Permit to work
Also known as: PTW
A permit to work is a formal authorisation document for a specific high-risk task in a specific location for a defined time window. Hot work, confined-space entry, energised electrical work, working at height, excavation and isolation/lockout typically require a PTW.
Legal context
A permit-to-work system gives a layered approval before a high-risk task begins. The permit names the task, the location, the start and end times, the controls applied (isolations, atmospheric testing, fire watch, standby person), the workers authorised to do the work, the issuing authority (typically a supervisor), and the receiving authority (typically the worker in charge of the task). The permit is valid only for the conditions stated; if conditions change (gas alarm, weather, scope change) the permit is suspended and re-issued. Permits-to-work are a near-universal feature of mining, oil and gas, large industrial sites, and major contractor sites.
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Related terms
HRCW
High-Risk Construction Work is a defined list of 18 construction activities under WHS Regulation 291 that legally require a Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS) before the work can start. Examples include working at height, in confined spaces, with asbestos, on or near energised electrical installations, and demolition.
SWMS
A Safe Work Method Statement is a written document required by WHS Regulation 299 for any high-risk construction work. It identifies the work, the hazards, the controls (in hierarchy-of-control order), the residual risks, and the person responsible. The principal contractor must keep it for the life of the project.
Hierarchy of control
The hierarchy of control is the rank-ordered preference for risk treatment: eliminate the hazard, then substitute, then isolate, then engineer, then administer, then PPE as a last resort. Higher controls reduce risk more reliably than lower controls because they do not depend on people behaving correctly under stress.
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