electrical Work certificate.
Gas Line/Equipment • Equipment or pipeline involving natural gas, CO, Corex gas, BF Gas,
Gas holders and any hydrocarbon require this certificate.
Work
High Tension Line/ • Electrical high tension line / Equipment involving more than 1000
Volt will require this certificate.
Equipment
11
TYPES OF WORK PERMITS & CERTIFICATES
Lock out or Tag out • Where energy isolation is required.
• all jobs dealing with radioactive sources including x-rays and
Radiography gamma ray sources.
• where closure of any road within the factory must be done
Road Closure require this certificate.
12
Hot Work Permits
➢A Hot Work Permit is required under following situations :
➢Jobs that involve Welding, Cutting, Grinding, Brazing, Soldering, & Jack hammering.
➢Use of any equipment or tools that could cause sparks that could ignite a fire.
➢Use of open flames from torches or any other apparatus that produces an open flame.
➢Using non-explosion proof, non-intrinsically safe electrical and/or electronic equipment.
➢Using compressors, generators, pumps, welding machines, etc. that have an internal
combustion engine for power.
Hot Work Permit continued
❑ The authoriser and the applicant shall visually inspect the job location and vicinity (up to a
radius of 10 meters) to confirm the site is free from flammable materials (combustibles
gases, liquids, dusts or other solids).
❑ If flammable materials are present, then the authoriser shall not issue the hot work permit.
❑ They shall use an explosimeter or portable flammable gas detector to measure the
atmosphere of the work site. Any reading or indication by the explosimeter other than
ZERO (0% LEL) shall confirm an unsafe condition and the authoriser shall not issue the
hot work permit.
❑ All the process pipe lines and/or equipment and/or vessels in the vicinity of the job location
(<10 meters), and which normally contain flammables, shall necessarily be de-pressured,
gas freed, steamed out, nitrogen purged, isolated and made free from residual process
material.
Cold Work Permit
• Cold work is an activity which does not produce sufficient heat or spark
to ignite a flammable or combustible material.
What are some examples of Cold Work jobs?
Examples of Cold Work
Opening Process Machinery
Blinding & De-blinding
Tightening of Flanges
Hot bolting
Painting
Insulation of a vessel
Painting of equipment/structure/building
Disassembly of a pump
Roadside activities
High pressure water scrubbing
Others?
Cold Work Permit continued
The exact location, nature of job, item/equipment on which the work will be carried out,
special instructions, precautions, isolation requirements (if any), and separate permits or
certificates to be obtained, shall be mentioned in the work permit, also.
Work at Height Certificate
If the work shall be done at height from an elevated platform (>1.8 meters), then a
separate Work at Height Certificate must be obtained first.
The area below the hot work, where it is possible for a spark or welding slag to fall,
shall be properly barricaded to prevent pedestrians from walking beneath the hot
work job. The authoriser shall ensure the applicant or supervisor shall direct his
subordinates executing the hot work to contain all sparks and/or hot slag.
Other work beneath the elevated hot work shall not be allowed at any time. These
requirements must be mentioned in the Hot Work Permit.
Follow the instructions in the Work at Height Standard.
Confined Space Entry Certificate
What is a confined space?
Confined Space – Includes reactors, columns, column
skirts, vessels, pipe lines, storage tanks, storage spheres,
coolers, bins, silos, sumps, trenches, pits, sewers, furnaces,
CAUTION underground service lines, boiler drums, condensers, flue
Opening in Ground ducts, HVAC ducts, false ceilings and floors, where
Keep Out !
deficiency of oxygen (<19.5.0 %) or presence of
toxic/flammable gases is likely and/or the space is not
designed for human occupancy in normal
circumstances.
Confined Space Entry Certificate
• If the hot work shall be conducted inside a confined space, then the
authoriser shall confirm the Confined Space Entry Certificate is obtained
first by the applicant for the hot work.
• The authoriser shall indicate clearly on the permit document that the hot
work shall be conducted inside a confined space and list the reference to
that certificate on the hot work permit.
• Follow the guidance in the Confined Space Entry Standard.
Excavation Certificates
An excavation is any man-made cut, cavity, trench, pit or depression in an
earth surface that is formed by earth removal.
A certificate for any excavation must be obtained prior to the start of
digging or soil removal.
