Safety Management Systems PDF

?& Chapter 14 • Safety Management Systems OBJECTIVE 4 li SAFE WORK PERMITS A work permit is a written document that authorizes specific work, at a specific work location, during a defined time period. Permits are used to control and co-ordinate work and to establish and maintain safe working cond...

?& Chapter 14 • Safety Management Systems OBJECTIVE 4 li SAFE WORK PERMITS A work permit is a written document that authorizes specific work, at a specific work location, during a defined time period. Permits are used to control and co-ordinate work and to establish and maintain safe working conditions. They ensure that foreseeable hazards have been considered and that appropriate precautions are defined and carried out in the correct sequence. The permit is an agreement between the issuer and the receiver, which documents the conditions, preparations, precautions and limitations that must be clearly understood and performed before work may commence. The permit records the steps required to prepare the equipment, building or area for the work, plus all safety precautions, safety equipment and specific procedures that must be followed to ensure the workers complete the work safely. The safe work permit aids in the identification and control of hazards, but does not, on its own, make the job safe. Benefits of a Work Permit Program A work permit program can benefit the following types of employers: • An industry having a significant risk because of particular hazards (eg. oil and gas) • An organization having its own maintenance program and personnel • A principal contractor who sub-contracts maintenance or other hazardous projects to others • Organizations with individual employees working in isolated areas AH work exposes the worker to some degree of hazard. The degree of hazard determines the kind of safeguards required to protect the worker. Workers engaged in maintenance can be at risk if machinery they are working on is started unexpectedly. It is necessary to isolate such machinery and equipment by blanking, blinding, and locking out a system. These procedures are clearly identified by a work permit system. Special work permits are essential for work that involves confined space entry, flammable or explosive substances, toxic or otherwise harmful substances, or high voltage electrical equipment. 3rd Class Edition 2.5' Part A2 Safety Management Systems • Chapter 14 Types of Safe Work Permits i» ^ The type of work permit required for a particular job is determined by the nature of the work and the hazards that must be eliminated or controlled. The wide range of activities and locations makes it impossible to have a single type of permit that will be suitable for all situations. Each type of permit provides a checklist for the person preparing the equipment, and informs the workers who are actually doing the work of the hazards present and the precautions to be taken. The following work permit types are most commonly used. • Work Clearances are for work that requires no preparation by operations personnel: oiling, greasing, garbage pickup, delivery, meter reading, and so on. • Hot Work Permits are used when heat or sparks generated by the work (welding, cutting, grmding, vehicle) could cause ignition of any flammable or explosive vapours or materials that may be present. • Cold Work Permits are used for maintenance work that does not involve hot work or any other special hazard. Cold Work Permits are issued when there is no source of ignition and when contact with harmful substances has been eliminated or appropriate precautions taken. • Confined Space Entry Permits are used when entering a confined space, such as a tank, vessel, tower, pit or sewer. Several extra precautions are necessary m this case, so the permit has extra requirements. • Special Permits are used by some companies to cover specific hazards. These hazards include things like: extremely hazardous locations, radioactive materials, PCBs, excavations, and power supplies. Contents of a Safe Work Permit A safe work permit is a fillable form that has sections identifying and verifying the following: • The date, time of issue and time of expiry of the permit • The location of the work; it must be as specific as possible • The department or company doing the work ij |ji!1 ;'l • A description of the work to be done i! ::li]': • Any toxic, corrosive, flammable or other materials m the unmediate work area • Whether the work area has been inspected and found free of hazardous materials • The need for fire protection II • The need for isolation - electrical and mechanical hazards locked out and tagged, piping blanked off, tagged, disconnected, drained or vented II; • The need for ventilation and purging (whether with air, steam, inert gas, etc.) • The need for testing prior to or during the work, for harmful substances, combustible gases, oxygen deficiency, and other hazards such as radiation I";!; . • Any specific health hazards - Material Safety Data Sheet information required • The specific personal protective equipment to be worn by the workers • The need for emergency procedures and competent rescue personnel • A special instruction, comments section - special procedures, special precautions • A general instruction to receiver section • Who issued the permit (persons job title) and time issued ^ • Who received the permit (person's job tide) and time issued • That work has been completed and the permit signed by the person returning it • The name of the person who signed off the permit and whether or not the work has been completed 3rd Class Edition 2.5 • Part A2 ^ Safety Management Systems • Chapter 14 -fs Types of Safe Work Permits If The type of work permit required for a particular job is determined by the nature of the work and the hazards that must be eliminated or controlled. The wide range of activities and locations makes it impossible to have a single type of permit that will be suitable for aU situations. Each type of permit provides a checklist for the person preparing the equipment, and mforms the workers who are actuaUy doing the