No Tags Found!

Dear Abhay

Nice thread. As mentioned your point no 1 is cleared.

For point no 2 - It is mentioned in Factory Rules of the state. In Gujarat Factory Rules it is mentioned in schedule XIX para 20. Further it is also mentioned in each provision. Eg. in clause 15 (Testing examination and repair of plant and equipment.—) it is mentioned in the end - "Wherever, the responsible person shall regulate the aforesaid work through a permit to work system." Similarly it is mentioned under "work in COnfined spaces" etc.

Please check YOUR state factory rules.

Other questions are well answered by the members.

Requirement of the signature will also depend on your Safety procedures.

For further information on Safety PTW reference may also be taken from OISD-105 on Work Permit System, OSHA and NFPA (NFC).

Types of permit will largely depend upon the nature of business you are into. The PTW system in small unit will differ from that of Mega units / Refineries etc.

Authorization is well explained by Dilip. We have Issuer, Receiver and Area Incharge signatures on all permits during normal work hours. During off-hours / sundays / holidays permit has to be signed by RSM (Highest officiating incharge of complex) and the permit needs to be registered with fire station prior starting of work.

Work permit IS REQUIRED for all type of work including road closure and working at height above 1.5 mts.

Standard system is the one YOU are preparing for your complex and getting the procedure approved. You may take deviation if certain thing is not applicable to you. But preparing of the SOP is required as per Factory's act.

Being the safety professional you need to keep constant vigil on all the permits and even conduct PTW audits. Even if you are not signing the permit, a copy of the permit MUST be with the HSE department, as this will be very helpful during investigation of any incident.

You will further find the answers in detail from NEBOSH study material Unit A4, which I hope Keshav can help.

For further queries you may please get in touch on 09925153646.

Best Regards

Neeraj4all

From India, Mumbai
Acknowledge(0)
Amend(0)

dipil
730

@Neeraj4all,

Thanks for the nice explanations and the participation in the thread. Your answer to question number 2 is that it's mentioned under state factory rules. Is it clearly mentioned together anywhere - like for the following jobs under certain conditions, a work permit is required? I have not found it together. For example, in the case of Confined space, it's written that a permit for work is required, working on a fragile roof, etc.

"Work permit IS REQUIRED for all types of work including road closure and working at a height above 1.5 meters." - Is this sentence from the Factory Rules?

Hope you will guide.

Regards, Dipil Kumar V

From India
Acknowledge(0)
Amend(0)

Dear Friends,

Mr. Abhay's second question is answered as below:

As per the Factories Act of 1948, where are its types and uses mentioned? Work permit is not mentioned anywhere in the Indian Factories Act. If it is deemed necessary, it will only be included in the Factory Rules. Post the Bhopal incident, a few states have already implemented the work permit system, mainly focusing on chemical accidents.

The Safety Work Permit system serves as a tool to ensure safe performance in potentially hazardous jobs. Not all tools necessary for carrying out work safely need to be explicitly stated in statutory requirements. If you can ensure the safety of workers through other means, you do not necessarily need to implement a permit system. Section 7A of the Factories Act, the General Duty Clause, indirectly states that you must ensure provisions, arrangements, instructions, training, supervision, monitoring, and all other foreseeable safety elements. Understanding the spirit of this clause will reveal that a permit system is not only the best way to ensure safety but also to provide indemnity.

Regards,

Kesava Pillai

From India, Kollam
Acknowledge(0)
Amend(0)

Normally, a Work Permit is used to ensure that all safety precautions have been taken to ensure that potentially hazardous or non-routine jobs are carried out safely. For extremely hazardous work such as confined spaces, heavy lifts, etc., a Job Safety Analysis is carried out, and the precautions listed are either included in the Work Permit or the JSA is attached to the work permit.

The other key point to remember in Work Permits is that approval signatures are not the end-all, but it is important that supervisors brief the workers on the job after the signatures have been obtained. This becomes a reminder to the workers on the precautions to be taken. Supervisors then have to monitor that the precautions are applied throughout the work process.

In my experience regarding routine jobs, I have found that Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) are used, but these are written by people in the office. Some of these cover routine hazardous work, but no permit is used. To overcome this, I normally tell participants in my training sessions that I recommend they do a JSA on the critical routine activities and convert them into SSOP (safe standard operating procedure).

The last point was to share some experiences.

Regards,

Gopi

From Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur
Acknowledge(0)
Amend(0)

Dear Dilip,

The sentence is not from Factory Rules. Keshav has correctly said that this is not mentioned in the Factory's act but in Factory rules. Please provide the factory rules applicable to you, and then I can be of little help.

As Gopinadhan has said - yes, it is the responsibility of the employer to ensure the safety of workers/employees and has given an example of best practices followed.

