Establishing a Permit to Work System

摘要

Every organisation has a statutory duty, under Section 2 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 to ensure that a safe system of work exists in the working environment. For certain high-risk categories, this could result in establishing a Permit to Work system. A safe system of work in a 'low risk' situation may consist of simple verbal instructions. When the level of risk increases, it is usually necessary to provide a written procedure. Some industries refer to this as safe operating instructions. Some 'one off' operations that have an appreciable risk factor may have a specific method statement created for the operation. However, when 'high risk' is assessed, such as working in confined spaces, the system of work has to be closely controlled and this is where a formal Permit to Work system has to be introduced.