Organisations have a legal duty to put in place suitable arrangements to manage health and safety. The Management of Health and Safety at Work regulations 1999 require all employers to put in place arrangements to control health and safety risks. Companies will have put in place a health and safety procedure or process, and depending on the size and nature of the business this often includes a separate Control of Work procedure or system.
WHAT IS CONTROL OF WORK?
There are various names which are used, often depending on the industry, but all broadly mean the same:
- Control of Work (CoW)
- Safe System of Work (SSOW)
- Integrated Safe System of Work (ISSOW)
- Permit to Work System (PTW)
Control of Work systems will include three primary elements: Hazard Identification and (Task) Risk Assessment (HIRA or HITRA), Permit to Work (PTW) and Lock Out Tag Out (LOTO).
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), with input from Cresent, created two guidance documents to support companies looking to implement a Control of Work system; HSG250 Guidance on Permit to Work Systems and HSG253; The Safe Isolation of Plant and Equipment. These documents give companies the tools they need to fully understand PTW and Isolations and implement the effective controls and solutions.
The HSE recommend a Plan, Do, Check, Act cycle approach to health and safety management systems. So when and why should you check the whole process?