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A hot works permit for one job, in one place, for one shift. The precautions page counts anything not yet confirmed and the permit will not read as issued until it is zero; the fire watch page records the watch after the work with timed checks; the last page is the hand-back and cancellation. It sits alongside the RAMS template, which lists the hot work step and asks for the permit number.
For roofers, welders, fabricators, M&E and maintenance teams who issue or accept a hot works permit on a client's site, and for the site managers who issue them.
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A hot works permit is a written authorisation for one job that creates heat, sparks or flame, such as welding, cutting, grinding or torch-on roofing, valid for one place and one shift. It records the precautions confirmed before the work, the issue and acceptance signatures, the fire watch after the work stops, and the hand-back and cancellation. HSE's precautions for hot work are clearing the area of combustible materials, suitable fire extinguishers and a careful watch throughout the work; a permit to work system helps manage the risk.
Last updated . Facts checked by the SiteSurvey team on 24 October 2026 against HSE, process fire risks in construction, HSE HSG168, Fire safety in construction, HSE guidance on permit to work systems, the Fire Protection Association on the Joint Code of Practice (10th edition), Miller Insurance's summary of the Joint Code's fire watch requirements and article 9 of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
The form follows the same five pages. A permit is only as good as the person who checks the precautions and the person who keeps the watch.
One permit number for one job, in one place, for one shift. Record the exact location, the type of hot work, the contractor, the person in charge, the RAMS reference and the times it is valid. Say why the work cannot be done without heat.
Combustibles moved or covered, floors swept, the other side of walls and the floor below checked, openings covered, flammables and spare cylinders removed, exits clear, neighbours told. Count the extinguishers, check the gas equipment, and for roof work check the weather. The page counts anything not confirmed.
Name a fire watcher who is not doing the work and brief them. The issuer signs, the person in charge accepts and signs. The form refuses to read as issued while any precaution is still open.
Record when the hot work stopped, the continuous watch after it (the form expects at least 60 minutes and warns below that), then each later check with its time and result until the final all-clear.
The person in charge confirms the area is cold and safe, gas cylinders are off, detection is back in service and extinguishers returned, and signs the hand-back. The issuer cancels the permit after the final check. Keep it with the RAMS.
On most jobs the RAMS names the hot work step, the hot works permit controls the day, and the fire watch log is the watcher's own record. The general permit to work covers hot work as one of several types.
| Covers | Issued by | Lasts | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hot works permit | One hot work job: precautions, extinguishers, fire watcher, issue, watch after the work, hand-back and cancellation | The site manager or supervisor, not the person doing the work | One shift; a new permit when the work, place, people or day changes |
| Permit to work | Any high risk job: hot work, work at height, confined space, electrical, excavation, with precautions that change by type | The permit issuer for the site | One job for a set time |
| Fire watch log | The watcher's timed observations during and after hot work, handovers and close-out | The fire watcher, under the permit | The watch period |
| RAMS | The whole job: hazards with controls and scores, the sequence of work with the hot work step, permits needed, emergency plan, briefing and approval | The contractor planning the work, approved by someone else | The job, reviewed on change |
Sources: HSE, process fire risks in construction and HSE guidance on permit to work systems.
Permit HW-AR-031-02, torch-on cap sheet on a school sports hall roof. Nine precautions answered Yes; ventilation recorded as Not applicable with the reason (open roof, crew works upwind). Two water extinguishers and a fire blanket counted at the work, gas equipment checked, weather suitable, so the page reads zero and the permit is issued at 07:50 and accepted by the person in charge. Work stops at 14:30, a 60-minute watch, then checks at 15:50, 16:10 and 16:30 all clear, hand-back 16:35, cancelled 16:40.
Fictional example. Record the actual evidence and approved arrangements for your job.
Issuing the permit with a precaution still unanswered, or ticking Yes to everything because the last permit did. The other one is cancelling the permit when the torch goes out rather than after the final all-clear check.
Keep the cancelled permit with the fire watch record and the RAMS for the job. If a hot spot or fire was found during the watch, record what was done and raise it at the next briefing.
Ten precautions, each answered Yes, No or Not applicable with a reason, the extinguishers counted and the gas equipment checked. The page counts anything not confirmed and the permit will not read as issued until it is zero. After the work, the fire watch is logged check by check until the final all-clear, and the permit is cancelled on a signature.
