Quality – What is a hot works permit
What needs to be in your hot works permit form?
The requirements for performing hot works
'Hot works' are processes and tasks which involve brazing, welding, grinding, oxy cutting, heat treatment and other similar processes which generate continuous high heat or streams of sparks.
Because of the dangers inherent in this type of work - to the person performing the works as well as to surrounding people and the environment - we have hot works permit forms, which mitigate the chances of injuries and incidents.
While countries and authorities often state that a person should hold a hot works permit form in order to carry out such work, there often aren't any formalised or concrete requirements for the works, and instead, it is assumed that the responsible person will create and complete a comprehensive hot works risk assessment and get that permit signed off by a responsible party.
What needs to be in your hot works permit form?
In Australia for example, there is not prescribed format for a hot works permit, nor do governments or local authorities issue such permits.
What needs to be in your hot works permit form is largely self-explanatory and like most other forms and processes in construction and industrial work - common sense.
A hot works permit form should provide the person responsible for the site (or signing off on the permit) with a detailed risk assessment and any isolations or additional steps which have been taken to mitigate or eliminate risks associated with the hot works.
If the 'fire watch' person or site supervisor is satisfied with the controls and measures taken and that dangers are sufficiently well managed - as well as with the general environment and vicinity - they have the authority to signoff on the permit and work can continue.
This is certainly not a 'tick and flick' exercise, as an inspector or auditor who attends site or attends an incident will certainly look at any or all hot works permit forms and the risk assessments being conducted to establish whether or not the site is managing hot works properly and safely.
You will find the general structure of a hot works permit form below - which showcases many of the form fields and 'requirements' of a hot works permit form.
It is important to have:
- Hot works permit form details such as the issue and expiry date of the permit
- An instructions section for clearly clarifying when and why the permit form should be completed
- A detailed risk assessment which ensures people have taken the necessary care and been conscious of any potential (and avoidable) incidents
- Signoffs for the worker and the fire watcher or supervisor
Use this hot works permit form for free.
Is there a more reliable system for hot works?
If you are managing hot works and hot works permit forms on a frequent basis - and if these works form a large and influential part of your work - it may be worth moving your hot works permit form processes over to a reliable hot works permit system.
A smart hot works permit system can streamline how you capture, organise and track your hot works permit to keep your site and people safe, as well as your records clean and reliable for conformance and audits.
What does a hot works permit system do?
- You can manage your hot works permit form from the system. Create a standardised digital template which your workers and teams can access and complete on site.
- You can automate the permit approval process so that the permit is automatically sent to the approver once it is 'opened' to ensure every permit gets properly looked at and correctly signed off
- You can store and organise all of your permit automatically, having them stored securely in the cloud where they are arranged, version controlled and audit trailed
- You can integrate your hot works permit process to trigger a Job Hazard Analysis for hot works to be completed once a permit has been approved.
While hot works systems aren't necessary for everyone, they can really improve how you manage hot works and form an integral part of your overall safety management system.
The most important part of performing hot works is to be aware and cognisant of the dangers, and complete a hot works permit form to ensure that work is going to go ahead safely.
People in 70+ countries use this safety management system to improve how they get their work done.
See how you can easily streamline your systems and processes with Sitemate today
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