MANAGEMENT OF WORK PERMIT

SYSTEM
A Project report submitted

In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of degree of

Industrial safety

In

SBTET (STATE BOARD OF TECHNICAL EDUCATION & TRAINING)

By

NAME OF THE STUDENT AS PER 10 TH CLASS

Regd.id.no: (HYD 2022001)

Under the Esteemed Guidance of

Mr. R.CHAITANYA RAJU (Chemical Eng. & Industrial Safety)

Faculty, Industrial Safety (SBTET)

Course in Industrial safety (STATE BOARD OF TECHNICAL

EDUCATION & TRAINING)

BSR INSTITUTION OF FIRE&SAFETY ENGINEERING

ISO (9001:2015 Certified)

Mumbai Complex, 2 nd Floor , Opp. Rajadhani Theater , Dilsukhnager ,

Hyderabad -500060

ACADEMIC YEAR (2021- 22)

Blank page
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Transparent page
 MANAGEMENT OF WORK PERMIT
SYSTEM
A Project report submitted

In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of degree of

Industrial safety

In

SBTET (STATE BOARD OF TECHNICAL EDUCATION & TRAINING)

By

NAME OF THE STUDENT AS PER 10 TH CLASS

Regd.id.no: (HYD 2022001)

Under the Esteemed Guidance of

Mr. R.CHAITANYA RAJU (Chemical Eng. & Industrial Safety)

Faculty, Industrial Safety (SBTET)

Course in Industrial safety (STATE BOARD OF TECHNICAL

EDUCATION & TRAINING)

BSR INSTITUTION OF FIRE&SAFETY ENGINEERING

ISO (9001:2015 Certified)

Mumbai Complex, 2 nd Floor , Opp. Rajadhani Theater , Dilsukhnager ,

Hyderabad -500060

ACADEMIC YEAR (2021- 22)

Transparent page
 STATE BOARD TECHNICAL EDUCATIONAL TRAINING
(INDUSTRIAL SAFETY)
BSR INSTITUTE OF FIRE AND SAFETY ENGINEERING

CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that project report entitled “MANAGEMENT OF WORK

PERMIT SYSTEM ” being submitted by ” NAME OF THE STUDENT AS
PER 10 TH CLASS bearing a roll number ” (HYD 2022001) ” in partial
fulfillment for the course in STATE BOARD OF TECHNICAL
EDUCATION & TRAINING (INDUSTRIAL SAFETY)

PROJECT GUIDE HEAD OF THE DEPATMENT

R.CHAITANYA RJAU BOBILLI SRINU,

Faculty, Chemistry, DIRECTOR,

BSR INSTITUTE OF FIRE & SAFETY, BSR INSTITUTE OF FIRE & SAFETY,
HYDERABAD -500060 HYDERABAD -500060
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I extend my sincere thanks to Mr. R. CHAITANYA RAJU Faculty, for guiding

me in the right channel and offering valuable suggestions which greatly
enhanced my work. His constant supervision and expert advice made this report
possible.

I express my gratitude to BOBBILI SRINU, Director of the Institutions, for his

accessibility, ever helping nature and constant motivation.

I express my gratitude to all the technical and non-technical staff of the

department.

I thank all those who contributed directly or indirectly in the successfully

carrying out this work.

NAME OF THE STUDENT AS PER 10 TH CLASS

Reg d no: (HYD 2022001)

 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Name of the topics discussed Page number

Introduction 1

Unsafe acts 2

Unsafe conditions 3-4

Management of work permit system

Introduction 5-6
7-10
Essentials of permit to work system
11
Work planning and risk assessment for permit to work system
12-19
Steps to safe work using work permit
20
Common types of work permits are issued
21-24
Height work permit
25-29
Hot work permit
30
Cold work permit

Vessel entry work permit 31-35

Electrical work permit 36-39

Major equipment movement/lifting work permit 40-42

Mobile tanker loading and unloading work permit 43-44

Excavation Work Permit 45-48

 ABSTRACT

A permit-to-work (PTW) system is a formal written system designed to control

certain types of work that are identified as potentially hazardous. The aim of

this article is to contribute to the understanding of the implementation issues

with a PTW system. This article identifies PTW system issues, and proposes

best practices for effective implementation of a PTW system.

The study was carried out by reviewing articles on PTW systems and analyzing

accidents that resulted from poor implementation of systems using case studies

and previous literature review on PTW implementation issues. Findings from

the case studies reveal that PTW systems lack proper implementation and

supervision most frequently as a result of administrative setbacks. The best

practices provide invaluable indications for procedure of an effective PTW

system practice and improvements in future research.

 Introduction
Safety is denoted as the condition or state of being safe, freedom from danger

or hazard, exemption from hurt, injury or loss.

Accidents are unplanned, unwanted and improper occurrences involving

 Injury / Harm to the employee

 Danger to the property

 Loss / contamination to the environment.

According to Heinrich, 98% of the accidents are caused by unsafe acts and

unsafe mechanical or physical conditions or both and as such majority of the

accidents can be prevented by correcting unsafe conditions and educating /

disciplining/ correcting employees against unsafe acts.

