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Hot work permit template
A hot work permit is the written permission to do work that makes sparks, flame or heat, such as welding, cutting, grinding, brazing or torch-applied work, in a place that is not a designated hot work area. It records the job, the place, who does it and who issues the permit, confirms the precautions are in place before the work starts, names a fire watch, and is closed only after the watch has finished and the area has been checked. This template has four portrait pages: the permit with an 18-point precautions checklist and three signatures, a fire watch record with a close-out, one page of plain guidance on when a permit is needed, who may issue it and when to stop, and a worked example of a pipe weld beside cardboard in which the watch finds a smouldering spot 35 minutes after the work ended. The Excel version has a permit sheet that says whether it is ready to issue, a permit log that works out when each fire watch ends and flags a permit closed too early, still open or longer than your limit, and a monthly count. It is a general starting point, not legal advice: set the distances, times and rules in your own procedure.
Free to use: print it, copy it and edit it for your team. Enter your name and work email once to download.
Fields for permit number, location, work and people above an 18-point precautions checklist in four groups with Yes and N/A boxes, and three signature lines.Permit with 18 precautionsThree sign-offsFire watch recordClose-out checksOne page of guidancePermit log with watch end timeMonthly countWorked example
When to use it
When to use a hot work permit
- For welding, cutting, brazing, soldering, grinding or torch work outside a designated hot work area, by your own people or by contractors.
- When an insurer, a customer or your own safety procedure asks for a permit and a record that the precautions were checked.
- To replace a verbal go-ahead with a record that shows who checked what, when, and who watched afterwards.
- After a near miss or a small fire from hot work, to tighten how permits are issued and closed.
- Not as a substitute for asking whether the job can be done without heat, and not for work in a confined space, which needs its own entry permit as well.
How to fill it in
- 1
Ask whether the job needs heat at all
Cold cutting, a mechanical fixing, a move to a designated welding bay or removing the part to a safe place can take the hazard away. Use a permit when none of these works.
- 2
Fill in the job, place and people
Write the permit number, the exact location, what is being worked on, who is doing the work, who is issuing the permit, the fire watch, and the start and end times. A permit covers one job in one place for one shift at most.
- 3
Walk the area and check every precaution
The person issuing the permit goes to the place and checks combustibles, openings, equipment, fire protection, people and ventilation before the work starts. Mark each line Yes or N/A. If a precaution is not in place, the permit is not issued.
- 4
Sign and start
The issuer, the person doing the work and the fire watch sign. The permit stays at the work and is shown to anyone who asks.
- 5
Keep the fire watch, during and after
The fire watch does nothing else, checks the area above, below and behind the work at the interval your procedure sets, and stays for the time after the work that your procedure requires. Many fires start after the work stops.
- 6
Close it out
Check the area for warm spots, smoke and smell, confirm equipment is removed and any detector or alarm that was switched off is back on, write the times and sign. Log the permit so you can count and review them.
What's on the permit
The 18 precautions on the hot work permit
Four groups, checked by the person who issues the permit, at the place and before the work starts. On the permit each line is marked Yes or N/A with initials, and a precaution that is not in place means the permit is not issued. Set distances and times in your own procedure.
