A work at height permit is a permit to work system that makes sure a job with a fall risk is checked on site before it starts, that the precautions are recorded in writing, and that an authorised person approves it. The permit is the final checkpoint confirming that the precautions set out in the risk assessment have actually been taken, on that day, on that site and for that team. A well-prepared permit to work form covers the job description, the risks and precautions, the equipment checks, the people involved, the rescue plan, and the approval and close-out.

What Is a Work at Height Permit?

A risk assessment sets out the general risks of work at height in a workplace and the precautions to be taken. But every working day is different: the weather changes, the team changes, the equipment changes and new obstacles appear on site. A work at height permit is the tool that applies the general risk assessment to that day and that job.

The permit system answers three questions before work begins:

• What exactly is the job and where will it be done?
• What are the risks and which precautions have been taken?
• Who will do the work, who approved it, and was the site made safe when the work finished?

A permit is not a paper formality. No item on the form should be ticked without being checked on site.

Is a Permit to Work a Legal Requirement?

In Türkiye, Occupational Health and Safety Law No. 6331 requires employers to carry out a risk assessment and to put in place measures to control the risks. The Regulation on Occupational Health and Safety in Construction Works and the Regulation on Health and Safety Conditions in the Use of Work Equipment also require work at height to be planned, collective protection to be prioritised and suitable equipment to be used.

The legislation does not prescribe a single work at height permit template for every workplace. However, a permit to work system is the most common and most reliable way of meeting these duties in a documented way on site. When an accident is investigated, the permit to work form is often the most concrete document showing how the work was planned and who checked the precautions. Many industrial plants, energy and construction projects also make written permits a contractual requirement for contractors.

We cover the employer’s other legal duties for work at height in detail in our work at height regulation article.

When Is a Work at Height Permit Needed?

The workplace’s own procedure always applies, but a written permit is strongly recommended for:

• Work on roofs, façades and platform edges without guardrails or collective protection
• Work on fragile surfaces (roof lights, fibre cement sheets, thin or corroded metal sheeting)
• Erecting and dismantling scaffolding
• Work from mobile elevating work platforms, towers and poles
• Non-routine maintenance, repair and breakdown work
• Work at height carried out by contractors or subcontractors
• Work at height combined with hot work, electrical work or confined space entry

What Should a Work at Height Permit Form Include?

A good permit form is short, can be filled in on site and can be checked. The headings below form its backbone.

1. Job description

• A short description of the job and where it will be done
• Working height and type of working surface
• Permit start and end time
• Reference to the relevant risk assessment or method statement

2. Risks and precautions taken

• Risks such as falls, falling objects, fragile surfaces, overhead power lines and weather
• Collective protection: guardrails, safety nets, platforms, exclusion zones
• Closing off the area below and putting up warning signs
• Criteria for stopping work in wind, rain, ice or poor lighting

3. Equipment checks

• Pre-use checks of the full body harness, lanyard, karabiners and self-retracting lifeline
• Confirmation that periodic inspection dates are valid
• Confirmation that the anchor point has been identified and verified
• Confirmation that there is enough fall clearance below

4. People

• Names of the people who will do the work
• Confirmation that their work at height training and medical fitness are valid
• Name of the competent person supervising the work

5. Rescue plan

• How, and by whom, a worker left suspended after a fall will be rescued
• Confirmation that rescue equipment is ready on site
• Emergency contact numbers

6. Approval and close-out

• Signatures of the person requesting the permit, the person approving it and the people doing the work
• Confirmation at the end of the job that the site has been checked, equipment collected and the area made safe

How Does the Permit Process Work, Step by Step?

1. Request: The team doing the work requests a permit, describing the job and its duration.
2. Site check: The person approving the permit checks every precaution on the form on site. Permits are not approved from a desk.
3. Approval: When every item is met, the permit is signed and a copy is displayed at the work area.
4. Team briefing: Before work starts, the team is briefed on the risks, precautions and rescue plan.
5. Monitoring during work: If conditions change (the weather worsens, the team changes or the scope grows), work stops and the permit is reassessed.
6. Close-out: When the job is finished, the site is checked and the permit is closed with a signature.

Common Mistakes

• Filling in the form in advance and never going to site: The value of a permit lies in the site check.
• Working for days on a single permit: A permit is usually valid for one shift or one working day, and must be renewed when conditions change.
• Leaving the rescue plan blank: A worker left suspended after a fall is at serious risk within minutes. We explain why in our suspension trauma article.
• Ticking “yes” for equipment checks: What must be checked is not that the harness exists, but that it is undamaged and attached to the right anchor.
• Not closing the permit: A permit left open means a risk left on site with no record.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who issues and who approves a work at height permit?
The permit is usually requested by the leader of the team doing the work, and approved on site by a department manager, site manager or safety professional, according to the workplace procedure. The requester and the approver should be different people.

How long is a work at height permit valid?
There is no fixed period in the legislation; the workplace procedure decides. Common practice is to limit a permit to one shift or one working day and to renew it when conditions change.

Do subcontractors need a separate permit?
Yes. Every job at height carried out by a subcontractor should be managed within the main employer’s permit system. The main employer and the subcontractor share responsibility for applying health and safety measures.

Does a permit to work replace the risk assessment?
No. The risk assessment sets out the general risks and precautions; the permit confirms that those precautions are in place on site for a specific job. The two complement each other.

Should completed permit forms be kept?
Yes. Closed permits should be archived together with risk assessments and training records. These records show that the employer took precautions, both in internal audits and in any accident investigation.

A Permit Is Not a Document, It Is a Control System

A work at height permit is one of the most effective tools for stopping a job from starting on autopilot. Used properly, it makes risks visible before work begins, clarifies responsibilities and moves the rescue plan from paper onto the site. But a permit only has meaning when the precautions are genuinely checked on site and the right equipment is used.

Alongside harnesses, anchoring solutions, lifelines and rescue equipment, EKS Work Safety supports your permit system on site with its work at height inspection service and work at height training. For details, get in touch with EKS Work Safety.

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