Non-routine work needing formal release
- Maintenance in an operating area
- Contractor work on site
- Equipment opening or work with hazardous energy
- Jobs involving several specialist permits at once
Free general work permit · PDF, Word & Excel
General
work permit template.
A free permit to work form for non-routine work. Job scope, hazards, linked permits, controls, authorization, handback and closeout in one process.
Free. PDF, Word and Excel.
- Fillable PDF, editable Word and Excel with dropdowns
- Built for US general-industry workflows
- Links LOTO and specialist permits
- Authorization, handback and cancellation
Inside the template
Working permit, page 1 · 1 / 8
What is included
The parent permit that ties the job together.
Two working pages plus a separate guidance page. One permit per job per shift. If the scope or conditions change, make the work safe, hand it back and issue a new permit.
- Work scope, work type, location, validity and working-party fields
- Routing for LOTO, containment breaking, hot work, confined space, height, energized electrical work, excavation, lifting and management of change
- Worksite hazard and required-control checklists
- Conditional testing and monitoring record
- Job briefing, emergency arrangements and stop-work controls
- Issue, handback, equipment-status and cancellation records
Background
What is a general work permit?
A general work permit is a formal authorization for a defined non-routine job at a defined location and time. It records who will perform the work, the hazards and controls, related isolations or specialist permits, and the conditions that must be met before work begins.
The permit does not replace a risk assessment, a lockout/tagout procedure or a specialist permit. It connects those controls and documents authorization, handback and cancellation.
Because it connects several controls, the general permit is the first form most teams digitise; an electronic permit to work system links the isolations and specialist permits it references to the same job.
When to use it
When should a general work permit be used?
Routine work under an approved procedure
- Routine low-risk work performed under an approved procedure
- Normal operation, or simple observation from a safe area
- Office or delivery activity
- Emergency response under the site’s emergency procedures
How to use it
Seven steps, issue to handback
Define the job
Fix the exact scope, location, validity and working party before anything else.
Route the work
Identify every required isolation, permit, certificate or engineering record.
Match hazard to control
Check the hazards and confirm each one has a control that is actually in place.
Test where required
Complete permit-level testing and monitoring, or record why it is not required.
Brief the party
Walk the working party through the plan and confirm emergency arrangements.
Authorize and post
Both signatures go on, then both working pages are posted at the work location.
Hand back and cancel
Record remaining controls and equipment status, then cancel the permit.
Standards and scope
What this template covers
There is no single federal OSHA rule that prescribes a general work permit form. The template is an employer coordination and authorization record built around the applicable controls.
OSHA 1910.119. Process safety management of highly hazardous chemicals, including the hot work and contractor provisions.
OSHA 1910.147. The control of hazardous energy. It is the isolation procedure the Part C routing points to.
Federal general industry. Must be reviewed against OSHA State Plan rules, site procedures, insurer requirements and other authorities that apply to the work.
This template is provided as general guidance. Site-specific procedures and the requirements of the authority having jurisdiction, insurer and other applicable authorities take precedence. Have a competent person review and adapt the template before use. Confirm citations against the standard editions your site holds. This is safety information, not legal advice.
FAQs
General work permit FAQs
Yes. The template comes in three formats and you can request any combination. The PDF is fillable on screen and prints as a permit you can post at the work location. The Word version is a normal editable document, so you can add your logo, adjust wording and add site-specific controls. The Excel version splits the two working pages across their own tabs with dropdowns for the Yes / No routing and the Yes / N/A controls. All three use the same fields, so a permit raised in one format matches the others.
It is the parent authorization for a defined non-routine job. It records the scope, people, hazards, linked controls, authorization, handback and cancellation without replacing specialist procedures.
No. A risk assessment identifies hazards and determines controls. The permit confirms that the defined work has been reviewed, the required controls and related records are in place, and the job is authorized for a limited time.
It can reference LOTO, hot work, confined space, work at height, energized electrical, excavation, lifting, containment-breaking and other site-defined permits or certificates.
This template uses one job and one shift as its maximum validity. A new shift, scope change, material condition change or resumption after suspension requires a new permit and briefing. Your site procedure may apply a stricter rule.
No. Canceling the general work permit does not authorize lock removal or energy restoration. The procedure that owns the isolation controls that decision.
More resources
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Download the free general work permit template
Need a live view of permits, approvals, isolations and closeout status? Zentri digitizes the full permit lifecycle.