The area and what can burn
Look around and below the work, not only at it
- 1Combustible material is moved out of the work area to the distance your procedure sets, or covered with a fire blanket or shield
- 2The floor is swept and, where needed, wetted down; no oil, grease, dust or loose paper is left
- 3Openings, cracks and gaps in floors and walls, and open drains and ducts, are covered or sealed so sparks cannot fall or travel through
- 4Walls, ceilings and partitions near the work are not combustible, or are shielded, and the other side has been checked
- 5No flammable liquid, gas, vapour or dust is present; where it could be, the atmosphere has been tested
Equipment and fire protection
What is in the place and what is brought in
- 6A suitable fire extinguisher is within reach and the person using it knows how
- 7Sprinklers and fire alarms in the area are in service; any that are impaired have been reported and covered by the permit
- 8The welding, cutting or grinding equipment, leads, hoses and gauges have been checked and are in good order
- 9Gas cylinders are upright, secured and away from the heat; valves are closed when the equipment is not in use
- 10Containers, tanks and pipes that held flammables or fuel have been emptied, cleaned and tested, or the work is not done on them
People and ventilation
Who is there and what they breathe
- 11A trained fire watch is named, has an extinguisher and a way to raise the alarm, and has no other task
- 12Ventilation or fume extraction is enough for the work, and the worker wears the right protection
- 13Other people nearby have been told, and barriers or signs keep them out of the sparks and the fumes
- 14Everyone on the job knows where to go and who to call in an emergency
Special cases
Tick N/A if it does not apply, and say why in the notes
- 15Work in a confined space has its own entry permit as well as this one
- 16Work on a roof, duct, wall or ceiling with combustible insulation or lining has a plan for the hidden spaces
- 17Any detector or alarm switched off for the work has been agreed with the people who respond, and is switched back on at the end
- 18The work cannot be done without heat; cold cutting, a designated welding area or a different fixing was considered
A filled-in example
Illustrative, not a benchmarkAn example: a pipe support welded on a mezzanine, beside a stack of cardboard. The permit, times and findings are invented.
- Before the work the cardboard stack was moved 12 m away and the rest covered with a fire blanket, gaps in the mezzanine floor were covered, the floor was swept and wetted, the sprinklers were confirmed in service and an extinguisher was placed at hand.
- The welding ran from 13:00 to 15:00. The fire watch checked every 15 to 30 minutes and found nothing.
- At 15:35, 35 minutes after the work ended, the watch found a warm spot with a little smoke on a cardboard sleeve behind the pipe, and put it out with water.
- The watch was extended by 30 minutes, the area was checked again at 16:30 with nothing warm, and the permit was closed at 16:30, not 16:00.
The check after the work is the one that found the smoulder the work started. In the Excel log, a permit closed before its watch ended is flagged, so that cannot be missed.
Common mistakes
Issuing the permit from a desk
The person who issues the permit has to go to the place and look. Combustibles behind a pipe or under a floor gap are only found by looking.
A fire watch who is also doing a job
A watch who is helping with the work is not watching. The watch has one task, an extinguisher and a way to raise the alarm.
Closing the permit when the work stops
The risk does not end when the sparks do. Keep the watch for the time after the work that your procedure sets and check the area before closing.
One permit for several days or places
Conditions change when the work moves or the shift changes. Use a new permit for each job, place and shift.
Switching off a detector or sprinkler without telling anyone
If a detector or alarm has to be off for the work, agree it with the people who respond, write it on the permit and check that it is back on at close-out.
Download the template
Free to use: print it, copy it and edit it for your team. Enter your name and work email once to download.
Run this template in LeanSuite
In LeanSuite each LOTO procedure is a digital form with photo-verified isolation steps, it opens only for people with a valid Authorized Employee certification for that machine, and Document Management gives each procedure an owner and a yearly review date.
See it in a 45-minute demoFAQ
Hot work permit template: common questions
A hot work permit is a written authorisation to do work that makes sparks, flame or heat, such as welding, cutting or grinding, outside a designated area. It records the job and place, confirms the fire precautions, names a fire watch and is closed after the watch.
Whenever hot work is done somewhere other than a designated hot work area, and whenever sparks or heat could reach anything that can burn. Your insurer, your safety procedure and local rules set the exact cases, so check them.
A person your site has trained and named to do it, who has seen the area and the work. The person doing the hot work should not issue their own permit.
Set it in your procedure and check what your insurer and local rules require. Many sites keep the watch for at least 30 to 60 minutes after the work ends, longer where there are hidden spaces or combustible materials. The Excel log works out the time the watch ends from the minutes you enter.
No. It is a general starting point. Adapt it to the law that applies to your site and to your own hot work procedure, and have your safety professional and your insurer review it.
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- Lean readiness assessment templateTwenty statements in four factors, scored 1 to 5 by several people on their own, with averages, the spread between them and the actions.
- Nemawashi template (stakeholder plan)Plan the one-to-one conversations before a decision: who to talk to in what order, their concerns, what changed and where they stand.
- Heijunka box planner (production leveling)Weekly demand turned into containers a day, takt, pitch and slots, a leveled sequence of products and the heijunka box, with a check that the changeovers fit.
