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Permit to work

A permit to work is a formal written authorisation to carry out a defined task, in a defined place, for a defined time, under defined controls. It exists to make sure the right people agree the job is safe before it starts, and to make hand-back deliberate rather than assumed. Use it for high-risk work identified by your risk assessment and by the regulations that apply under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.

Who it's for: Permit issuers and authorised persons, maintenance and engineering supervisors, facilities managers, and the workers accepting the permit.

Free to use and adapt · Last updated 2026-08-02 · No email required

This form supports a competent process, it does not replace one

A permit is only as good as the person issuing it. Permits must be issued by someone competent and authorised for that class of work, based on a task-specific risk assessment. This template gives you the structure and the audit trail. It does not substitute for training, licensing, isolation procedures, atmospheric testing or equipment inspection, and it does not make an unsafe job safe.

Where a specific permit type applies, use it instead of this one. Confined space entry and hot works both have their own forms in this library.

Permit details

Permit number
Permit type General, electrical, mechanical, excavation, roof access, isolation, other
Exact location of work Building, level, room, asset or equipment number
Description of work What will actually be done. If it is not written here it is not authorised
Valid from (date and time)
Valid until (date and time) A shift at most. Longer jobs are re-issued, not extended informally
Company and workers covered Name every person. Anyone not named is not covered

Hazards identified for this task

  • Stored energy: electrical, mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, thermal, gravitational
  • Live services in the work area, including buried or concealed services
  • Fall from height, or falling objects onto people below
  • Confined space or restricted egress
  • Hot work, ignition sources or flammable atmosphere
  • Hazardous chemicals, dust, fumes or asbestos-containing material
  • Plant or vehicle movement in or near the work area
  • Interaction with other trades, our operations, or the public
  • Work outside normal hours, alone or in an isolated area
  • Noise, temperature extremes or poor lighting

Isolations and controls in place before work starts

Every isolation is verified by test, not by assumption that the switch did what the label says.

Energy source or hazardIsolation pointMethod (lock, tag, blank, drain)Verified de-energised byTimeLock or tag number
      
      
      
      

Additional controls required

  • Area barricaded and signed, with the exclusion zone sized for the hazard
  • Fire extinguisher or spill kit present and appropriate to the task
  • Ventilation or extraction in place and running
  • Atmospheric testing completed where required, with results recorded on the relevant permit
  • Rescue arrangements agreed and resourced before entry or ascent
  • Standby or observer person appointed and briefed
  • Communications tested between the work party and the standby person
  • Emergency contact and escalation path confirmed, including how to call 999
  • Affected staff, occupants or the public notified
  • PPE specified for the task available, inspected and correctly fitted

Authorisation

Three signatures, three different roles. The issuer authorises, the acceptor takes responsibility for the work party, and the area owner confirms the wider site is ready.

RoleNameSignatureDate and time
Permit issuer (authorised person)   
Permit acceptor (person in charge of the work)   
Area or asset owner   

Suspension and re-validation

Use this if work stops and restarts within the permit period, for example over a meal break or a shift handover.

Suspended atReasonConditions left in placeRe-validated atRe-checked by
     
     

Hand-back and close-out

The permit is not finished until this section is signed. An open permit means the isolation is still assumed to be in place.

Work completed (Y/N) If no, record what remains and how the area is left safe
Handed back by (acceptor) and time
Accepted by (issuer or area owner) and time
  • Work is complete, or has stopped and the area made safe
  • All tools, materials and waste removed from the work area
  • Guards, covers, handrails and interlocks refitted and secured
  • All locks and tags removed by the people who applied them
  • Systems restored and function tested where required
  • Barricades and signage removed
  • Area inspected and returned to the area owner
  • Any outstanding defect or follow-up recorded and reported
How to use it

Getting the most out of this template

  • Decide in advance which tasks require a permit and write that list down. Leaving it to judgement in the moment means the permit gets skipped exactly when the job is unusual.
  • Issue on site, not from the office. The issuer should see the location before signing.
  • One permit, one task, one shift. Extending a permit informally is the most common failure point.
  • Display the permit at the work area for the duration, not filed in a folder.
  • Audit closed permits monthly. Look for permits that were never handed back, since those are the ones that indicate the system is being worked around.

This template is general information, not legal advice. Requirements differ by jurisdiction and industry; check the guidance published by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and seek advice for your specific circumstances.

Questions

Frequently asked

Which jobs need a permit to work?
There is no single list that fits every site. Start with the high-risk work classes named in the regulations that apply under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, add anything your risk assessment rates high, and add work on or near live services, isolations, confined spaces, hot work, heights and excavation. Write your list down and review it after every significant incident.
Who can issue a permit?
Only a person your organisation has formally authorised for that class of work, based on demonstrated competence, and who is not part of the work party doing the job. Keep a current list of authorised issuers, since an out-of-date list is how unauthorised permits get signed.
Can one permit cover a job running over several days?
Not without re-validation. Conditions change between shifts, and so do the people. Re-issue or formally re-validate for each shift, and record it. If your permits routinely run for days, that is a sign the system has drifted.
What happens if the scope changes mid-job?
Stop. The permit authorises what is written on it and nothing else. Reassess, and issue a new permit or formally amend and re-sign the existing one. Most permit-related incidents involve work that had quietly moved beyond what was authorised.

The template covers the paperwork. Duress covers the response.