Digital Permit to Work System
for South African Industry.
From hot work to confined space entry — SHEQ24 digitises your entire permit to work system. Issue permits from mobile devices, prevent conflicting permits automatically, and maintain the legally defensible audit trail required by the OHS Act and ISO 45001.
Complete Permit to Work Lifecycle Management
From permit request through to safe closure — every step authorised, tracked, and audit-ready for OHS Act compliance and ISO 45001 certification.
All Permit Types Supported
Hot work, confined space entry, working at heights, electrical isolation, excavation, and radiation permits — each with configurable pre-work checklists enforcing the specific controls required for that permit type.
Lockout / Tagout Integration
Electrical isolation permits are linked to the lockout/tagout procedure for the specific equipment. The permit cannot be issued until the isolation is confirmed, and cannot be closed until all locks are removed and the equipment is safely re-energised.
Conflict Prevention
The system prevents conflicting permits from being issued simultaneously. A hot work permit cannot be issued in an area where a confined space entry permit is active without an explicit override and documented risk assessment.
Real-Time Permit Register
Site managers and safety officers have complete visibility of all active permits across the site at any time. Expired permits are automatically flagged. Unauthorised work without a permit is immediately visible.
Multi-Level Authorisation
Configure permit authorisation workflows requiring sign-off from the area supervisor, safety officer, and permit issuer before work commences. Digital signatures are legally binding and timestamped.
Immutable Permit Audit Trail
Every permit — issued, active, suspended, and closed — is retained with a complete audit trail. Produce the permit history for any location, time period, or work type for DoL inspectors or litigation in seconds.
The South African Permit to Work Legal Framework
The South African OHS Act Section 8 requires employers to take all reasonably practicable steps to ensure a safe working environment. For high-risk activities — hot work near flammable materials, confined space entry, working at heights, and electrical work on live systems — a permit to work system is the primary mechanism for demonstrating that these steps have been taken. Without a permit to work record, an employer cannot demonstrate that the hazards were identified, the controls were implemented, and the work was authorised by a competent person.
The Construction Regulations 2014 impose specific permit requirements for construction environments. Regulation 13 requires that no person may enter a confined space without a valid permit to work. Regulation 10 requires that all work at heights above 2 metres be controlled through a fall protection plan and, for non-routine work, a permit to work. The Mine Health and Safety Act imposes similar requirements for underground mining environments, where permit to work systems are mandatory for all high-risk activities.
ISO 45001 Clause 8.1.3 requires organisations to implement and maintain a process for the temporary transfer of management of OHS risks when working with contractors or in non-routine situations. A permit to work system is the primary mechanism for satisfying this requirement — it documents the hazard identification, risk assessment, control measures, and authorisation for each non-routine high-risk activity.
When a serious incident occurs during work that should have been covered by a permit to work, the absence of a permit record is one of the most damaging findings in a DoL investigation. SHEQ24 eliminates this risk by making permit issuance the mandatory gateway to high-risk work — no permit, no work. The complete permit history provides the legally defensible evidence trail that protects both the organisation and the responsible managers from enforcement action and litigation.
Managing high-risk work on a complex South African industrial site?
Our OHS compliance specialists will show you how SHEQ24's permit to work system prevents conflicting permits, enforces pre-work controls, and produces the legally defensible audit trail required by the OHS Act and ISO 45001.
Speak to an OHS SpecialistRelated SHEQ24 Modules
Permit to work management works best as part of an integrated SHEQ compliance platform.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a permit to work and when is it required under the OHS Act?+
A permit to work (PTW) is a formal written system used to control high-risk work activities that could cause serious injury or death if not properly managed. Under the South African Occupational Health and Safety Act 85 of 1993, permits to work are required for activities including hot work (welding, cutting, grinding) in areas with flammable materials, confined space entry, working at heights above 2 metres, electrical work on live systems, and excavation work. The Construction Regulations 2014 and the General Safety Regulations specify additional permit requirements for construction environments. A permit to work documents the hazards, controls, authorisation, and sign-off for each high-risk task, creating the evidence trail required to demonstrate compliance with the OHS Act's duty of care obligations.
What types of permits to work are required in South African industry?+
South African industrial operations typically require the following permit types: Hot Work Permits (for welding, cutting, grinding, and other ignition sources near flammable materials), Confined Space Entry Permits (for entry into vessels, tanks, silos, and other confined spaces as defined in the General Safety Regulations), Working at Heights Permits (for work above 2 metres where fall protection is required), Electrical Isolation Permits (for work on electrical systems requiring lockout/tagout procedures), Excavation Permits (for trenching and excavation work under the Construction Regulations), and Radiation Work Permits (for work involving ionising radiation sources). SHEQ24 provides configurable permit templates for all these types, with each template enforcing the specific pre-work checks and authorisation requirements for that permit type.
How does SHEQ24 manage simultaneous permits to work on a large site?+
SHEQ24 provides a real-time permit register that gives site managers and safety officers complete visibility of all active permits across the site at any time. The system prevents conflicting permits from being issued simultaneously — for example, a hot work permit cannot be issued in an area where a confined space entry permit is active without an explicit override and documented risk assessment. Each permit is linked to a specific location, time window, and responsible person. When a permit expires or is closed, the system automatically updates the register. For large sites with multiple simultaneous high-risk activities, this real-time visibility is essential for preventing the permit conflicts that have caused major industrial accidents in South Africa.
What are the legal consequences of working without a permit to work in South Africa?+
Working without a required permit to work in South Africa exposes both the employer and the individual supervisor to serious legal consequences. Under the OHS Act, a DoL inspector can issue a prohibition notice stopping all work immediately, issue a contravention notice requiring corrective action, and recommend prosecution of the employer and responsible persons. If a fatality or serious injury occurs during work that should have been covered by a permit to work, the employer faces potential criminal prosecution under Section 38 of the OHS Act, which carries penalties of up to R100,000 or two years imprisonment for individuals. The absence of a permit to work record also severely weakens any Section 37.2 or Section 16(1) defence in subsequent litigation or DoL investigation.
Stop issuing permits on paper.
Deploy a digital permit to work system that prevents conflicting permits, enforces pre-work controls from mobile devices, and maintains the legally defensible audit trail required by the OHS Act and ISO 45001.