Work Permit System – Code of Practice: IS 17893: 2023

The Bureau of Indian Standards released IS 17893:2023 – Work Permit System — Code of Practice in June 2023. This Standard was adopted by the BIS after the draft finalized by the Chemical Hazards Sectional Committee had been approved by the Chemical Division Council. The purpose of this standard is to establish a systematic method to identify potential hazards and outline the necessary precautions to establish safe working conditions for carrying out any work and this standard provides guidance for preparation of work permit for work areas whose activities are restrictive in nature such as ‘cold work’, ‘hot work’, ‘electrical Work’, ‘height Work’ etc.

What is Work Permit System?

The work permit is a certified procedure for allowing certain work to be carried out in a fixed place and during a given period of time. It is also a procedure authorizing entry to certain facilities. It provides a check list for a systematic method of risk assessment, warns the residual hazards in the job, and outlines the precautions to be taken while carrying out the job. It provides responsibility for the persons who are accountable for authorizing the work and ensuring that the workplace is safe. It establishes safe working conditions for carrying out any work, and to serve as an official record of those established conditions as requirements agreed upon by the issuer and acceptor of the permit.

Scope and Application

The work permit Standard (IS 17893: 2023) prescribes following work permits:

• Cold Work
• Hot Work
• Confined space/vessel entry
• Excavation
• Electrical work
• Work at height
• Radiography

Work permit may not be applicable for the areas/activities:

• All Routine jobs in office buildings
• Routine welding/cutting and similar maintenance/fabrication job
• Visual inspection
• Routine sampling for the purpose of laboratory analysis
• Canteen for cooking, preparing tea/food
• Collection of garbage
• Gardening related manual jobs
• Any other routine activities

Main Highlights of Work Permit Standard (IS 17893: 2023)

The work permit Standard (IS 17893: 2023) defines the following key features:

• General Procedure for work permit
• Details of work permit for different works
• Procedure for work permit formats
• Approvals
• Inter Plant Clearances
• Revalidation and Renewals
• Closures and Cancellation
• Audits
• Responsibility
• Records

Reference: IS 17893: 2023 Work Permit System – Code of Practice