Hot work permit system purpose and Hazards in Detail

Hot work is one of the most hazardous activities in chemical and process industries, with many incidents linked to poor hazard identification and inadequate control measures. In this detailed article, we are going to discuss the Purposes and Hazards of the Hot work permit system.

The permit-to-work system is crucial for the industry as it is an administrative part that helps to create a safe working environment. We discussed the importance of work permits in detail along with the types of work permits at the workplace, of which hot work permits are one.

Metals are extensively used in chemical plants, particularly in equipment and piping systems. Over time, these systems may deteriorate due to corrosion, erosion, or mechanical stress, leading to leakages, joint failures, or line damage. In addition, activities such as fabrication of new pipelines, modification of existing lines, and removal of old piping require welding and cutting operations.

What is Hot Work?

Job or activity refers to a hot work job if the ignition source is generated through heat, spark, or open flame. In other words, a job in which a spark or heat is generated that can cause fire is known as hot work.

This can be classified as Direct hot work and Indirect hot work.

Direct Hot work permit (High Risk)

When the work is being conducted, and it involves equipment producing or liberating open flames, it falls under direct hot work. Examples are listed below

• Welding of pipe, brazing, and soldering.
• Gas cutting
• Use of flame to heat

Indirect Hot work permit (Low Risk)

If equipment like a grinder is used because sparks are generated, it is indirect hot work. Examples are listed below

• Use of hot air blowers and heaters
• Drilling
• Sandblasting
• Vehicle Entry (internal combustion engines like forklifts, cranes, trucks)
• Metal Grinding and cutting.

Purpose of Hot Work Permit Form

The primary purpose of the is to reduce hazards related to hot job. A hot work permit is an administrative control and checklist that ensures hazard identification, verification of safety measures, and emergency preparedness before hot work begins.

What are the hazards of hot work?

Hot work generates a source of ignition that has the potential to complete a fire triangle if the flammable/ explosive material present in the area and atmosphere contains a sufficient volume of oxygen. These jobs can be very dangerous, and because of that, there are a number of hazards associated with them.

• Hazards like fire to equipment or in an area, explosions, and skin burns to humans are associated with hot work.
• Confined space is at risk of accumulating dangerous gases.
• A metal spark from the grind in eye.
• Exposure to Harmful UV or Infrared Light.
• This also includes electrical equipment, hence electrical hazards like shocks due to faulty wiring, short circuits and fatal electrocution.

What is hot work safety precautions?

Every work that in needed to be done should be performed by the person wearing personal protective equipment. Suitable eye and face protection should be ensured.

• The area must be checked and should be free from the presence of any flammable substance or material. There are flammable gas detectors available that can detect the presence of flammable gases in the area.
• The LEL% limit for hot work is 0%, and no permit should be approved if LEL is detected above 0%
• Proper equipment like welding helmets and other equipment required for the job must be standardized and checked its integrity.
• The area where the hot job must be performed must have proper ventilation.
• A fire extinguisher must be available in the area where job in progress.
• A standby trained fire person (Fire watch person) should be deployed where the work needs to be performed.
• The area should be barricaded and no unauthorized person should be allowed to enter the premises.

Now, we have learned all about hazards and safety precautions, but there can be a possibility that human error can miss out on some important points while inspecting and make it dangerous to work. In order to eliminate those risks, a hot work permit is prepared which will help to reduce any human error while identifying hazards and cause accidents.

Hot work permit procedure

• Firstly, the production department’s authorized person will inspect the job that needs to be done and involves the generation of heat or falls under Hot work.
• Now, they discuss the work with the maintenance department regarding it and they identify the hazards associated with the work. The maintenance department will arrange all the equipment and manpower required for the work and check the integrity of the equipment which is going to be used in the task.
• After inspecting, the production department prepares a permit for the task after inspecting according to the checklist and options present in the permit form.
• After the production department supervisor prepares the permit, it is then sent to the production manager or area manager for approval, where he verifies all the checkpoints.
• After approval, the permit is sent to the maintenance department engineer for verification, and the person who will perform that job is being. After that, the permit is sent to the head of the maintenance department for approval.
• After approval from the production and maintenance department, the safety office is informed by the permit, and he then verifies all the points on the permit with arrangements.
• If required, he does the arrangement, i.e. assigns a fireman for supervision, provides PPEs or fire fighting equipment to make the work safer, and then asks the maintenance department to proceed with the job.

This is the proper flow where, apart from the checklist, senior persons are being taken for approval to avoid mistakes.

Hot work permit Checklist

Here are the points that are present as the checklist in the permit and special emphasis should be given to these hot work checklists.

• Area barricading.
• LEL should be checked and should be noted in the work permit
• Air samples should be sent, and the area should be free from flammable gases.
• The drain should be covered.
• If cutting is involved in the pipe, then the decontamincation and purging pipe should be done to make it free from flammable gases or chemicals.
• Certified electrical tools and equipment to be used.
• Fire blanket and fire booth.
• All the PPEs should be provided to the labourers working on the job.
• Presence of a Fire extinguisher and fire water hose near the job.

If the line is not properly decontaminate, then internal isolation methods such as mud plug isolation can be use.

FAQ

Wrapping Up

This was a detailed guide on Hot work permits in the chemical industry. If you have any doubts or have any suggestions, you can use the comment section to talk to us. We had covered other work permits as well in detail which a production and maintenance person should be aware of. Another work that comes next to this is a confined space work permit which we also cover in detail, so read that also.