Guide

How is a permit-to-work system set up?

A permit is a closed loop showing that conditions were met before hazardous work began and that the area was handed back when it ended.

Which work needs a permit

Work that is high risk by nature — confined space, hot work, work at height, work on live systems, excavation and lifting — is placed under permit. The list comes from the workplace's own hazards and is written down.

The loop is closed

A permit has four stages: request, meeting the conditions and approval, supervision during the work, and handing the area back with closure at the end. A permit left open means the area is still treated as hazardous.

Separate signatures

The person requesting the work and the person approving the permit are not the same. That separation is the only mechanism that makes the conditions actually get checked.

Simultaneous work

Overlapping permits in the same area can make two individually safe jobs dangerous together. The system must see clashing permits and require coordination.

In Optifora

The permit module opens the permit, builds the condition list by work type, enforces the approval separation, shows clashing permits and keeps unclosed permits in the list.

  1. Write the scopeList which work requires a permit.
  2. Define the conditionsWrite in advance the conditions for each work type.
  3. Take the requestRecord the request with work, location, duration and team.
  4. Separate approvalMake requester and approver different people.
  5. Maintain supervisionCheck during the work that conditions still hold.
  6. Hand back and closeHand the area back when work ends and close the permit.

Manage this in Optifora

Optifora is not a single program but a compliance platform assembled from modules. The catalogue states which module is ready today and which is on the roadmap.

See what Optifora is