Permit to Work PTW System General Requirements and Improvement Plan

This document is prepared to provide a clear explanation about PTW issuance and to exemplify the PTW required activities at a construction or any other kind of project, the process involves detailed risk assessments on site activities conducted by main contractor in coordination with its subcontractors.

Permit to work system is very important tool for implementing the safe working practices and essential to task risk assessment.

PTW’s or permits to work are not simply permission to carry out a dangerous job; they are part of a system which determines how that job can be carried out safely, and help communicate these safe working practices to those doing the job.

They should not be simply regarded as easy ways to eliminate hazards or reduce risk.

When a task is identified, an appraisal called a JHA (Job Hazard Analysis) should be carried out to identify the nature of the task and its associated hazards.

Next, via the JHA and development of the work method statement, the risks associated with the task should be identified together with the necessary control measures to mitigate the risk.

The extent of the controls, including whether PTWs are required, will depend on the level of residual risk associated with the task.

According to the local legal requirements, permit to work should be considered whenever work is planned, which may adversely affect the safety of personnel, plant, or the environment.

However, permit to work PTW system should not be applied to all activities, as experience has shown that their overall effectiveness may be weakened. For example, permits to work are not normally required for controlling general visitors to site or maintenance tasks in non hazardous areas.

PTWs are normally considered most appropriate for:

• Non-production work;

• Non-routine operation;

• High risk activities;

• Where two or more individuals or groups need to co-ordinate activities;

• Where there is a transfer of work and responsibilities from one group to another; and

• Hot work, confined space, electrical work, excavation, pressure testing, and working at heights.

Above examples of hazardous activities are to be controlled by PTWs. However, these are not exclusive.

Entities are required to assess their work through risk assessment and implement PTWs based on the residual risk identified by the job hazard analysis JHA.

Status Review

When PTW is required as per requirements?

• Any activities, which are considered to carry high residual risk as a result of performance of a JHA, shall be controlled by PTWs.
• Moderate residual risk activities may require close supervision or additional control measures such as PTWs
• Low residual risk activities can be performed in compliance with JHA requirements without utilizing PTWs.

Current Practices

Any activities, which are asked to use PTW even after performance of a JHA, shall be controlled by PTWs, whether the residual risk is moderate or not.

Decision on whether to use PTW is made by working party or subcontractors themselves, thus, making different control measures applied to the same work with same practical risks.

PTW Improvement Plan

After risk assessment, some activities may contain only moderate residual risks. Nevertheless, PTWs are still required to control the residual risks because the consequence or effectiveness of incidents can be serious.

For example, a fire can break out due to hot-work activities.

On the contrary, apathy can result from too many PTWs at site.

We must be rational in our approach to PTWs by ensuring the existing risk assessments and JHAs are adequate for determining the level of risks to be targeted in PTW system.

Principle of PTW

Residual Risk	Required PTW (Y/N)	Additional Requirements
High	Yes	Mandatory requirement of PTW
Moderate	Yes or No (depends on additional control measures	No required PTW when any additional control measure can cover PTW’s control measures such as a checklist. Refer below table
Low	No	Activities can be carried out without PTW

Table of PTW required Activities

Item No:	Type of Permit	Activities	Permit Required Permits
			Permit Required (Yes/No)	Additional Controls
1	Cold Works	Lifting	No	Lifting plan(above 15tons), lifting checklist(below 15tons), approved JHA & WMS and valid TPC
		Any activities performed inside shops and in workshop areas	No	Approved JHA & WMS
		Erection and dismantling of scaffoldings or mobile scaffolds	Yes	Approved JHA & WMS and certified scaffolding inspectors
		Concrete pouring at the ground level (raft/mats or shallow footing)	No	Approved JHA & WMS
		Concrete pouring at height	Yes	Approved JHA & WMS
		Installation of formworks above  the ground level	Yes	Approved JHA & WMS
		Formwork and rebar placement at the ground level	No	Approved JHA & WMS
		Maintenance  and repair of facilities and general fixtures (e.g. replacement of lighting such as bulb/lamp, and plumbing work and other related work)	No	Approved JHA & WMS
		Delivery of materials /Loading and unloading work using forklift	No	Approved JHA & WMS and certified operators
		Usage of overhead cranes in the construction/ workshop area	No	Approved JHA & WMS, certified equipment and operators
		Masonry and carpentry works using hand tools	No	Approved JHA & WMS
		Back filling ,ground compaction	No	Approved JHA & WMS
		Steel erection	Yes	Approved JHA & WMS
		Housekeeping activity	No	Approved JHA & WMS
		Working on vertical formworks and the upper floor of structures	Yes	Approved JHA & WMS
		Hydro testing and air blowing	Yes	Approved JHA & WMS
		Working on pressurized system/ flammable material containers	Yes	Approved JHA & WMS
		Any activities using chemical agents of hazardous properties.	Yes	Approved JHA & WMS and MSDS
		Rebar installation	Yes	Approved JHA & WMS and competent rebar workers
2	Hot Works	Cutting, grinding and welding with high risks and potential fire hazards	Yes	Approved JHA & WMS
		Use of gas cutting set/welding machine	Yes	Approved JHA & WMS
		Use of machine powdered actuated tools	Yes	Approved JHA & WMS and competent operator
		Usage of ionizing or radioactive source	Yes	Approved JHA & WMS
		In shops and workshop areas	No	Approved JHA & WMS
		Non-open flame works (e.g drilling, cutting, grinding in an open space with no combustible and flammable materials)	No	Approved JHA & WMS
		Water proofing work using butane gas and hot air gun	No	Approved JHA & WMS
3	Associated permit – Working at height	Any activities requiring work on an elevated platform and at a height of 1.8 meters above the ground, where there is a risk of falling	Yes	Approved JHA & WMS, trained workers and proper PPE
		Building where fixed guardrails, toe boards or other edges protection are in place No	No	Approved JHA & WMS, trained workers and proper PPE
		Fully Completed scaffolding structures  (green tagged)	No	Approved JHA & WMS, trained workers and proper PPE
4	Associated permit Confined Space	Entry of personnel to any vessel, tank, underground structure or room, sewer, manhole, tunnel, deep and narrow excavation, silo and pipe (more than 24’’ in diameter).	Yes	Approved JHA & WMS, gas testing and trained stand by hole watchers.
		Wide excavated area with good ventilation	No	Approved JHA & WMS
5	Associated permit Electrical Work	Power energization of facility or equipment	Yes	Approved JHA & WMS and LOTO system
		Maintenance activity for any live electrical system	Yes	Approved JHA & WMS and LOTO system
		Working on not energized equipment (e.g. setting up of temporary panel, cable pulling of small size or light work electrical inside building /room)	No	Approved JHA & WMS
6	Associated permit Excavation	Excavation work of less than 1 foot in depth where an unknown supply line might reasonably be expected	Yes	Approved JHA & WMS, barricade, reviewing approved drawing and ground survey by appropriate personnel.
7	Associated permit – Radiography	All radiograph test for welding joints (NDT)	Yes	Approved JHA & WMS, competent personnel, and barricade