Every accident though does not cause injury but every accident does cause some

disturbances in protection activities.

Most accidents occur only after a repeated exposure to unsafe conditions. That

implies that accidents that take place when employees tend to ignore safety

rules and management ignore presence of unsafe conditions in the facility by

taking shortcuts at work.

1
Risk: Any situation that has probability to cause Injury/ Harm to the human,

damage to the property, loss or contamination to the environment.

Hazard: Any situation that has the potential / Capability to cause Injury / Harm

to the worker.

Injury: It is an inherent property of a substance or an occurrence, which has

the potential to cause loss/Harm to the person.

Causes of accidents:

Accidents just ‘do not happen’ they are ‘caused’. Same type of accidents can re-

occur if corrective action is not taken.

The causes of accidents can be broadly divided into two categories:

 Immediate causes are the direct causes of the accident which are due to

either unsafe acts or unsafe conditions or both.

 Contributory causes are the indirect causes of the accidents which are

caused due to mental and physical condition of the person, Supervisory

safety performance and environmental forces.

Unsafe Acts:

Faulty work habits and careless working are termed as unsafe acts.

2
Factors of unsafe act

Unsafe Conditions:

Unsafe condition can be defined as any physical condition attributable to

physical and mechanical sources within the work environment which, if left

uncorrected, may lead to an accident.

3
Factors of unsafe conditions:

To prevent these kind of accidents and injuries that happen in pharmaceutical

industries the most important step that need to be taken by the

management/Safety Department is to ensure that their workers are not taking

and shortcuts at work and follow all the necessary precautions by using the

correct Personal Protective Equipment and following the Management of

Work permit system.

4
MANAGEMENT OF WORK PERMIT
SYSTEM
Introduction:

 Permit to Work system is a formal safety control document designed to

prevent injury to employees, contractors and third parties as well as to

property, particularly when work with foreseeable high hazard content is

undertaken.

 The Permit sets out the work to be done, precautions to be taken and the

responsibilities of individuals. This document is intended to assist Line

Managers, Head teachers, and people in charge of divisional units to ensure

that a safe system of work is in place for maintenance work, small or short

term projects where previously hazardous conditions have been identified.

 A permit to work system will be required to ensure no worker is subjected

to any significant risk, and also in fulfilling legal obligations under the

Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, and The Management of Health and

Safety Regulations 1999.

 A permit to work system forms an essential part of a safe system of work. It

also forms an integral part of a risk assessment process, where specific

hazards are identified, and suitable control measures are implemented prior

to commencement of the work task.

5
However, it is important to ensure that people carrying out work task where a

permit to work system is required have the necessary competence to undertake

the job safely.

A permit to work system is required or should be considered whenever works

intended to be carried out may adversely affect the safety of people, plant or the

environment. Permit to work systems are not required for routine maintenance

activities in a non-hazardous environment.

Permit to work system should be considered where:

 Non-Production work (e.g. maintenance, repairs, inspections, testing, etc)

 Works where two or more individuals need to co-ordinate activities to

complete the job safely.

 Jobs where there is a transfer of work and responsibilities from one

contactor to the other.

 Non-routine operations or activities.

As a general a permit to work system is required for work activities that

involve:

 Confined space works.

 Hot works such as welding, Gas cutting, drilling, grinding, heating.

 Working at heights.

 Excavation works.

 Working on fragile roofs.

6
  Maintenance work on lifts, conveyors, hoists etc.

 Work on high voltage electrical equipment or other work on electrical

equipment which may give rise to potential dangers.

 Any activity which require additional precautions or personal protective

equipment (PPE) to be in place.

 Work involving the use of hazardous / dangerous substances.

Essentials of Permit to work system:

 Permit Display:

 Work permits are usually made out of a triplicate copy.

 Original copy (White) will be with EHS Department

 Duplicate copy (Blue) will be with the department where the work is

being initiated.

 Triplicate copy (Pink) will be with the person doing the work.

 After completion of the work the original copy should be handed over to

EHS Department.

 On demand the person doing the work or the issuer should display their

copies of work permit and should be clearly displayed at the work site.

 No work permit is authorized without intimating EHS Department.

 Permit Suspension:

Some work activities where a permit to work system is required may be

suspended if there is a general alarm for operational reasons, and where the

7
 wrong permit to work have been issued for a different type of work, a

change in scope of work or waiting for spares (Example is using a hot work

permit to undertake a work activity in a confined space).

 Permit Interaction:

Issuer or the work place in charge should interact with the person doing the

work about the hazards and possibilities of in their work area to avoid

accidents and personal injuries. Once the pep talk is done safety in charge

should access the area and explain the way the work can be done in a safe

manner.

 Permit Authorization:

A permit to work system is fully effective only if the permits are co-ordinate

and controlled, and with a signature of the safety in charge confirming that

necessary safety precautions have been made and required personal

protective equipment taken by an issuing authority to undertake an activity

safely.

