Types of Permit to Work: A Complete UK Guide

A permit to work is not a one-size-fits-all document. Different hazards need different controls, and the permit should reflect that. A hot work permit covering fire precautions is useless for a confined space entry that needs atmospheric monitoring and rescue plans.

This guide covers the main types of permit to work used on UK construction and maintenance sites, what each one controls, and when you need one versus when a standard method statement or risk assessment is sufficient.

How Many Types of Permit to Work Are There?

There is no legally defined list. HSG250, the HSE's guidance on permit-to-work systems, describes the principles — not a fixed set of permit types. In practice, most UK sites use between 4 and 8 permit types depending on the work they carry out.

The most common types, in order of how frequently they appear on UK construction and maintenance sites:

1. Hot Work Permit

What it covers: Any work producing sparks, flames, or significant heat — welding (MIG, TIG, MMA, oxy-acetylene), thermal cutting, grinding, brazing, soldering with a torch, and bitumen heating for roofing.

Why it needs its own permit: Hot work is one of the leading causes of fire on construction sites. Sparks travel further than people expect — through wall gaps, floor gratings, and ventilation ducts. A fire can start hours after the work finishes if smouldering material goes undetected.

Key sections the permit must include:

• Fire precautions checklist (combustibles removed, fire-resistant sheeting in place)
• Fire extinguisher type and location verified
• Fire detection system isolation and notification
• Fire watch person designated
• Post-work fire watch period (minimum 60 minutes, often longer)
• Close-out confirmation that fire watch is complete

For a section-by-section walkthrough, see our free hot work permit template.

2. Confined Space Entry Permit

What it covers: Entry into any space where serious injury could occur from hazardous substances or conditions — tanks, silos, vessels, sewers, manholes, pits, trenches over 1.2m deep, ductwork, and unventilated rooms.

Why it needs its own permit: Confined space incidents often kill multiple people. The initial casualty collapses, and the would-be rescuer enters without breathing apparatus and becomes the second fatality. The Confined Spaces Regulations 1997 require a safe system of work for any confined space entry where a risk assessment identifies significant danger.

Key sections the permit must include:

• Atmospheric test results (oxygen %, flammable gas LEL, toxic gases)
• Tester name, instrument serial number, and time of test
• Continuous monitoring frequency if required
• Isolation details (mechanical, electrical, pipework)
• Ventilation method (natural or forced)
• Rescue plan and equipment (harness, tripod, breathing apparatus)
• Standby person named and briefed
• Communication method confirmed

For the full template, see our confined space permit template.

3. Working at Height Permit

What it covers: Work where a person could fall a distance likely to cause injury. Not every task at height needs a permit — routine ladder use for low-risk access typically does not. Permits are standard for scaffolding erection, work near fragile roofs, work above public areas, and any height work where the Work at Height Regulations 2005 risk assessment identifies significant risk.

Why it needs its own permit: Falls from height are the single largest cause of workplace fatalities in UK construction — 51 construction workers were killed in 2024/25, with falls from height the leading cause (HSE annual statistics).

Key sections the permit must include:

• Access equipment type and inspection confirmation
• Fall protection method (guardrails, safety nets, harness/lanyard)
• Anchor points identified and load-rated
• Exclusion zone below the work area
• Weather conditions assessed (wind speed limits for certain equipment)
• Rescue plan if harness arrest occurs

4. Electrical Isolation Permit

What it covers: Work on or near electrical systems where there is a risk of contact with live conductors, or where circuits must be isolated before mechanical work begins. The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 require that equipment is dead and proven dead before work starts.

Why it needs its own permit: Electrical incidents are often fatal — and the risk is invisible. You cannot see, hear, or smell a live circuit. The permit documents who isolated what, where the locks are applied, and who is authorised to work on the de-energised system.

Key sections the permit must include:

• Circuit identification (which circuits isolated, at which isolation points)
• Lock-out/tag-out (LOTO) details — who applied each lock, lock numbers
• Proving dead procedure and results
• Earthing/short-circuiting where applicable
• Adjacent live equipment identified and barriers in place
• Authorisation to re-energise (separate sign-off, after all workers confirmed clear)

See our electrical isolation permit template for a full section-by-section guide.

5. Excavation Permit

What it covers: Digging, trenching, or any ground disturbance where there is a risk of striking underground services (gas, electric, water, telecoms), collapse, or flooding. The CDM Regulations 2015 place specific duties on excavation work as a "high-risk" construction activity.

Why it needs its own permit: Striking an underground gas main or electrical cable can be instantly fatal. Trench collapse buries workers faster than they can escape. These are not theoretical risks — they happen every year in the UK.

