What is a permit to work?
A permit to work is a written authorization, signed by someone allowed to sign it, for a specific hazardous job to go ahead under named controls for a set period.
Also called work permit, PTW
What it means.
OSHA has no general permit to work standard. It has specific written authorizations for specific hazards. A confined space entry permit is required for permit-required confined spaces. A hot work permit is defined in the same standard, and the welding standard says authorization should be given preferably in the form of a written permit.
A permit to work system, with hot work, confined space, electrical, excavation and work at height permits managed together and checked against each other, is industry practice, especially in process industries. Lockout/tagout is an energy control procedure rather than a permit, though the two are often used together.
Entry permit (permit) means the written or printed document that is provided by the employer to allow and control entry into a permit space
Where it shows up on a job.
Before a contractor cuts into a pipe in a live plant, the permit names the job, the area, the isolations, the gas test results, the people involved and the time it expires, and an authorized person signs it before work starts and again when it is handed back.
Where this comes from.
Each source was read on 22 October 2026. Guidance is advice; a regulation is the rule.
- 29 CFR 1910.146Code of Federal Regulations, Title 29. Regulation. Entry permit and hot work permit definitions.
- 29 CFR 1910.252Code of Federal Regulations, Title 29. Regulation. Authorizing welding and cutting, and the fire watch.
A plain-language definition, not legal advice. For a decision on your site, read the standard that applies to it.
Related terms
- hot work
Hot work is any job that can start a fire because it is a source of ignition, such as welding, cutting, burning, heating or riveting.
- confined space
A confined space is a space large enough for a person to enter and work in, with limited or restricted ways in and out, that is not designed for someone to stay in.
- lockout/tagout
Lockout/tagout is putting a lock, a tag or both on the device that controls a machine's energy, so the machine cannot start or release stored energy while someone works on it.
- stop work authority
Stop work authority is a company rule that gives anyone on a job the right to pause the work when they believe it is about to hurt someone.
Read morePermit to work on the job, not in a binder
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