 Permit Number:

This is a unique number that may be required to be cross-referenced to any

other permit.

 Activity / Task location:

Exact location where the work activity is to be carried out.

 Work Description:

8
 The outlines of the work should be clearly mentioned in the work permit for

identifying the work and hazards involved in it.

 Plant Identification:

The area where the work is carried out should be mentioned in the work

permit.

 Control Measures:

This details what control measures need to be implemented and followed by

person in charge to ensure a safe system of work is achieved. E.g. for

electrical isolation works person who carries out isolation should sign to

acknowledge that all required precautions have been taken.

 Personal Protective Equipment:

All the Personal protective equipment mentioned in the permit need to be

used by the person doing the work to avoid personal injury.

 Authorization:

Signature of the safety in charge confirming that isolations have been made

and precautions taken excepts where these can only be taken during the work

activity. It should specify the date, time and duration of the permit to work

system.

 Acceptance:

Signature of person in charge of the plant acknowledging understanding of

the work task to be carried out, limitations on whom may do the work,

9
 hazards involved precautions to be taken and explanation of works by the

authorized person.

 Work permit validity:

Work permit is only valid on the issued date from 09:00 – 17:30 hrs. If there

is any urgency in the work the permit can be extended if all the safety

predations remain the same and have no other hazards present.

 Permit Hand back:

The hand-back procedure should confirm whether works for which the

permit was issued have been completed, stopped or suspended and needs

confirmation from the permit authorizer. All plant or equipment used in

undertaking the task must be returned safe, and any isolation removed and

verified by the person in charge, after the checklist has been completed the

permit should be hand-back to EHS department.

 Retention of Permit records:

Permits to work certificates and risk assessments for work activities are

subject to

audits, and should be retained by authorized person for a period of 4 years to

enable effective monitoring and audit process.

 Permit to work certificate and risk assessment should be retained at the

site for at least 30 days after completion of works.

10
  Permit to work and risk assessment should be retained by the EHS

department for a period of 4 years after they are issued, cancelled or

superseded by the permit authorizer.

Work Planning and Risk Assessment for Permit to Work Systems:

Engineering Department planning for maintenance work involving a permit to

work system need to identify any significant hazard, competency and training

where required to carry out work activity, and also to ensure that risk

assessments are completed and control measures implemented.

 Monitoring of work permits:

Permit to work methods should be monitored by supervisors to ensure

compliance with step by step work activity instructions and control

measures. Monitoring records should be kept on site, and reviewed during

permit to work audits. Plant head should be alerted immediately if any non-

conformance is identified during monitoring or auditing of the permit

system. Work permit is only valid for one day. Even the same work is

performed the work permit need to be changed for the next day.

The following are the steps to safe work using a permit to work

11
The permit to work helps to reduce the risk of safety incidents by ensuring the

people involved are aware of the specific hazards, take the necessary

precautions and are competent for the work. It also ensures that

communication takes place between production and maintenance teams

throughout the job from planning, preparation, job execution to hand over and

restoring the plant to normal operations.

Each of the 9 steps are described below. They each start with the letter ‘P’ to make it easy to
remember.

Step 1: Prevent

“Prevention is better than cure”. All dangerous work should be reduced or

12
eliminated as far as possible. The principle here is to avoid and not necessarily

expose people to harm in the first place.

Prevention is achieved by good design in three key areas –

equipment, process and work:

a. Good equipment design

The plant should be designed that people are separated from hazardous

situations as far as possible, and to make sure the plant is inherently safe.

Good equipment design can be accomplished through four techniques as

described by Kletz in his book on inherent safe design:

The four techniques are:

Minimise – reducing the amount or quantity of hazardous materials

Substitute – replace hazardous materials with less hazardous materials

Moderate – limit the strength of the hazardous material by for example using
cold dilute liquid to clean rather than hot concentrated liquids

Simplify – remove complexity in the design to limit equipment interactions and

associated systems as far as possible

b. Good process design

The process should be designed to be as inherently safe as possible. The same

principles as for equipment design will apply here – i.e. minimize, substitute,

moderate and simplify. Design techniques like Hazard and Operability studies

(HAZOP) help ensure that the process is inherently safe.

c. Good work design

Work in hazardous environments must also be designed in a way that reduces

or eliminates safety related risk. This means that careful planning and

13
consideration of alternatives is required for every job. Good work design

should address the right tools, the right procedures, skills and so on. Proper

upfront planning always improves the quality of the work done, a job poorly

done will involve rework and could even introduce more safety risk.

Step 2: Plan

Before launching in and initiating a permit it is very important

to plan maintenance work ahead of time. Each job is different and may expose

people to a unique combination of hazards and dangerous conditions in the

field. Planning is proactive in nature and is an opportunity to foresee and avoid

unnecessary risk.

Good planning involves careful scheduling of work in advance. A good

planned maintenance system such as SAP or OptiRUN inherently allows for

this. When breakdowns occur and emergency maintenance is required, it is

still important to pause to plan; i.e. stop and think before acting.

