Hi all,

I had some debate with my colleagues on Friday about when to apply a WAH permit. The regs state ' i believe' that a PTW should be issued for all WAH activity.

However, this is not practicable given that we walk up and down raised fixed platforms many times a day to access parts of equipment i.e. to fill shoots with product etc. Therefore a WAH PTW would be way over the top especially given that all platforms are fitted with fixed handrails.

My dilemma is how to word when and when not a WAH PTW is applicable?

Some guidance would be appracited.

Regards

OW&UP

I would tend to complete a PTW for any contractor not familiar with our organisation or any work of a non-standard nature. The rest would be covered by risk assessment.

So, if going up and down raised fixed platforms day in day out is the normal task, this should be covered by a risk assessment, training, supervision, competence, etc. However, if this work at height by your staff is out of the ordinary, then a PTW would be used.

To give an example on our site .....

Welders can weld to their hearts content in the welding bay - that is their normal job within their normal environment, they have a risk assessment, they are trained and competent. However, if I want welding done somewhere else in the plant to help maintenance out for example, then our trained, qualified welders will need to be issued with a PTW because although it is their normal job, it is not in their normal place of work.

I hope that makes sense.

A PTW should be used to put extra controls around an identified high risk activity.
Simply writing a PTW for all WAH activities could lead to an undervaluing of your system and it becoming a paper filling in exercise.

Don't end up doing things for doing things sake (unless of course all of your WAH is high risk!).

The lower risk WAH (that you will have to define yourself locally) could be effectively managed better than a PTW everytime.

Cheers all,

Ladders to 'high risk' areas locked off and requiring a permit maybe?
Regular access ladders - depend on M/C risk assessment / rely on signage?
That's how it was done on the Chemical plants.

really difficult without spending a day on your plant :)


P.S. To all other posters:
I have assume ladders are considered in the plant risk assessment, and training, inspection, maintenance
is considered.
I read the question as being about practical implementable of system and experience with these, not the requirements of the law

I don't think that there is ANY statutory requirement for any PTW (happy to be wrong though) although it is mentioned in both the ACoP and guidance in L101 for confined spaces working.

I would agree with those posters though, that a PTW would normally only be required for specific HIGH risk activities (such as some hot works, confined spaces, electrical isolation, complex maintenance tasks) and where it is NECESSARY to reinforce the SSOW in order to 'achieve safety'.

I certainly wouldn't agree with the fact that ALL maintenance requires a PTW and I would have thought that most WAH could be achieved' safely' without resorting to PTW. Like others there is a risk of creating paperwork and 'devaluing' the PTW system.

Do you NEED a PTW in order to control the risks? If not, save time and effort!