work of the hazards present and the precautions to be taken. The following work permit types are most commonly used. • Work Clearances are for work that requires no preparation by operations personnel: oiling, greasing, garbage pickup, delivery, meter reading, and so on. • Hot Work Permits are used when heat or sparks generated by the work (welding, cutting, grinding, vehicle) could cause ignition of any flammable or explosive vapours or materials that may be present. • Cold Work Permits are used for maintenance work that does not involve hot work or any other special hazard. Cold Work Permits are issued when there is no source of ignition and when contact with harmful substances has been eliminated or appropriate precautions taken. • Confined Space Entry Permits are used when entering a confined space, such as a tank, vessel, tower, pit or sewer. Several extra precautions are necessary in this case, so the permit has extra requirements. • Special Permits are used by some companies to cover specific hazards. These hazards include things like: extremely hazardous locations, radioactive materials, PCBs, excavations, and power supplies. Contents of a Safe Work Permit 0 A safe work permit is a fiUable form that has sections identif)dng and verifying the following: • The date, time of issue and time of expiry of the permit • The location of the work; it must be as specific as possible • The department or company doing the work • A description of the work to be done • Any toxic, corrosive, flammable or other materials in the immediate work area • Whether the work area has been inspected and found free of hazardous materials • The need for fire protection • The need for isolation - electrical and mechanical hazards locked out and tagged, piping blanked off, tagged, disconnected, drained or vented • The need for ventilation and purging (whether with air, steam, inert gas, etc.) • The need for testing prior to or during the work, for harmful substances, combustible gases, oxygen deficiency, and other hazards such as radiation • Any specific health hazards - Material Safety Data Sheet mformation required • The specific personal protective equipment to be worn by the workers • The need for emergency procedures and competent rescue personnel • A special instruction, comments section - special procedures, special precautions • A general instruction to receiver section • Who issued the permit (person's job title) and time issued • Who received the permit (person's job title) and time issued • That work has been completed and the permit signed by the person returning it • The name of the person who signed off the permit and whether or not the work has been completed 3rd Class Edition 2.5 - Part A2 IHi;! III!?' I',i it Chapter 14 • Safety Management Systems ?& Using a Safe Work Permit Only a competent person who is completely familiar with the work or situation covered by the permit and who has control over changes in that work area should be the person issuing a safe work permit. The permit issuer must be sure that the work situation identified on the permit is as described. The issuer must review the work and all safety requirements with the worker before work begins. Any special precautions not normally associated with the particular, work should be identified to the worker, who must fully understand the reasons for these precautions (e.g., work to be done is in an area where there is a possible exposure to H-^S gas). The permit issuer must be sure the worker understands the hazards (e.g. Benzene). If not, the permit issuer must review the Material Safety Data Sheet or other information with the worker to ensure understanding of the dangers of the product and the precautions to be taken. The person receiving the permit must be completely sure of the work situation, the potential hazards and the precautions required before accepting the permit. Written instructions alone are often insufficient and ineffective. Practical training exercises must be held with people who issue and receive permits. HOT WORK PERMIT In a Hot Work Permit situation, possible examples of sources of ignition are welding, burning, cutting, riveting, grinding, drilling, pneumatic hammers and chippers, non-explosion proof electrical equipment, (lighting, tools and heaters), clothing (static electricity), internal combustion engmes. Three kinds of hazardous situations must be considered when performing hot work: •• The presence offlammable materials in the equipment • The presence of combustible materials which burn or give off flammable vapours when heated • The presence offlammable gas in the atmosphere, or entering from an adjacent area, such as sewers that have not been properly protected (portable, combustible gas detectors can be used in the area to warn of possible gas incursions) A hot work permit must detail all testing that is required before and during the work plus aU isolation that must be done to equipment to prevent explosive conditions in the work area. It also should detail any protection that must be given to other equipment in the area that might be exposed to ignition sources from the hot work. Hot Work permits generally require more, higher level approvals and signatures than cold permits. Pitfalls of Ineffective Work Permit Systems Factors leading to ineffective permit systems are: • the format of the permit does not cover all the potential hazards • the issuing procedure is defective • the person signing the permit has not inspected the operation to see if the isolation, lookout or testing has been done. Issuers are not properly tramed. • the workers are not following, or don't understand the requirements of the permit, especially the expiry time. Workers are not properly trained in permit procedures. • management is not enforcing or auditing the work permit system • permits are prepared too far in advance, or after the work has commenced • a responsible person is not inspecting the operation after the permit has been issued • the system is too complex, causing shortcuts • inadequate planning before a job is scheduled w_ 3rd Class Edition 2.5 - Part A2