Key takeaways
- A permit-to-work authorises specific high-risk work, at a specific place and time, by specific people.
- Digital PTW only delivers if isolation, risk assessment, SOP, toolbox talk, contractor and training checks are linked to the permit.
- The most important link is LOTO: the permit should not go live until every point is locked and verified.
What a permit-to-work is
A permit-to-work (PTW) is the formal authorisation for non-routine, high-risk work: hot work, confined space entry, work at height, electrical work, and any job that needs isolation. It defines the job, the hazards, the controls, the people and the time window, and it is signed off before work starts and closed when it ends.
The checks a permit should pull together
On paper, each of these lives in a different file. A digital permit brings them together so the approver sees everything in one place, and the permit simply cannot go live until each check is complete.
The permit lifecycle
- Request: the job, location, equipment and crew.
- Review: AI agents such as SENTRY™ check for conflicts, like a line being energised while it is still locked elsewhere.
- Isolate: every isolation point is locked and zero energy verified.
- Approve: the issuer signs off with every linked check visible.
- Work: the crew works under their own locks.
- Return: locks off, people clear, equipment handed back.
- Close: the permit is closed and the record is complete.
Why LOTO integration comes first
Most PTW systems treat isolation as a checkbox on the permit form. That is the gap. If the permit can be approved while the isolation is only “ticked”, the digital system has just recreated the paper problem faster. Integrating digital LOTO means the permit knows which locks are on, who holds them and whether zero energy was verified. It is the difference between a digital form and a digital control.
Questions to ask any PTW vendor
- Can the permit go live while an isolation point is unlocked?
- Does each crew member have their own lock, or does one lock cover the crew?
- How are contractors verified before they work under a permit?
- Can the system detect conflicting permits on the same equipment?
- What happens at shift change?
- Does it work where the network is poor?
- What security certifications does it hold? (We hold ISO/IEC 27001:2022 and SOC 2 Type II.)
- How long does a pilot take, and who stays on site at go-live?
What plants see
Sites in our steel study reported a 78% reduction in permit turnaround time after moving to Digital PTW with Smart LOTO®. See the EHS platform to build the system your plant needs.
Frequently asked questions
What is a digital permit-to-work system?
Software that raises, reviews, approves and closes permits for high-risk work, with the linked safety checks such as isolation, risk assessment and training visible on the permit itself.
What types of permits should be digital?
Typically hot work, confined space, work at height, electrical and any work requiring isolation, which together cover most high-risk maintenance.
Why integrate PTW with LOTO?
Because isolation is the control that most often fails silently. If the permit knows the real lock status, it cannot be approved on a ticked box.
See Smart LOTO® run on your plant.
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