Health & Safety Training

Permit to Work Training Course

In-company training for the people who write, issue and manage permits to work. Run as a one-day general course, or a two-day course that adds the specialist permits.

1 day or 2 days In-company UK-wide Certificate of attendance Permit writers, issuers & duty holders
Key facts at a glance
1 or 2 days
Two formatsgeneral, or general & specific
Duty holders
Who it is forpermit writers and issuers
Your paperwork
Built inappraises your own permits
Hot work etc
2-day addsconfined space and electrical permits
Two ways to run it

Choose the format that fits your team

Both formats train the people who write, issue and manage permits to work. The one-day course covers general permits; the two-day course adds the specialist permits for higher-risk work.

1 day

Permit to Work: General

1 day general permits
  • The permit to work system and when a permit is needed
  • General permits and the duty-holder roles
  • Risk assessments and method statements in permit work
  • Appraising your own permit documentation
Request a quote
The course
Quick answer

What is permit to work training?

Permit to work training prepares the people who write, issue and manage permits to work: understanding when a permit is needed, how the system works, the duty-holder roles, and the risk assessments and method statements behind it. KeyOstas runs it as a one-day general course or a two-day course that adds the specialist permits.

For the duty holders who write, issue and manage permits
Covers the permit to work system and when a permit is needed
One-day general course, or two-day general and specific
Certificate of attendance for every delegate
A permit to work is a formal, documented safe system of work for higher-risk jobs. It only works if the people who write and issue permits understand it properly. This course builds that competence. It covers when a permit is required, the permit to work system and the duty-holder roles, the risk assessments and method statements that underpin a permit, and the actions and conditions that lead to permit failure. The two-day course goes further, into the specialist permits: hot work, confined space and electrical. Throughout, the course appraises your own permit documentation against current HSE guidance.
1 or 2 days
general, or general & specific
Safe system
what a permit to work is
Your permits
appraised on the course
Is it right for you

Is this course right for your team?

It is for the people who write, issue and manage permits to work.

Right for you if…

You have staff who write, issue or authorise permits to work
You need duty holders who understand the permit system properly
You want your own permit documentation appraised against HSE guidance
Your work involves hot work, confined space or electrical permits (two-day course)
You want to reduce the permit failures that cause serious incidents

A different course fits better if…

Staff who only work under a permit need a short briefing, not this full course
You need to control contractors more broadly: see Managing Contractors
You want a regulated, accredited qualification: this is a certificate of attendance
After the course

What you will be able to do

By the end of the course, every delegate will be able to do the following.

Understand the system

Know when a permit is needed

Identify the circumstances that require a permit to work within their company.

Understand the permit system

Explain the permit to work system and the duty-holder responsibilities.

Use risk assessments and method statements

Explain the role of risk assessments and method statements in preparing permit operations.

Spot permit failure

Identify the actions and conditions that lead to permit to work failure.

Apply it

Appraise permit documentation

Critically appraise company permit documentation against current HSE guidance.

Work through scenarios

Work through real permit to work scenarios in syndicate exercises.

Handle specialist permits

Identify the specific requirements of specialist permits, including hot work, confined space and electrical (two-day course).

Learn from failures

Draw the practical lessons from case studies of permit and system failure.

Course content

What the course covers

The one-day course covers the general permit system; the two-day course adds the specialist permits.

01

The permit system

  • An introduction and the key definitions
  • The permit to work system
  • A syndicate exercise on the permit system
02

Why permits fail

  • Human and system failure
  • Case studies of permit and system failure
  • A syndicate exercise on permit failure
03

Permits & duty holders

  • The types and uses of permits, using real procedures and paperwork
  • Duty-holder responsibilities and a legislation review
  • Appraising your own company permit documentation
04

Permits in practice

  • Permit to work scenarios
  • Risk assessments and method statements
  • The specialist permits: hot work, confined space and electrical (two-day course)
Assessment

How the course is assessed and certificated

Practical and discussion-led, worked through syndicate exercises and your own paperwork.

Format

Instructor-led, in-company

A KeyOstas tutor delivers the course at your premises, as a one-day or two-day course, using your own permit documentation.

Assessment

Syndicate exercises and discussion

Understanding is built and checked through syndicate exercises and discussion rather than a written exam.

Certificate

Certificate of attendance

Every delegate receives a KeyOstas certificate of attendance on completion.

Delivered in-company, the course appraises your own permit to work documentation against current HSE guidance, so delegates work with the system they will actually use.
Why KeyOstas

Why train with KeyOstas

Four decades of practical, in-company health & safety training.

01

Delivered at your site

We come to you, anywhere in the UK, and train your team around your working pattern.

02

Uses your own permits

The course appraises your own permit documentation against current HSE guidance.

03

One day or two

Choose the general course, or the two-day course for the specialist permits.

04

Specialists since 1984

Four decades of training UK workforces with practical instruction, not generic e-learning.

FAQ

Permit to work training: frequently asked questions

What is a permit to work?
A permit to work is a formal, documented system that controls higher-risk work. It sets out the job, the hazards, the precautions and who has authorised it, so the work cannot begin until it is safe to do so.
What is the difference between the one-day and two-day course?
The one-day course covers the general permit to work system and general permits. The two-day course adds the specialist permits, hot work, confined space and electrical, with extra syndicate exercises.
Who should attend?
The duty holders who write, issue, authorise or manage permits to work. Staff who only work under a permit need a shorter briefing rather than this full course.
When is a permit to work needed?
Whenever a job carries a high enough risk that it needs a formal, documented safe system of work, such as hot work, confined-space entry, electrical work, or work on isolated plant. The course covers identifying when a permit is required.
Does the course cover hot work and confined space permits?
Yes, on the two-day course. It covers the specific requirements of the specialist permits: hot work, confined space and electrical.
Will the course use our own permit paperwork?
Yes. Delivered in-company, the course appraises your own permit to work documentation against current HSE guidance.
Is permit to work training a legal requirement?
There is no single regulation that names permit to work training, but a permit system is a recognised safe system of work, and employers must ensure higher-risk work is properly controlled by competent people. This course provides that competence.
Is this an accredited qualification?
It is a KeyOstas course with a certificate of attendance: practical training rather than a regulated qualification.

Train your permit to work duty holders

Tell us whether you need the one-day general course or the two-day general and specific course, and how many people you would like to train, and we will put together a quote.

Last reviewed: May 2026. Checked against current UK health & safety legislation and HSE guidance.