- 4M change management sheet (change point)A shift log of every change to Man, Machine, Material, Method or Design, the extra checks after it and when normal checks resume, with a change point board.
- Future state value stream map worksheetThe eight future-state questions worked through in order: takt, pitch, flow, supermarkets, the pacemaker and the mix, with an EPEI check and current against future lead time.
- Value stream plan (VSM action plan)The future-state map cut into loops, each with an objective and a measurable goal, and its kaizen bursts turned into owned, dated projects on a 12-month timeline.
- Kaizen project plan (Gantt chart)One improvement project as a Gantt chart: tasks by phase with owners, predecessors and working days, a 16-week grid, milestones and a status from planned against actual % done.
- Histogram templateReadings, bins set by the square root rule, a tally and counts, the spec limits drawn and the share out of spec, with the common shapes explained.
- Scatter diagram templateUp to 50 pairs with a group code, r and R², the least squares line, the quadrant count and r for each group.
- Gauge calibration logA gauge register with next due dates and status, a calibration record with as-found and as-left readings, and the steps when a gauge fails.
- Escalation matrix templateWho is called for each type of issue and after how long, with severity rules, contacts and an escalation log.
- Visual management audit checklist29 checks of whether anyone can tell normal from abnormal at a glance, scored by group, with a trend and actions.
- Quality alert formA quality alert to post at the line, a sign-off sheet for every shift, and a log of open, expired and closed alerts.
- TQM self-assessment templateThe eight TQM principles in 24 statements you can check on the floor, scored 0 to 4 by several people, with the spread, the top 3 gaps and an action plan.
- Employee recognition program templateDesign a recognition program on one page, then run it: points per action, prizes, budget, a points ledger, a monthly leaderboard and a fairness check by team and shift.
- Lean transformation roadmapA plant-wide lean program on one sheet: six phases with exit criteria, six workstreams by quarter over 24 months, the model line, metrics with baseline and target, cadence and risks.
- Obeya room plannerPlan the walls, owners, cadence, agenda and rules of an obeya, then run the weekly review of KPIs, problems, actions and milestones.
- Paper forms inventory (paperless manufacturing worksheet)Every paper form, checklist and log in one list: hours a month, who acts on it, how long the paper waits, and which forms to move first.
- Continuous improvement software evaluation scorecardCompare CI software vendors: a must-have gate, eight weighted criteria scored 1 to 5, points out of 100 and a rank, with a demo script and reference questions.
- Lean principles assessment templateThe five lean principles as 25 things you can see on one value stream, answered yes, partly or no on a walk, with a score per principle, the next step and a trend over walks.
- Employee engagement survey templateA short anonymous pulse survey for shop floor staff: 14 statements in six drivers, two open questions, results by driver and team, and the actions.
- Hansei reflection sheet (lessons learned)A written look back at one finished project, event or launch: goals against results in numbers, causes rather than blame, lessons to keep or change, and where else they apply.
- Daily kaizen routine boardA team's 10 to 15 minute daily routine at the board: one problem from each person, small fixes with one owner, counted every week.
- Quality circle meeting recordA circle's charter, a one-page record for each meeting and a problem register that follows every problem from selected to closed or escalated.
- Operational excellence assessment templateThe ten principles of operational excellence as 30 behaviors and practices you can see, scored 1 to 5 by several people, with the spread, the three lowest principles and an action plan.
- Scrum meeting agenda templateTimed agendas for the five scrum meetings, a sprint planning sheet, a retrospective sheet, and an Excel sprint backlog with a burndown.
- Toyota Production System (TPS) house templateThe TPS house for one plant or value stream: roof, two pillars and foundation, with what you do today, the evidence, a status and the next step for each element.
- EPEI and batch size calculatorHow often each part can come round on a shared machine (EPEI) and how big each batch must be, from demand, cycle times and changeovers, now and after SMED.
- People, process, technology (PPT) assessmentCheck one change before go-live: 18 people, process and technology statements scored 1 to 4 by the people who will use it, the lowest element and the actions.