Excavations continued
Before an excavation begins, careful planning by the construction engineer in cooperation
with the site competent person (excavation) must consider specific site conditions, such as
the following:
– traffic near the site of the excavation
– vibrations in the vicinity of the worksite
– proximity of structures and their conditions
– soil type
– surface water and groundwater
– chemical contamination of soil or water
– overhead and underground utilities (buried)
– weather
Excavations continued
▪ The permit authoriser and permit applicant shall ensure that rigid,
protective barricades are erected, at least 1.5 meters from the edge of the
excavation.
▪ The permit authoriser and permit applicant shall ensure that that spoil dirt,
equipment or any other materials are kept, at least 1 meter from the edge
of the excavation pit or trench.
▪ While the excavation is open, the exposed underground utilities shall be
protected, supported or removed, as necessary, to safeguard the workers
and equipment.
▪ At least, two means of access/egress must be provided for the pit or
trench. All access and egress ladders, or other structures, shall not be
blocked by soil or rubbish or equipment.
Excavations continued
▪ Workers shall not be allowed beneath lifted loads or underneath the
boom of digging equipment at any time.
▪ The equipment used to dig the excavation, such as power shovels, shall
be parked a suitable distance from the edge of the pit or trench. For
deep pits of 4 meters or more, the equipment shall be parked, at least, 6
meters away from the edge of the pit or trench.
▪ The excavation shall be considered a confined space by the permit
authoriser, if the potential for a contaminated atmosphere or inadequate
ventilation exists. In this case a separate Confined Space Entry
Certificate shall be obtained for all workmen who enter into the
excavation. Follow the Confined Space Entry Standard.
Excavations continued
▪ Diversion ditches or dikes shall be erected to prevent surface water
from entering the excavation, as necessary.
▪ Persons shall not work inside an excavation pit or trench in which there
is an accumulation of water or when water is accumulating (flooding).
▪ All trenches and pits that are 1.5 meters or deeper shall be securely
shored to prevent cave in.
▪ Sloping and benching of the excavation walls may be used in place of
shoring. The permit applicant and the permit authoriser shall consult
with a licensed civil engineer during the planning stage to confirm, in
writing, the proper slope to use. The alternative use of sheet piling for
protection against cave in shall be confirmed by a licensed civil
engineer, also.
LOTO – Lock out / Tag out
(Energy Isolation)
▪ The Permit Authoriser shall determine whether or not the
equipment/vessels/pipelines must be positively isolated before any work
commences or any Permit is issued for work.
▪ A separate certificate for LOTO shall be issued before any other permit
is issued by the authoriser.
▪ Follow the LOTO Standard for issuing and authorising a LOTO
certificate.
Certificates for Heavy Lifts with Mobile Crane or
Hoist
▪ This Standard applies to mobile cranes, hydras, crawler cranes, truck
cranes, locomotive cranes, powered winches, pulleys and manual
hoists.
▪ This Standard does not apply to overhead bridge or gantry cranes,
stationary jib cranes, forklifts, conveyors, tower cranes, derricks or
passenger lifts.
▪ The permit applicant and permit holder for Lifts with Mobile Crane or
Hoists shall be competent persons determined through a certification
process to be knowledgeable for Lifting and Rigging.
Certificates for Heavy Lifts
with Mobile Crane or Hoist continued
▪ The permit authorizer and applicant shall confirm the load weight is less
than the maximum rated capacity or safe working load of the lifting
equipment or crane.
▪ The applicant shall verify that the work zone has been properly
barricaded.
▪ The applicant shall follow the Permit for Road Closure procedure in the
event a road must be closed during the lifting activity or for movement of
the crane.
Certificates for Heavy Lifts
with Mobile Crane or Hoist continued
▪ The operator shall leave no lifting machinery unattended, while power is on or load is
suspended above machinery or above ground.
▪ No person shall ride on suspended loads or any lifting machine.
▪ A tag line or guide rope shall be used on all loads that swing freely. The ropes or cables shall
be in good condition and free from defects.
▪ A barricade shall be placed around the area on the ground beneath where the boom will travel
(swing radius), and surrounding the crane itself, before the crane is operated.
▪ The operator shall not carry loads over people. Permit holder must not allow pedestrians to
walk below a suspended load or underneath the boom.
Certificates for Heavy Lifts
with Mobile Crane or Hoist continued
▪ While handling materials, the following precautions must be taken :
▪ The load is safely secured while lifting
▪ Slinging method is proper for the load
▪ Lifted load shall not exceed the safe working load of the sling and
machine
▪ The load shall be arranged in the sling, so that it will not collapse and
does not damage the sling.
Crane shall be parked or stationed on a firm ground when operating. All
hydraulic jacking mechanism shall be extended and positioned over load
spreaders on the ground such that the crane is in a horizontal position.