Planning involves identifying the work to be done, the process/equipment

affected, any spares required, what tools are required and whether any special

skills will be needed. It also involves ensuring that all supporting safety

equipment such as personal protective equipment, test equipmentand so on is

available.

Step 3: Prepare

Once the work has been planned and it is time to commence work, the work site

14
will need to be prepared.

Preparation at the work site is done ahead of time (for example during the night

shift) and might involve shutting down the process, cleaning out the process

equipment, draining and purging, installing isolations where required and

making the work site safe.

Often this preparation is done by process operators – but this is not always the

case. Preparation work could also take a long time and involve several shifts –

so communication between shifts is very important.

Preparation usually also involves a site inspection to confirm exactly what

needs to be done. It is also a good idea fo planners to check the maintenance

system for other pending work orders in the same area so that maximum

advantage is taken of the shut down window.

Step 4: Permit

The permit will be created (initiated) from the work order or job card. A

system like IntelliPERMIT allows for certain permit information to be recorded

several days in advance of the actual work taking place with the final

information recorded at the time work is actually about to start.

Many industrial sites have a central permit office where permits are prepared,

reviewed and authorized by operations and maintenance representatives.

The person responsible for the authorization of the permit (the authorizer) signs

the permit, together with the person responsible for work in the field (the

15
acceptor). The permit will also record the names and signatures of the work

crew who will go out into the plant.

If the same job has been done previously, or the job falls in a special category

of work such as confined space entry, special templates can be used to

streamline the creation of a permit and improve the integrity of the procedure.

These templates are designed in advance to cater for specific hazardous jobs.

They incorporate specific business “rules” that always have to be followed.

This ability to easily create a permit from a template is where an electronic

system like IntelliPERMIT can be particularly useful in speeding up the

preparation and issuing of permits without compromising safety.

A well-designed permit system will ensure that the team properly considers the

hazards related to the work, together with the necessary precautions to be taken.

Step 5: Precaution

During the creation of the permit the specific job hazards are identified and

the precautions needed for safe work are also identified. Precautions could

for example be special procedures to be followed, specific tools, isolations, any

additional roles such as a spotter for confined space work, isolations, special

PPE and so on.

The management of isolations is a separate topic and covered in detail

separately. It is however very important that the permit process incorporates

isolation management as an integral part of the process. Isolations are usually

managed with a system of locks and keys and these need to be carefully

16
controlled.

Step 6: Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

A special class of precaution is the use of personal protective

equipment (PPE). Standard PPE such as safety boots and hard hat will most

likely be required for all work on the plant and will be specified in site policy /

procedures. This and any additional PPE for the job will be specified on the

permit as required.

PPE needs to be appropriate for the job and in good condition. Over-specifying

PPE can sometimes introduce additional risk, so the PPE requirement needs to

be carefully considered by someone experienced in the work to be done. For

example leather gloves are prescribed to protect against heat or sharp edges.

But these gloves can impair a technicians ability to do fine mechanical work

requiring dexterity. The result is that either the technician attempts the job with

gloves on and does not do a good repair, or ignores the requirement, takes the

gloves off and violates the permit rules. Here judgement and experience is

important to ensure that the PPE requirements are actually practical and

contribute to safety and do not detract from it.

Step 7: Proceed

17
This step involves issuing the permit and commencing the work in the field.

In order to become a binding “contract” the permit needs to be formally issued

and accepted by the respective parties. The permit will at this stage have all

vital information including inter-alia the work to be done, the hazards identified,

the precautions to be taken (including PPE) and the members of the team who

will do the work with their skills/competencies checked.

Having a physical document in the form of a printed certificate is important so

that people in the field without access to a computer are in possession of the

necessary information. A physical document also makes it possible for a safety

representative to independently verify that all work in the field is being done

according to the permit requirements.

Depending on the nature of the process and the site conditions it will sometimes

be necessary to also perform a job risk assessment (“JRA”) at the work site.

The JRA is a structured methodology that considers the steps needed to

complete the job and any specific hazards, risks and controls needed to work

safely. The JRA and the permit work together to ensure that work is set up and

proceeds safely – the permit controls the overall process whereas the JRA

controls the specific tasks performed at the site.

During the work it is necessary to monitor activities to ensure that the

precautions identified in the permit are adhered to and that nothing changes at

the work site or in adjacent areas that might impact on the safety of the people

in the field.

When the work is completed it is important to inspect the work done and test

18
the repairs before re-energising the system. Each of these steps must be

controlled with the permit – in some cases a temporary “test permit” may be

needed for briefly energising equipment to run local tests before finally

restoring the plant back to normal.

Step 8: Pack-up

After work is completed the site must be restored and all tools and temporary

equipment packed-up. In consultation with plant operations individual

isolations are systematically removed and the section of plant is then

recommissioned and put back into service.

The hand over is governed by the permit procedure and involves transfer of

responsibility from the maintenance function back to normal operations.