The system that I have maintained here is - Every work permit needs to have a TBRA (Task-based Risk Assessment) sheet attached. We believe that accidents are preventable, and risk is involved in each work. After the permit is issued - TBT (toolbox talk) is given to all the contractor staff as per TBRA, which updates the workers on the possible hazards of the work they are going to perform. After that, our officer essentially goes to all work locations to inspect and fill in SAR (Safe at Risk) checklist to ensure that the behavioral aspect of safety is ensured.

I thank all who are actively participating in this forum, especially Mr. Gopi, who has also started to give inputs for best practices - which can be incorporated into the reader's company too, making this a safer place.

From India, Mumbai
Acknowledge(0)
Amend(0)

dipil
730

Dear Neeraj,

Thank you for your comments and for sharing the good practices adopted. In our plant, we create a Safe Work Procedure (SWP) for each new job and issue it along with the required work permit to the contractors. Tool Box Talks are held regularly in each section, during which the supervisor/engineer explains the potential hazards and the preventive measures to be taken.

The Rajasthan Factory Rules apply to us. If you have a soft copy of these rules, please share them with me.

Regards,
Dipil Kumar V


From India
Acknowledge(0)
Amend(0)

Dear Friends,

Answering the 3rd question:

There are no hard and fast rules. You may create your own forms in your own style, color, shape, and as many copies as you want.

As a minimum, it must have the following contents (Parameters):

- Information on hazards
- Instructions to ensure safety
- People responsible for safety
- Proprietor's consent guaranteeing safety at the place/equipment
- Provide instructions/information to that effect
- Executors accepting that responsibility in adhering to instructions and limitations stipulated
- Provide written instructions and documentary evidence
- Making it a document of consent between the proprietor and the executor

BASIC INFORMATION

On top of permit issuer must write basic information such as Date, Duration of work, exact area or plant where work will be conducted, exact work location, work to be done, equipments to be used at the site.

A CHECKLIST SECTION

The checklist section verifies if a joint site inspection was done, how equipment must be prepared for work, what protective equipment is required, and if a fire watch or standby man is required, etc.

ADDITIONAL PRECAUTIONS

The additional precautions section is used to list precautions not included in the checklist section.

GAS TEST

In this section, the certified gas tester records his test readings using a three-in-one gas monitor where required.

SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS

Issuer's signature Receivers signature

Extending or closing details of the permit...

Regards,

Kesava Pillai

From India, Kollam
Acknowledge(0)
Amend(0)

Dear Abhay,

Regret the late reply.

Is a work permit required for the sign-off of a safety officer (if there is only one safety officer in the organization, what should be done if he is on leave)? It is a controversial question.

The permit should only be signed by the competent person. For safety, a Competent Person is one who is capable of identifying existing and predictable hazards in the surroundings or working conditions that are unsanitary, hazardous, or dangerous to employees. This person must have absolute authority, responsibility, and accountability to take prompt corrective measures to eliminate these hazards. This individual manages the affairs of the section, typically a supervisor, foreman, department head, engineer, or manager.

The safety officer, poor fellow, does he have absolute control over the affairs of the department? The answer is "NO." Therefore, he cannot issue a permit to work in an area that is not under his absolute control. However, to ensure that the Safety Officer is aware of and monitoring every permit work, he can be made a co-signatory. He can also be made responsible for endorsing any additional safety precautions, but he cannot issue a permit on his own.

For routine maintenance work, is a work permit required? Is there a sample format available? Imagine electrical workers performing routine maintenance on power lines or someone working on a conveyor in a remote corner far from controls! If absolute safety cannot be assured with normal work procedures, then "YES," even routine maintenance work requires a permit.

Who is the authorized person to sign the permit according to the standard system? Only the competent authority who has absolute authority, responsibility, and accountability at the location.

Hope this provides you with the desired clarification.

Regards,

Kesava Pillai

From India, Kollam
Acknowledge(0)
Amend(0)

Kindly find the attached OISD-105 Regards
From India, Mumbai
Attached Files (Download Requires Membership)
File Type: pdf STD-105.pdf (1.47 MB, 786 views)

Acknowledge(0)
Amend(0)

dipil
730

Hi Kesav Sir,

I was just waiting to read your answer regarding question No. 4. Thanks for the same. Now, I can also refer to your words to anyone who is insisting on the safety officer's sign in the work permit.

Hi Neeraj4all,

Thanks a lot for posting the entire standard. I hope that now, if anyone goes through this thread concerning Work Permit, there is no need to refer to anything else. Everything is here - Standard, Procedure, Training Material, FAQ, etc.

Thanks to all for the great participation and making this section lively. I look forward to the same in the future.

Regards,
Dipil Kumar V

From India
Acknowledge(0)
Amend(0)

Looking for something specific? - Join & Be Part Of Our Community and get connected with the right people who can help. Our AI-powered platform provides real-time fact-checking, peer-reviewed insights, and a vast historical knowledge base to support your search.







Contact Us Privacy Policy Disclaimer Terms Of Service

All rights reserved @ 2025 CiteHR ®

All Copyright And Trademarks in Posts Held By Respective Owners.