- Process capacity sheet templateEach machine in a part's routing with manual, auto and tool change time, its capacity per shift, and the step that limits the cell against demand.
- Jidoka worksheet (stop at abnormality)For one line or cell, every abnormality that should stop the work: how it is detected, how the work stops, who is called, the immediate fix and the root cause step, plus a log of real stops.
- Team charter templateA one-page charter for a standing team: purpose, scope, roles, the KPIs it owns, which decisions it makes itself, norms and cadence.
- Chaku-chaku line plannerPlan a load-load cell: time each machine, load and walk, check that every machine is ready when the operator comes back, compare the cell cycle with takt and size the crew.
- Standard operating procedure (SOP) templateA full SOP in the hierarchical step format, from purpose and scope to the steps, records, revision history and approvals, with review checks and an SOP register.
- Process improvement method selectorEight questions about one problem, an example rule that suggests a method and a matrix of nine methods: when each fits, the usual team and time, and the template to start with.
- X-bar and R control chart template25 subgroups with means and ranges, control limits from A2, D3 and D4, signal flags, both charts and a reaction log.
- Gage R&R study sheet10 parts, 2 or 3 appraisers, 2 or 3 trials: EV, AV, GRR, PV, %GRR and ndc by the average and range method.
- Root cause analysis templateOne report from problem statement to proof: containment, evidence, analysis, verified causes, actions and the effectiveness check.
- Quality control pillar 90-day model area planThirteen weeks from the QA matrix to the QM matrix on one model area, a KPI board, the day-90 gate and expansion waves.
- Environment and energy pillar 90-day model area planThirteen weeks from waste and energy maps to area standards on one model area, a KPI board, the day-90 gate and expansion waves.
- Focused improvement 90-day model area planThirteen weeks from the loss Pareto to standardized fixes on one model line, a KPI board, the day-90 gate and expansion waves.
- Logistics and customer service pillar 90-day model area planThirteen weeks from the current-state map to pull on one model value stream, a KPI board, the day-90 gate and expansion waves.
- People development pillar 90-day model area planThirteen weeks from the skills matrix to trained cover on critical tasks in one model area, a KPI board, the day-90 gate and expansion waves.
- Cost deployment pillar 90-day model area planThirteen weeks from the loss map to costed, ranked projects in one model area, a KPI board, the day-90 gate and expansion waves.
- Moving from Excel to one system checklistA 34-point checklist and a file inventory for moving trackers from spreadsheets to one system: keep, move, connect or retire, clean, pilot, run both, retire.
- Prioritization matrix templateScore up to 20 improvement ideas on weighted criteria, rank them, test the ranking with equal weights and place each one on an effort and benefit grid.
- Cost per unit worksheet (manufacturing cost per good unit)One product's cost per good unit by materials, labor, machine and overhead, the gap to target, and which cost lever is worth most a year.
- Digital manufacturing readiness assessmentScore 24 statements on process, technology and people from 0 to 4, check the balance between them and rank the gaps by what matters in your plant.
- Manufacturing KPI dashboard templateWeekly plant numbers in, 14 KPIs out: OEE and its parts, first pass yield, scrap, on-time delivery, recordable rate, cost and absence, each against a target.
- Error-proofing verification log (daily master-sample check)Each poka-yoke device proved every day or week with a known-bad sample, with missed checks counted and the hours and parts at risk worked out when one fails.
- Defect catalogue template with boundary samplesEvery defect with a definition, a class and the reason for it, measured accept and reject limits by zone, boundary samples, a defect log with DPU and Pareto, and an inspector agreement check.
- I-MR chart template (individuals and moving range)Up to 100 single readings with moving ranges, limits from a baseline, five run-rule flags, both charts, a second phase and a reaction log.
- Kaizen event preparation checklistEverything that has to be ready before a kaizen event and done after it: 44 items with owners and due dates from 6 weeks before day 1 to 30 days after, five go or no-go gates and a day-by-day agenda.
- Attribute control chart template (p, np, c and u charts)p, np, c and u charts in one workbook: a chart selector, a sample size check, limits for each subgroup, signal flags and four worked examples.
- Tier 2 meeting agenda and escalation sheetA 15-minute tier 2 agenda in ten timed blocks, fixed roles and rules, escalation triggers with time limits, and a log that ages every escalation and sends the answer back down.
- Mock recall template: traceability exercise worksheetTrace a finished lot back to every input lot and forward to every first customer, reconcile the quantities against a tolerance and time it against your target.
- ISO 9001 internal audit checklist (production area)46 audit questions for the production floor in 11 processes, each with its ISO 9001:2015 clause, what evidence to look for and the sample to take, plus five defined grades, a findings log, a finding report and a summary by clause.
- Plan for every part (PFEP) templateOne row per part: supplier, pack, container, usage, lead time and locations, with ABC classes, market and line kanban counts and a lineside space check.
- Food plant GMP inspection checklist (21 CFR 117 subpart B)55 checks in the order of 21 CFR 117 subpart B, each citing its paragraph and saying what to look at, with a grade, finding, owner and due date; results by section and grade, a walk route and a bakery example.
- Master sanitation schedule with pre-op verificationA master list of cleaning tasks by area and equipment with frequency, chemical, lockout, who and next due date, a weekly on-time count, and the pre-operational verification log with a release step.
- Changeover matrix templateA from-to matrix of changeover minutes with the clean each transition needs (allergen, colour, format), and a weekly planner that totals the order and suggests a shorter one.
- Measurement uncertainty budget templateA GUM uncertainty budget: Type A and B rows, divisors by distribution, sensitivity coefficients, uc, νeff, k from the t-table, U, TUR and a guard band check.
- Video time study filming checklistA pre-shoot checklist and shot log for filming a time study on video: camera, light, people, settings, power and review.
- Reorder point and safety stock sheet (many parts)Safety stock, reorder point, order quantity and an order list for up to 500 parts, worked out from each part's own demand and lead time history.
- Energy use and EnPI trackerMonthly electricity, gas and fuel in one unit, a 12-month regression baseline, expected against actual energy for each month, an EnPI ratio, the running saving and the tests that say whether the model can be trusted.
- FIFO lane sizing sheetThe maximum for a FIFO lane from the stop it must cover, in whole containers, with length, refill and wait checks for up to eight lanes.
- Pugh matrix templateCompare up to 8 concepts with a datum as better, same or worse on up to 12 criteria, flag must-haves, and carry the strongest into a second round.
- Quad chart templateA project on one page in four boxes: idea and owner, problem, approach, and cost, schedule and result.
- Defect detection matrix templateMap where each defect is created and where it is found, score the gap and move the check closer to the cause.
- Project savings validation checklistThe gate between a project's claim and a reported saving: 20 checks, a claims register and a six-month sustainment check.
- Life cycle cost analysis templateCompare up to three machines over ten years: price, energy, upkeep, failures and down time, discounted to present value.
- Energy loss matrix templateSeven types of energy loss by six energy sources with a cost in each cell, an action plan and an idle-period shutdown checklist.
- Environmental compliance audit checklistAn internal environmental audit: 37 questions with what to look for, a findings log with classes and a score by section.
- APQP checklistThe five APQP phases as a checklist: deliverables, owners, due dates, gate reviews and an issues list.
- Out-of-control action plan (OCAP) templateA reaction plan for a control chart: the steps, what each signal means, who to call and a log of events.
- Quality inspection checklistAn in-process and final inspection record: measured characteristics, visual checks, a decision and first pass yield.
- AQL sampling plan templatePick a sample size, read accept and reject numbers, record the defects and decide on the lot.
- MSA study workbookBias, linearity and stability study sheets for a gauge, with the arithmetic done and a guide to which study when.
- Incoming quality control stage sheetA register that shows how much control each purchased part has and plans the move from your dock to the supplier's process.
- Internal audit schedule templateA year of internal audits planned by risk: the programme, the register, the auditors and the findings.
- Approved supplier list templateThe list of suppliers you may buy from, with the evidence behind each, certificate expiry alerts and re-evaluation dates.
- Pest control inspection checklistA pest control walk-round for a food plant, with a log of traps and stations and action levels for each type of device.
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A shift handover sheet, a red tag log, a changeover checklist for one machine: if your team uses it on the floor, ask.