The permit is then finally signed off and the team is able to then work on a new

job. Certain controls can be implemented at this stage, for example contractors

might not be able to leave site until the site is cleared, all equipment is packed

up and the permit is signed off.

Step 9: Process

The final step takes place once all work is complete and involves auditing,

reviewing and processing the information from the permit system.

Having signed off the permit the immediate job might be complete, but this is

19
not the end of the story. An important step in a well-designed safety

management system is to analyse the information from past permits to identify

trends and weaknesses in safety procedures. It is also important to incorporate

lessons learnt into procedures going forward. This forms part of a “safety

management system” which is the subject of a separate article.

This auditing process systematically reviews the work done, any safety

concerns, any recurring problems and so on.

This regular audit of permits is an invaluable function and can result in new

procedures, specific training interventions, improved business “rules” in the

permit system and a more effective maintenance process.

Common Types of work permits are issued :

 Height Work Permit

 Hot Work Permit

 Vessel Entry Work Permit

 Electrical Isolation Work Permit

 Major equipment movement/lifting work permit

 Mobile tanker loading/unloading work permit

 Excavation Work Permit

20
 Height Work Permit
Falls from height are the biggest cause of workplace death in the pharmaceutical

industries and one of the main causes of major injuries.

Work at Height is work in any place, including a place at, above or below

ground level where a person could be injured if they fell from that place. This

can also include means of access and egress to a place of work. The legislation

no longer specifies a minimum height, ‘the 2m rule’. For example, work on the

roof of a building, experimental hutch, Port cabin or other raised platform that

does not have edge protection. The majorities of external building roofs are

under the control of site Estate teams and have edge protection.

Checklist that need to be checked before issuing work permit:

 Are the required PPE used by the person doing the work?

 Is the work provided with safe platform / scaffoldings to access the work at

height?

 The work area is clear and safe from overhead electrical lines.

 No person is allowed to work below and the area is barricaded/caution

boards are provided.

 Condition of ladder is good and a person should hold and stabilize ladder

 The work area is well illuminated

 Proper supervision is available during the work

 Openings at the place of work are covered/ fenced

21
 Condition of the safety belt/fall arrestor to be ensured

 Safety belt lifetime anchoring to rigid structure is to be ensured

 If there is no base/platform for accessing at height make sure of provisions

of lifelines with fall arresting for both vertical and horizontal moment

 Ensure if permanent/temporary anchoring is available for the safe working

load at the heights.

 Ensure safety net is to be properly tied

 Pep talk to be organized

Accidents that take place when working at heights:

 Slipping and falling

 Failure of platform/scaffolding, ladder

 Fall of equipments/tools/materials from heights.

Precautions that need to be taken when working at heights:

 Proper checking, use of ladders, platform, scaffolding etc.

 Use of PPE’s like safety belts, helmets to be used by the person working

and heights and the person below working.

Note: When work is performed at height the person should use the safety

belt and the safety harness should be tied at the top to avoid the slippage.

22
Usage of Safety Belt:

23
Examples of working at heights:

Safe procedure for working at heights:

Unsafe procedure for working at heights:

24
 Hot Work Permits
What is hot work?

Hot work is described as the cutting and welding operations for the

construction/demolition activities that involve the use of the portable gas or arc

welding equipment, or involve the soldering, grinding, or any other similar

activities producing the spark, flame, or the heat.

The Hot work is usually taken to apply to the operation that could include the

application of the heat or the ignition sources to tanks, vessels, the pipelines etc

which may contain or have the contained flammable vapor, or in areas where

the flammable atmospheres may be present.

25
The Hot work permits, typically colored red or the red-edged, are more

generally applied to any type of the work which includes the actual or the

potential sources of the ignition and which is done in an area where there may

be the risk of the fire or explosion, or which includes the emission of the toxic

fumes from the application of the heat.

They are normally used for any welding or flame cutting, for the use of any

tools which may produce the sparks and for the use of any electrical equipment

which is not intrinsically safe or of the suitably protected type. Some sites or

the installations distinguish between the high energy sources of the ignition like

the naked flames, welding and the spark-producing the grinding wheels, which

are virtually certain to ignite the flammable atmospheres, and the low energy

sources like the hand tools and non-sparking portable electrical equipment,

which are likely to cause the ignition only if there is the fault.

In some cases, to differentiate between these tasks, fire and the naked flame

certificates or the electrical certificates have been used, to minimize the risk of

the electric shock to people carrying out any work on the electrical equipment.

When is hot work permit necessary?

Hot Work Permits are needed for all cutting, welding, soldering and brazing

activities in hazardous areas that are conducted with portable gas, arc equipment

or any means of spark producing works which may lead to fire accidents.

Where is the hot work permit necessary?

26
The Hot work permits are needed for each building where the hot work will be

Performed (utility tunnels are considered to be separate buildings). For

Example, if one contractor is performing the work at the several different

buildings for one project, a permit is necessary for each building.

Who needs hot work permit?

Hot work permits are needed for each and every contractor or sub-

contractor/trade performing the hot work for a project. For example, if there are

the three different sub-contractors/trades performing the hot work on one

project, each sub-contractor/trade is liable for obtaining the permit for their own
work.

