Expert Exchange - Permits to Work: Controlling Risk Before the Job Starts

This Expert Exchange session is designed to support school leaders, premises managers, caretakers, estates teams and safety leads in understanding why Permit to Work systems often fail in practice, and how schools can use permits effectively to control risk before work starts.

Permit-to-Work systems are a recognised control for high-risk activities such as isolations, hot works and work on plant. However, in many school settings, permits are poorly understood, inconsistently applied, treated as a paperwork exercise, or bypassed entirely, increasing the risk of injury, disruption and enforcement action.

This session moves beyond theory and policy wording to focus on real‑world school environments, drawing on case studies, lessons learned and common failure points. Delegates will explore how permits should operate in practice, what a proportionate and effective school‑based system looks like, and how to embed Permit to Work arrangements into day‑to‑day site management.

What This Course Contains

Key topics will include:

  • What a Permit to Work is and when it should be used in a school setting
  • Common high‑risk activities in schools that require permit control
  • The difference between a compliant Permit to Work and an effective one
  • Why “routine” maintenance tasks still present a significant risk
  • Roles and responsibilities: authorising persons, contractors and site staff
  • Isolation, lock‑off and verification – where failures commonly occur
  • Communication failures before, during and after permitted work
  • Lessons learned from school‑based case studies
  • How to implement, monitor and close permits so controls remain effective

Why This Matters

Permits to Work are not simply a form to sign before work starts. When they are misused, the consequences can be immediate and serious, particularly in live school environments where pupils and staff may be nearby.

For schools, ineffective Permit to Work arrangements can result in:

  • Serious injury or harm, arising from uncontrolled hot works, isolations or plant activities
  • Legal and regulatory exposure, including breaches of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act and related regulations
  • Disruption to teaching and learning, including evacuations, shutdowns or emergency responses
  • Safeguarding concerns, where work activities impact on pupils without adequate controls
  • Reputational damage, particularly following incidents involving contractors
  • Loss of confidence, where staff are unsure when and how permits should be used

Intended Outcomes

By attending this session, delegates will:

  • Develop a clearer understanding of when and why permits are required in schools
  • Be able to identify weaknesses in their current Permit to Work arrangements
  • Gain confidence in authorising, issuing and managing permits effectively
  • Understand how permits support risk assessment, isolation and communication
  • Take away practical actions to strengthen control of high‑risk work

Assessment

There is no formal assessment. A live Q&A will be available throughout the session to support practical understanding and application.

Date and time

  • Date: 24th June 2026
  • Time: 4pm – 5pm

Location

  • This course will be run remotely via Microsoft Teams.

Cost

  • £35 + VAT per person for Judicium Health and Safety Clients and £45+ VAT per person for non Judicium Health and Safety Clients

Upcoming Dates

  • Wednesday 24th June 2026 4:00pm - 5:00pm
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