Most safety professionals attribute “safe work permitting” to process safety, Line Breaks/Process Openings, LOTO, Hotwork, and PRCS. But my first exposure to work permits was because of OSHA’s Hazardous Communications standard…
1910.1200(e)(1)(ii) The methods the employer will use to inform employees of the hazards of non-routine tasks (for example, the cleaning of reactor vessels), and the hazards associated with chemicals contained in unlabeled pipes in their work areas.
For the life of me (all pun intended) I can not understand the fear of Safe Work Permits, but many safety professionals outside of the process industries and even some within that industry sector hate the idea of using these work permits. But the advantages of using a safe work permitting system far outweighs the effort to implement and manage such a system. Here are the biggest advantages outside of complying with the standards mentioned above: