Hello to the hive mind :)

I have been approached by one of my colleagues to investigate into implementing a Permit scheme for any contractors who need to carry out works within our DSEAR Zones.

I have trawled the web, and I can't find anything remotely similar to a DSEAR permit and I wonder if we are looking at this hazard in a way no-one else does!

If you have contractors working in your DSEAR classified zones, how do you manage the risk of explosion from their activities, tools / equipment etc?  Do you have a permit system in place?

If anyone would be up for sharing their own system, example documents etc, I would be extremely grateful.  I do not wish to steal anything so happy to see photo sections if you don't want to share the whole thing.  

I have asked questions before on these forums and got nothing, but I am remaining ever hopeful that someone might help on this one. 

This kind of permit is normally called a hot work permit.  Hot work permits can be designed not only to cover high-energy hot work such as welding, but also to cover low-energy work such as use of electrical equipment in DSEAR zones. Measures in this kind of hot work permit can include checking any equipment to be taken into the area to verify that it is correctly ATEX rated, and confiscating other equipment, as well as performing any isolations that are needed, and all the other stuff associated with fire and explosion risk.

I'm not saying that you necessarily ought to issue hot work permits for this kind of work - but I have seen it done.