Electrical Work
▪ A permit for electrical work is necessary and applicable for working on the following equipment:
▪ Electric switch gears
▪ Electrical switch yards
▪ Cable cellars, cable racks, cable trenches
▪ Transformers and circuit breakers
▪ UPS systems
▪ Battery and battery charger systems
▪ Motors and motor terminal boxes
▪ Actuators of motorized valves
▪ Junction boxes
▪ Motor Control Center Panels or Cabinets
▪ HVAC Systems
▪ Cathodic protection system
▪ Electrical heat tracing
▪ Electrical earthing systems
▪ Overhead power lines and electrical power feeders
▪ Electric drives
▪ Illumination systems (lighting)
▪ Electric generators
Electrical Work
▪ Any electrical job shall be supervised by an Authorised Electrical Person
and carried out by a Competent Electrical Person only.
▪ The Head of Maintenance and/or the Electrical Maintenance Manager
shall give such authorizations. A signed certificate shall be provided to
all authorized electrical persons and competent electrical persons.
Radiography Certificate
▪ A Radiography Certificate is required for all jobs dealing with radioactive sources
including x-rays and gamma ray sources, new installation of nucleonic gauges,
operation and maintenance of installed sources, radiography of weld joints and for
using radioisotopes for process studies.
Radiography Certificate
▪ The factory Safety Dept shall maintain a list of Radiological Safety
Officers (RSO).
▪ These RSO persons are responsible for carrying out day-to-day activities
related to Nucleonic gauges, density meters, covering isolation of source
and use of radiation survey meter.
▪ Radiation survey meters are calibrated once a year by BARC or its
authorized agency.
▪ The location where work with ionizing radiation sources are to be carried
out must be barricaded and clearly marked with radiation warning signs.
During dark hours, additional warning lights must be placed near the
radiation signs.
▪ The permit applicant or his designated permit holder must enforce that
unauthorized persons shall not enter the radiation zone. Consideration
shall be given to persons who may be above or below the radioactive
source, also.
Certificate for Road Closure
▪ This certificate is required for blocking of roads during execution of a particular job such as
road repairs, movement of heavy crane, unloading of materials using a crane which may
block an entire road, during cleanup of spills, placing equipment, or soil from excavations
or supplies on a road, etc.
▪ In an emergency or with imminent danger, Security personnel may block a road for a short
period of time (not exceeding 2 hours) without fulfilling requirements under this standard.
▪ The Head of the Security Dept. and Fire Dept shall give the necessary clearances after
duly checking that the alternative route for emergency vehicle movement has been
confirmed. The permit applicant shall obtain these clearances.
Permit Validity Period, Extension of Validity and Cancellation
Normal PTW Validity Period
A Permit-to-Work or Certificate is normally valid for one shift only. However, it can be extended for a maximum of two more
shifts with appropriate renewals.
A new permit and/or certificate shall be obtained after an elapsed time of 24 hours from the original issue of the PTW or
Certificate.
If the permit holder or applicant left the working site before completion of allocated job, then the permit & certificate to be
renewed by incorporating new names.
• Cancellation of a PTW or Certificate
1. If an emergency siren is sounded in the factory area
2. whenever a change in conditions at the site of the work has invalidated or violated.
3. whenever any conditions have rendered or caused the situation at the site of the work to be unsafe (e.g. rain with lightning
has made it unsafe to proceed with work at height, flooding of a pit or trench has made it unsafe to continue with excavation
work, high winds have made it unsafe to proceed with heavy lifts with a mobile crane, etc.)
36
Procedure for PTW Extension
• If the job is not completed by end of the shift, then work shall be stopped at the end of the
shift.
• The work can be resumed only when the PTW validity is properly extended by the authorizer
by signing who will be present during the extension period after performing TBT again if the
executing team is changed.
• In case of critical activities, the authorizer can extend the PTW at site, before the expiry time
of PTW to avoid stoppage of work. e.g. in case of person WAH need not to come down just
for the sake of extension of permit.
37
➢Span of Supervision for Permitted Work
➢1. Permit holder shall be in charge of only one job.
➢2. Permit Applicants may apply for up to, but not exceeding, five PTWs or Certificates. So,
a maximum of 250 workers are allowed under five permits or certificates in the same
vicinity.
➢3. Permit Applicants who serve as Permit Holders shall not apply for permit(s) or
certificates for any other job or have any other responsibilities.
38
Thank You!!
39