Checklist that need to be checked before issuing work permit:

 Are the required PPE used by the person doing the work?

 Area/Equipment should be clean

 Area around 10 mts. should be free from flammable and toxic material.

Specify the LEL (lower Explosive Limit) using a muti-gas detector.

 The equipment/pipe line is isolated from all other process equipments.

 The equipment/piping is depressurized.

 Equipment was disconnected from the electrical lines and tagged

 Proper platform/scaffolding is provided to access the work.

 Proper ventilation, lighting is available.

27
 Fire extinguishers kept nearby. Placing of fire extinguishers should depent

on the type of work like Dry Chemical Powder (DCP), Mechanical Foam,

Carbon Dioxide (CO2)

 Fire hydrant hose is kept nearby

 If the work is at height

 Welding return cable is connected to the body of the equipment only.

Grounding of portable equipment to be ensured. Cables are to be well

insulated?

 Gas cylinders are kept away from the work area, properly tied with gas

cylinder trolly and gas tubes were in good working condition?

 The area was cordoned off?

 Pep talk to be organized?

Accidents that take place while performing hot works:

 Due to presence of flammable material fire may take place if there is no

proper supervisation or proper inspection.

Precautions that need to be taken in Hot work Permit:

 There should be no flammable materials or flammable solvents around 10

mts radius where the work is carried out.

 Suitable fire extinguisher need to be placed at the area of work to extinguish

the fire in case of any occurrence of fire.

28
 Monitoring of LEL (Lower explosive limit) is must.

 PPE’s are very important in hot work permits to avoid body injuries.

 Equipment of the area should be tested to determine the explosion

range.(By multi-gas detector)

 Equipment of the area should be tested to determine the explosion

range.(By multi-gas detector)

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 Cold Work Permit
The Cold work permits, typically blue-edged or the colored blue, are usually

used to cover the variety of the potentially hazardous activities which are not of

the type covered by the hot work permit.

The activities for which the cold work permit may be relevant will vary from

the site to site but should be clearly defined.

A cold work permit is required for the potentially hazardous work not covered

by the other types of the work permits. Some examples include:

 Chemical cleaning or the use of solvents.

 Handling of the hazardous substances (e.g., toxic/corrosive chemicals,

asbestos, etc.)

 The Use of resins typically used during the blade repairs,

 Any painting activity,

 Heavy lifts (refer to Crane/Lifting procedure for definition),

 Erecting or the dismantling scaffolds,

 Any non-routine and the potentially hazardous activity,

 Any activity requiring the specific control measures to the confirm safety.

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 Vessel Entry Work Permit
Before knowing about vessel entry work permit one should know about what is

confined space entry.

What is confined space entry?

Generally speaking confined space is an enclosed or partially enclosed space

that:

 Is not primarily designated or intended for human occupancy

 Has a restricted entrance or exit by way of location, size or means

 Can represent a risk for the health and safety of anyone who enters due to

one or more of the following factors:

 Its design, construction, location or atmosphere

 The materials or substances in it

 Work activities being carried out on it, or the

 Mechanical, process and safety hazards present

Confined spaces can be below or above ground. Confined spaces can be found

in almost any workplace. A confined space, despite its name, is not necessarily

small. Examples of confined spaces include silos, vats, hoppers, utility vaults,

tanks, sewers, pipes, access shafts, truck or rail tank cars, aircraft wings, boilers,

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manholes, manure pits and storage bins. Ditches and trenches may also be a

confined space when access or egress is limited.

Examples of confined space:

In a

pharmaceutical industry vessel entry is a form of confined space entry.

All the solvent tanks and the reactors are listed in the equipments that need

vessel entry or the confined space entry for maintenance works to take place.

A vessel entry is issued to a person who is entering into a confined space.

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The hazards may be presence of toxic/inflammable vapors or gases which may

result in lack of oxygen.

Checklist that need to be checked before issuing Vessel entry work permit:

 Personal protective equipment that need to used by the person going into a

confined space:

 Full suit to avoid contact with chemicals inside the reactor or the vessel.

 Air mask or SCBA need to be provided to the person for deficiency of

oxygen.

 Safety Belt

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  Rope ladder

 Vessel / equipment should be clean and free from pungent order

 Equipment electrically isolated or locked

 Cleared the area from flammable and explosive materials?

 Disconnect all the utility connections from the vessel?

 Equipment properly ventilated and adequately illuminated?

 Vent / Manholes / Bottom valve are kept open?

 Inside vessel temperature is at room temperature?

 Precautionary boards / tags displayed?

 Drive belts are to be removed/coupling are to be disconnected

 Pep talk to be organized

 If hot work is involved in the confined space, separate hot work permit need

to be taken?

Accidents that take place while performing vessel entry:

 Death of employees in case of less amount of oxygen.

Precautions that need to taken in vessel entry or confined space entry:

 Isolate the reactor from electricity.

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 Check for flammable gases with (multi gas detector) and oxygen

percentage.