Key sections the permit must include:

• Service location records checked (utility plans, CAT/Genny scan results)
• Trial holes dug where services suspected
• Shoring or battering requirements based on depth and soil type
• Edge protection to prevent falls into the excavation
• Access and egress method (ladders positioned at intervals)
• Pumping arrangements for groundwater
• Proximity to structures or roads assessed

See our excavation permit template for the full breakdown.

6. Cold Work Permit

What it covers: Maintenance and repair work that does not produce sparks, flames, or heat — but still carries risk requiring formal control. Chemical cleaning, mechanical stripping, equipment removal, valve operations, pipe disconnection, and non-sparking tool work in hazardous atmospheres all fall under cold work.

Why it needs its own permit: Cold work is often treated as "low risk" because there is no ignition source. That assumption kills people. Opening a pipe that still contains pressurised fluid, removing a valve without confirming isolation, or working in an area with residual flammable atmosphere are all cold work tasks that have caused fatalities.

Key sections the permit must include:

• Isolation confirmation (mechanical, electrical, pneumatic, hydraulic)
• Residual hazards identified (pressure, stored energy, chemical residue)
• Lock-out/tag-out in place
• PPE requirements specified
• Area atmospheric testing if relevant (residual vapours)
• Neighbouring operations assessed (will adjacent hot work affect this area?)

Cold work permits are particularly common in facilities maintenance, oil and gas, and chemical plants, but any construction site handling pressurised systems or chemical processes should consider them.

7. Breaking Containment Permit

What it covers: Any work that involves opening a sealed system containing hazardous substances — breaking flanges, opening valves, cutting into pipework carrying chemicals or pressurised fluids. This is distinct from general maintenance because the act of opening the system is itself the primary hazard.

Why it needs its own permit: The Tata Chemicals Europe prosecution (June 2024) — resulting in a £1.125M fine after a contractor fell into a trough of corrosive chemicals — is a stark reminder of what happens when containment is breached without proper controls.

Key sections the permit must include:

• System contents identified (substance, pressure, temperature)
• System drained, depressurised, and purged
• Isolation confirmed at all connection points
• Residual hazard assessment (trapped pockets, dead legs in pipework)
• Spill containment in place
• PPE and RPE for the specific substance

Breaking containment permits are less common on standard construction sites but essential for any work involving process pipework, vessels, or chemical storage.

8. Roof Work Permit

What it covers: Any work on a roof where there is a risk of falling through fragile materials, falling from an unprotected edge, or working near skylights, rooflights, or openings. While working at height permits cover general height work, some organisations issue separate roof work permits because the hazard profile is distinct.

Why it needs its own permit: Fragile roofs are a specific killer. Workers fall through asbestos cement sheets, plastic rooflights, and corroded metal decking that looks solid from above but cannot support body weight. Separate roof work permits draw attention to these hazards.

Key sections the permit must include:

• Roof material type and fragility assessment
• Crawling boards or staging in place over fragile areas
• Edge protection installed on all open edges
• Skylight and rooflight protection (covers, guardrails, or netting)
• Access route to the work area confirmed
• Weather conditions assessed

Other Permit Types

Some sites use additional permit types for specific activities:

• Lifting operations — for crane lifts and LOLER-regulated lifting, particularly complex or tandem lifts
• Diving operations — for any work involving diving or underwater work
• Radiography permits — for X-ray or radiographic testing that creates exclusion zones
• Asbestos removal — regulated by the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012, requiring an HSE-issued licence for licensable work

These are specialist types that apply to specific industries. Most construction and maintenance contractors will cover their needs with the first 5-6 types above.

Do You Need All of These?

No. Start with the permits that match your actual work activities. If your team does hot work and working at height but never enters confined spaces, you need hot work and height permits — not a confined space permit gathering dust in a drawer.

The point of a permit-to-work system is to control hazards that your standard risk assessments and method statements cannot adequately manage on their own. If the work is high-risk enough to warrant a permit, use the right type. If it is not, a well-prepared method statement and toolbox talk may be sufficient.

Using the Right Template

Each permit type needs its own template with type-specific fields. A generic form that tries to cover everything ends up covering nothing well. Our general permit to work template covers the universal sections every PTW form needs, while the type-specific templates above add the specialist fields for each hazard.

Not sure whether your current PTW system covers the right permit types for your work? Our free PTW readiness checker scores your setup against HSG250 in a few minutes, including whether you have the right permit categories in place.

PermitPad is building a digital permit system with guided templates for hot work, confined space, working at height, and electrical isolation — each with type-specific checklists and mandatory fields so nothing gets missed. Join the waitlist to be first in line.