Permit to Work

Permit to Work (PTW) is the authorization step before high-risk work starts: hot work, confined space entry, work at height, electrical work, excavation, and lifting. Each permit gets a number (PTW-0001, PTW-0002, and so on), a validity window, and a hazard checklist matched to the type of work. The key rule: a permit cannot go active until every item on its hazard checklist is checked. The page lives at /permits and is called Permits (PTW). It supports ISO 45001 clause 8.1 and common OSHA hot-work, confined-space, and lockout practice.

The lifecycle is:

Draft -> Submitted -> Approved -> Active <-> Suspended
                   -> Rejected      Active/Suspended -> Closed

Before you start

• Module is off by default. An org admin must turn on Permits (PTW) under Settings > Modules (in the Health, safety & environment group). Until then the /permits route is blocked.
• Any signed-in member of the organization can raise, approve, and work permits.
• Optional: set up sites (see Departments and Sites) so permits can be tied to a site.

Raise a permit

1. Open Permits (PTW) and click New Permit.
2. Fill the dialog:
   • Title (required), for example "Weld pipe supports, boiler house".
   • Work type: Hot work, Confined space, Work at height, Electrical, Excavation, Lifting, or Other. A note under the field tells you how many checklist items this type seeds.
   • Description: scope of work, tools, methods.
   • Location and Site.
   • Contractor (leave blank for in-house work).
   • Validity window: pick Valid from and Valid to dates. Both are required before the permit can be submitted. If the end date is before the start date, the dialog shows the error "Valid-to is before valid-from."
3. Click Create permit.

The permit is created in Draft with the next PTW number and a fresh, unchecked hazard checklist seeded from the work type:

If you change the work type on an existing draft, a Change work type? dialog warns that the checklist will be replaced with the new type's defaults and any checked items reset. Confirm with Replace checklist.

Submit and approve

1. On a Draft permit, click Submit. Submission is refused unless the permit has both validity dates and at least one hazard checklist item; the error message tells you which is missing.
2. The permit moves to Submitted and counts under Awaiting approval in the stats bar.
3. An approver clicks Approve or Reject on the row. Approving stamps who approved and when, and the row shows an "Approved by" tag. Rejected is a final state.

Work the hazard checklist and activate

1. Click Checklist on the permit row. The dialog lists every hazard precaution with a progress count, for example 3/5.
2. Check each item as the precaution is actually put in place. Each tick saves immediately.
3. On an Approved permit, the Activate button stays disabled with a lock icon until every item is checked. Its tooltip explains that every hazard precaution must be checked first.
4. Once the count is complete (the progress tag turns green), click Activate. The permit goes Active and the work may start.

An empty checklist never counts as complete. A permit of type Other needs at least one item before it can even be submitted.

Suspend and reactivate

• On an Active permit, click Suspend if conditions change (weather, an alarm, a shift change). The permit shows a Suspended tag and work must stop.
• On a Suspended permit, click Reactivate to go back to Active. Reactivation applies the same lock: every hazard item must still be checked.

Close a permit

1. On an Active or Suspended permit, click Close.
2. The Close dialog asks you to confirm the work area was left safe and the permit conditions were met. Closure notes are required (for example "Work completed, area inspected, isolations removed"); the Close permit button stays disabled until you type them.
3. Click Close permit. The permit moves to Closed with a closed date. Closed and Rejected permits are final and their checklists become read-only.

Watch expiry

• The stats bar counts Active now, Awaiting approval, Expiring 24h (approved or active permits whose validity window ends within 24 hours), and Expired (approved or active permits whose window has already lapsed).
• An expired permit shows a red Expired tag and its validity tag turns red. Expiry does not close the permit for you: close it, or edit the dates and re-approve if the work must continue.
• Filter the register by Status and Work type.

Try it

• Enable Permits (PTW) in Settings > Modules. Expected: Permits (PTW) appears in the side nav and /permits loads.
• Create a Hot work permit with a validity window covering today. Expected: the row appears as PTW-0001 (or the next number) with a Draft tag and a gray "Hazards 0/5" tag.
• Create a Draft with work type Other and try Submit. Expected: submission is refused because there are no hazard checklist items.
• On the hot work permit, click Submit. Expected: status becomes Submitted and Awaiting approval counts 1.
• Click Approve. Expected: status becomes Approved with an "Approved by" tag, and the Activate button is disabled with a lock icon.
• Open Checklist and check 4 of the 5 items. Expected: the progress tag reads 4/5 and Activate is still locked.
• Check the fifth item. Expected: the tag turns green at 5/5 and Activate becomes clickable.
• Click Activate. Expected: status becomes Active and the Active stat increases.
• Click Suspend, then Reactivate. Expected: status goes to Suspended and back to Active.
• Click Close and try to save with empty notes. Expected: Close permit is disabled. Type closure notes and save. Expected: status becomes Closed with a closed date, and the checklist dialog now says it is read-only.

If something goes wrong

• The page is missing or blocked. The Permits (PTW) module is off by default. Ask an org admin to enable it in Settings > Modules.
• Submit is refused. Two rules apply: the permit needs both Valid from and Valid to dates, and at least one hazard checklist item. The error message names the missing piece.
• Activate is locked. At least one hazard precaution is unchecked. Open Checklist and finish it; the progress tag shows how many remain.
• Reactivate is locked after a suspension. Same rule as activation: every item must be checked at that moment.
• Close permit is disabled. Closure notes are required. Type what state the work area was left in.
• The checklist will not change. Closed and Rejected permits are read-only; the dialog says so. Also, only one item saves at a time, so wait for a tick to finish before the next.
• My checked items disappeared. Changing the work type on a draft replaces the checklist with the new type's defaults, after a confirmation dialog. That reset is intentional.
• A permit shows Expired but is still Active. Expiry is a flag, not an automatic stop. Close the permit, or extend the validity dates if the work legitimately continues, and treat the red tag as the prompt to act.