 Range of oxygen in vessel should be between 19.5 - 20.9

 Remove the wheel belts of the reactor.

 Always use safety belts when confined space entry is performed.

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 Electrical Work Permit
An electrical permit-to-work is primarily the statement that the circuit or the

item of the equipment is safe to work on. A permit should not be issued on the

equipment that is live.

A permit applied any time work is to be the performed on or the near electrical

equipment that is in an energized state. Maybe the subset of the Permit to Work

system but must include the additional safety requirements and the approvals.

Electrical Safe Work Practice, Annex H: Energized Electrical Work Permit

Form for a sample of the Energized Electrical Specialized Work Permit and a

description of the minimum requirements for this permit.

What is an electrical permit?

An EEWP (Energized Electrical Work Permit) is the document that clearly

describes the following:

 The circuit, the equipment, and the location of the job/task at hand.
 The work that is to be done.
 Justification of why the circuit or the equipment cannot be de-energized
or the work deferred until the next scheduled outage .

The EEWP document should also include the section for the Electrically

Qualified Person to assess the task at the hand and determine if the job can be

done safely. In order to do this he or she must be able to provide the following

information:

 A detailed job description procedure to be used when performing the

job/task at the hand.
 A description of the safe work practices to be employed.
 Results of the Arc Flash Hazard Analysis and the Shock Hazard Analysis.
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  Shock Protection Boundaries.
 Necessary personal protective equipment to safely perform the assigned
task.
 Means employed to the restrict the access of unqualified persons from the
work area.
 Evidence of the completion of the Job Briefing including the discussion
of any job-related hazards.

The document shall include the signatures (and dates) of the following
personnel:

 Electrically Qualified Person performing the job/task at hand

 Manufacturing Manager
 Safety Manager
 General Manager
 Maintenance or Engineering Manager
 Electrically Knowledgeable Person
 Equipment Disjointing Certificate/Breaking Containment Permit

This type of the certificate is used for any operation that involves the

disconnecting equipment or the pipework that contains (or has contained) any

hazardous or the high-pressure fluids or other substances. This type of the

certificate will normally be used for the insertion of the spades into pipework,

and for the removal of such spades. These permits are typically black-edged.

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Checklist that need to be checked before issuing Electrical isolation work

permit:

 Electrical rubber hand gloves should be used for isolating of electrical

department.

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 Equipment/Area isolated by opening MCCB/ACB/SFU?

 VCB/AB Switch is isolated and locked?

 Concerned fuses were removed?

 All possible back feeding supplies are disconnected?

 Line/Equipment earthed?

 Line/Equipment/ area barricaded?

 Danger boards / Safety tags displayed?

 Rubber mat provided?

 Electrical Hand gloves inspected?

 Proper lighting & Ventilation provided?

 Line/Equipment is to be properly earthed?

 Portable tools are to be inspected?

 Production authorities are to be informed?

 Pep talk to be organized?

Accidents that take place in when electrical isolation is done:

 Electrocution

 Short Circuit

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 Major Equipment movement/lifting
work permit
Major equipment lifting/movement work permits are issued when moving

heavy equipments such as tanks, vessel, reactors etc using cranes.

Checklist that need to be checked before issuing major equipment

movement/lifting work permit:

In this permit both the load and the crane and some other parameters need to be

inspected visually before issuing the permit.

Check points for crane:

 Was a pre-lift operation meeting held?

 Is the crane inspected yearly?

 Has the daily visual inspection been completed?

 Maximum allowable weight lifting details are available?

 Are safety devices installed? e.g.: vehicle sparkler arrestor

 Has the ground stability been assessed, and is the ground stability adequate

for the lift?

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Check points for Shackles, Webbings, Slings, Ropes, and Hooks:

 Has the shackles/ slings/ webbings/ ropes/ hooks been inspected?

 Are the shackles/ slings/webbings/ropes/hooks attached to the pole at the

proper angle?

Check Points for Load:

 Does the load having the lifting lugs and pad eyes?

 Has the lifting lugs and pad eyes been inspected for cracks and integrity?

Critical lift assessment:

Are power line, cable wires has no risk from crane booms (min 1.2 times the

boom radius clearance to be available)

Safety Parameters:

 Has precautions been taken to keep the personal out of the area?

 During movement, the major equipment swing control to be done with the

rope. Person should hold the rope with minimum distance of 3 meters away

from equipment.

 Has the area of the lifting operation been protected using barricades, tapes

and/or spotters?

 If people are working at height, has a risk assessment been done and correct

PPE sources?

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 Is crane is in control with security guard during lifting/ movement operation

in the premises

Diagram Rigging Practice

Hook should be inspected properly

Pad eyes should be inspected properly

Lifting lugs should be inspected properly.

