Templates / Permit to Work
Permit to Work
A general permit-to-work form for high-risk tasks, with authorisation, isolation, precautions and hand-back sections.
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A general permit-to-work template for high-risk tasks.
About this template
The Permit to Work is designed to be quick to complete and easy to adapt to your own workplace. Start from the template rather than a blank page, tailor the hazards, controls and responsibilities to your site, and keep a completed copy on file as evidence that the right checks were made.
How it links to the standards
Where this template names protective equipment or a control measure, the equipment itself is governed by a published standard that defines what it must withstand and how it is tested. The full EN standards library covers each one in plain language so you can confirm you are specifying the right level of protection.
Related guidance
Filling the template in is easier when you know the reasoning behind each control. These notes cover the practical detail:
- Tips and Tricks — the full technique-note library for this kind of work
- Hot Work Permits and Fire Watch
- Confined Space Entry: The Permit Sequence, Step by Step
- Electrical Permits to Work: What They Need to Specify
Hand-back confirms the task is complete and the area returned to a safe state.
Related guidance
The technique notes behind this document, from Machinery & Manufacturing:
- Locking off every energy source
- Stored energy after isolation
- Maintenance, setting and the guards that come off
Frequently asked questions
What does the Permit to Work template cover?
A general permit for high-risk tasks, with authorisation, isolation, precautions and hand-back sections.
Why does a permit to work need a formal hand-back section?
Hand-back confirms the task is complete and the area or equipment has been returned to a safe state, closing the loop that was opened when the permit was authorised.
Who should authorise a permit to work?
Someone with the authority and competence to confirm the isolation and precautions in place are adequate for the specific task being permitted.
Can this general permit be used for confined space or hot work specifically?
Those higher-risk activities have their own dedicated permits – the Confined Space Entry Permit and the Hot Work Permit – which capture hazard-specific requirements this general template does not.