Plant integrity managersSHEQ managersSupervisorsProcess plantsMines

    Permit to Work Template (with Isolation Register)

    A permit to work is the written authority for one high-risk task: hot work, confined space entry, work at height or electrical work. It records what is being done, what has been isolated and who signed at each stage, so nobody starts, continues or hands back the work without the checks being done.

    One permit per task, per location and per validity period. Issued before the work starts, kept at the job, and closed only when the area is handed back and every isolation is removed.

    Distillation columns and pipework at a process plant

    What is in the template

    Permit details

    • Work description and equipment
    • Location (area, plant item, tag number)
    • Valid from (date and time) to (date and time)
    • Hazards identified
    • Precautions required (gas test, fire watch, rescue plan, barricading)
    • PPE required

    Isolation register

    Columns: Isolation point · Energy type · Method (lock/tag) · Isolated by · Verified by (second person) · De-isolated by · Time · 10 rows per page

    One row per isolation point: electrical, mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, stored energy, process (steam, gas, chemical) and gravity. The isolator applies the lock and tag and proves the point dead or depressurised; a second person verifies it and signs before the permit is issued. The de-isolated by and time columns are filled in only at hand-back, after every worker's lock is off.

    Sign-off sequence

    • Issued by (issuing authority: signature, time)
    • Accepted by (performing authority: signature, time)
    • Work complete and area safe (performing authority: signature, time)
    • Hand-back accepted (issuing authority: signature, time)
    • Cancelled by (signature, time), or extended to (date, time, signature)

    How to fill it in

    1. 1Give the permit a number and define the task narrowly: one job, one plant item, one validity period. A permit for "maintenance in the plant" covers nothing.
    2. 2List every energy source feeding the equipment and isolate each one: lock it, tag it and prove it dead or depressurised. Record each point in the isolation register.
    3. 3Have a second person verify every isolation and sign for it before the permit is issued. The isolator does not verify their own locks.
    4. 4Walk the hazards and precautions with the person accepting the permit: gas test, fire watch, rescue plan, barricading, PPE. Both sign.
    5. 5Keep the permit at the job. If the validity expires or the conditions change, stop and re-issue; do not alter the times on the form.
    6. 6At hand-back, confirm the work is complete and the area safe, remove every lock, record each de-isolation and have the issuing authority sign the cancellation.

    A general template, not legal advice. Check it against the Act, the regulations and the codes of practice that apply to your site, and against your own safety management system. The OHS Act section 8 requires the employer to provide safe systems of work and to take the steps that remove or mitigate the hazards. The General Safety Regulations govern entry into confined spaces and the precautions for hot work; the Electrical Machinery Regulations govern work on electrical machinery, including switching off, isolating and proving dead before work starts. On a mine, the MHSA section 11 requires the hazards to be assessed and the measures recorded, and the MHSA regulations on machinery and equipment cover the lockout of machinery before work on it. ISO 45001 clause 8.1 covers operational planning and control.

    Convert this template into a digital form

    Run it on an Android phone with no signal, attach photos as evidence, and every failed item raises an issue with an owner and a due date.

    Start free trialBook a demo

    The same record in Inspecable

    On paper the register is only as current as the last person who updated it. In Inspecable the same record keeps going:

    Do it in InspecablePermits to workThe longer readHow a permit to work system works in practice

    Questions

    When is a permit to work required?

    For any task where the normal safeguards are removed or the hazard is not controlled by routine procedure: hot work near flammables, confined space entry, work at height without fixed protection, work on electrical or stored-energy equipment, and contractors working on live plant. Your risk assessment decides the list; the permit records the controls.

    Who can issue a permit to work?

    A person the employer has appointed in writing as competent to issue it for that plant: usually the area supervisor, the shift engineer or the responsible person for electrical work. The person doing the work accepts the permit and cannot issue it to themselves, and a second person verifies every isolation.

    Why does a permit need an isolation register?

    Because the permit says the work is allowed and the register proves the energy is off. Each isolation point is listed with its lock, who applied it, who verified it and who removed it, so no source is forgotten at hand-back and the permit cannot be closed while a lock is still on.

    More free templates

    Looking for an inspection checklist instead? Free checklists.