For rigging configurations with two legged slings, the

included angle should not exceed 900and the slings must sit
in the base of the hook and clear of the latch to prevent
fouling of the latch

Good load control starts with rigging to the centre of

gravity directly below the hook

Collector rings such as shackles or mast links should be

used when the included angle exceeds 900 but is less that
1200

Persons who hold the ropes for swing control of equipment

must be in a distance so that they are visible to crane
operator

Persons who hold the ropes for swing control of equipment

must be wear reflective jackets

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 Mobile tanker loading and unloading
work permit
As a pharmaceutical industry requires large quantities of chemicals for the

process.

Some may be flammable, corrosive, hydroscopic etc.

All the chemicls will be stored in underground solvent yard and some corrosive

or acids will be stored above the ground level in chemcials storage tanks.

All these chemicals will be loaded into the tanks by pumping process.

So, if any negligence or unskilled person gets involved into these process

serious accidents might take place with leads to accidents.

So many safety precautions need to taken for a safe process to take place.

Checklist that need to be taken when issuing mobile tanker work permit:

 All the required PPE need to be used by the works attending the job.

 Vehicle entry checks need to be done at the security

 Tanker engine is switched off., Applied hand brakes and keys removed

 Wedges / Stoppers provided for tanker wheels

 The driver is available near the tanker.

 Ensured storage tank, Pump body and Motor earthings and jumpers are in

place

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 Tanker earthing provided (Note: Remove paint coating before putting

earthing clips).

 Pump – Tanker earthing connectivity is available

 Earth rod made available for Carboy/ Drum (if unloaded to carboy/ drum).

 Conductive hose only to be connected between tanker and transfer pump

 Fire extinguishers are ready for use in case of emergency.

 Ensure nearby Eye & Body shower is in working condition.

 Ensured the Blow leg provision for storage tank.

 Is tanker Manhole connected to breather valve?

Accidents that take place while performing Mobile tanker loading and

unloading work permit:

 Spillage of solvents when unloading or loading

 Fire may take place if static electricity is not discharge continuously from

tanker body or tank.

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 Excavation Work Permit
In industries any work with insufficient knowledge can create a hazard. Many

work related process pipelines, gas lines, electrical cables, phone cables are

under the ground.

In this process when a work is need to be done below the ground the person

need to take an excavation work permit to access the area to make sure that the

work is safe to perform by taking the considerations form the concerned

departments like electrical department for the cable laying below the ground.

Checklist that need to be taken when issuing Excavation Work Permit:

 Work place inspected and found to safe to work

 Underground pipe lines isolated

 Clearance taken for road cutting from concerned dept.

 Presence of underground cables are verified and de-energized

 Area barricading/Caution boards display to be ensured

 Preventive action for collapse of soil heaps etc. to be ensured

 Precaution against road traffic is taken

 Excavation hand tools like crowbars being used are to be insulated

 Pep talk to be organized

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Responsibilities in issuing work permits:

The assessment of risks and the control of works requiring a permit to work

system is the responsibility of

Issuer for understanding the work and accessing the risks involved in their

respective area

Receiver need to performing the work in a safe manner with taking the

precaution in personal safety and equipment safety.

Authorized Peron/Safety in charge need to inspect the area and evaluate the

possible hazards and explain the receiver the safe procedure to perform the

work and the personal protective equipment need to be used by the person to

avoid injuries.

Plant Head need to be intimated about the work that is performed in the factory

premises.

In many cases the Plant manager may require the assistance of competent

persons, which may include staff working with the process, or a nominated

person in charge, to supply details to complete the activity safely.

The use of such assistance does not absolve the plant head from their

responsibilities for health and safety at work.

It will however, enable the Line Manager to demonstrate that their duties have

been discharged adequately.

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The Management of health and Safety at Work Regulation 1999 specifies duties

under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, which relate to the control of

work activity and risk assessment establishes a clear hierarchy of measures

Responsibilities include:

 Ensuring appropriate permit to work systems are introduced and

implemented where required;

 Ensuring a permit to work is completed correctly and passed to the relevant

authorized person;

 Ensuring a competent person is appointed to be the person in charge of the

work task;

 Making sure appropriate procedures are established and maintained for all

work tasks completed under the permit to work system;

 Co-coordinating with the authorized person to monitored the progress of the

activity for effective and correct use of the permit to work;

 Ensuring the permit to work system is audited and reviewed;

 Ensuring copies of the permits, or records of their issue are kept for a period

of 4years to enable auditing or incident investigation;

 Making sure contractors working within the permit system have sufficient

knowledge and competence to carry out their duties;

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 Ensuring appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) are used and

stored correctly;

 Making sure there is adequate heating and lighting etc.

 Ensuring upon completion of works, the supervisor return the completed

permit, and signed off by the authorized person.

Training on Permit to Work System:

 Effective training and competence of workers involved in a permit to work

system are essential in achieving a safe system of work.

 This provides the backbone for effective implementation of the permit to

work system.

 The EHS representative is responsible for ensuring that personnel to be

actively involved in the permit to work system have received training and

understand the working environment, associated hazards and the control

measures required to manage the risks presented by hazards from the work to

be done.

 Competence should also be determined by assessing the personnel involved

against the work activities being carried out for the purposes of health and

safety.

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