3.7 Permit to work systems

Which work would normally need a permit to work?

• 1 Making tea
• 2 Sweeping a corridor
• 3 Work in a confined space
• 4 Routine office filing

A permit to work should be cancelled:

• 1 After one week regardless
• 2 When the supervisor goes on leave
• 3 When the work is finished and the area is made safe
• 4 Never

A permit to work is:

• 1 A medical certificate
• 2 A personal protection device
• 3 A type of safety signage
• 4 A formal written authority with conditions

A permit to work is most likely to be needed for:

• 1 Answering the telephone
• 2 Walking to the canteen
• 3 Hot work such as welding in a plant area
• 4 Writing a report

A permit lists:

• 1 The workers' pay
• 2 The customer's address
• 3 The specific work, place, time and precautions
• 4 The organisation's profits

Who normally issues a permit to work?

• 1 The enforcement agency
• 2 Any worker
• 3 The visitor
• 4 A competent person once the precautions are in place

Before work starts under a permit, the precautions must:

• 1 Be physically in place
• 2 Be planned for the next week
• 3 Be agreed verbally later
• 4 Be written but not carried out

Why is a permit system used where several parties are working?

• 1 To save the cost of PPE
• 2 To avoid risk assessment
• 3 To remove the need for training
• 4 To coordinate the work so one group does not endanger another

At the end of the work, the permit should be:

• 1 Given to the enforcement agency
• 2 Signed off and cancelled after the area is made safe
• 3 Kept open for the next job
• 4 Thrown away

Work on isolated electrical systems is an example of work that:

• 1 May need a permit to work
• 2 Never needs control
• 3 Needs no assessment
• 4 Is always safe

The people doing work under a permit should:

• 1 Ignore the conditions
• 2 Accept the permit and follow its conditions
• 3 Let someone else do the work without telling them
• 4 Change the conditions as they like

A permit is displayed or carried so that:

• 1 It can be sold
• 2 Everyone can see what work is authorised and the precautions
• 3 It looks official
• 4 It can be hidden

Which of these is a common weakness in permit systems?

• 1 The work is assessed first
• 2 The permit is signed but the precautions are not in place
• 3 The permit is cancelled on time
• 4 The issuer is competent

A permit to work is needed for entry into:

• 1 A canteen
• 2 A confined space
• 3 A car park
• 4 A reception area

A permit to work is not needed where:

• 1 Machinery maintenance has multiple hazards
• 2 People enter a confined space
• 3 A simple procedure is enough to control the risk
• 4 There is hot work in a flammable atmosphere