Every No or Not applicable needs a reason. An extinguisher count of zero, unchecked gas equipment or unsuitable weather for a roof torch each add to the count, and the issue page shows a red note while it is above zero.
How calculated fields work →
The photo of the work area before the work starts is part of the permit: the cleared area, the cylinder secured, the extinguishers and the blanket within reach. It is the evidence the issuer signed against.
Record when the hot work stopped and the continuous watch after it (the form expects at least 60 minutes), then each later check with its time, result and who did it. A hot spot or fire found at any check holds the permit open until a later check is all clear.
On a job with a permit each day, a short Walk Cam clip of the fire point at the hold point is quicker than a paragraph and harder to argue with. What you say is turned into text on the record.
Permit HW-AR-031-02, the second of five daily permits for torch-on felt on a school sports hall roof: nine precautions confirmed and ventilation recorded as not applicable with the reason, two water extinguishers and a fire blanket at the work, gas equipment checked, issued at 07:50 and accepted by the person in charge, work stopped at 14:30, a 60-minute watch and three timed checks to the final all-clear at 16:30, handed back at 16:35 and cancelled at 16:40.
Answer a few questions and watch it adapt. Your answers are not saved, and any photos you add are deleted within the hour.
This is the real form as your team would use it: questions appear as you answer, scores work themselves out and you can add photos and signatures. No sign-up needed. Or open a completed example to see every answer, photo and score filled in.
Want to see one filled in? See a completed hot works permit report (PDF), made by SiteSurvey from a fictional site visit.
A hot works permit for welding, cutting, grinding and torch-on roofing: precautions before the work, extinguishers and fire watcher, issue and acceptance signatures, the fire watch after the work with timed checks, and hand-back and cancellation. 5 sections and 77 questions. Follow-up questions and guidance appear only when an answer calls for them, so the person on site never sees the ones that do not apply.
This is a starting point, not a fixed form. Once it is in your SiteSurvey account you can reword any question, add or remove questions, sections and answer options, and add your own logo, so it fits the way your team works and the jobs you do.
Add this form to a project in SiteSurvey and it fills in what the project already knows, so nobody on site retypes it and every form on the job uses the same names. Anything filled in can still be changed.
Each section opens on its own. The first is open; tap a heading to see the rest.
One number per permit. Issue a new permit if the work, the place, the people or the day changes.
Building, level, room or roof area, so the fire watch covers the right place.
The RAMS that lists this hot work step.
Bolting, cold-applied membranes, cutting off site or pre-fabrication. Hot work on site should be the last choice.
Timber, insulation, packaging, waste and stored materials. Record the distance your site rule asks for.
Show the cleared area, the extinguishers and anything covered.
Someone who is not doing the hot work, whose only job is to watch for fire.
A completed hot works permit report, made by SiteSurvey from a fictional site visit: every answer, the photos, the guidance that applied and the sign-off, ready to send as a PDF.
No law names a hot works permit, but the duties behind it are law: the responsible person must assess the fire risks under article 9 of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, and HSE says all hot work generating heat, sparks or flame can cause a fire and that a permit to work system helps manage the risk. The Joint Code of Practice on fire prevention on construction sites requires a hot work permit regime where hot work cannot be avoided, and the Code is a condition of many construction insurance policies. Most principal contractors and clients will not let hot work start without one.
Sources: article 9 of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, HSE, process fire risks in construction and the Fire Protection Association on the Joint Code of Practice (10th edition).
HSE's guidance is to maintain a careful watch throughout the work. The Joint Code of Practice (10th edition) is read by insurers as a continuous watch for at least one hour after the hot work is completed, then further checks at intervals of no more than 20 minutes until the area is cold, and some site rules ask for longer. The form records the continuous minutes, warns below 60, and logs each later check with its time and result.
Sources: HSE, process fire risks in construction and Miller Insurance's summary of the Joint Code's fire watch requirements.
Whether the job could be done without heat, then ten site checks answered Yes, No or Not applicable: combustibles moved or covered with fire-resistant sheets, surfaces swept, the other side of walls, the floor below and voids checked, openings covered, flammables and spare cylinders removed, exits clear, ventilation, neighbours told and PPE. It then asks about detection or sprinkler isolation, counts the extinguishers, checks gas cylinders, hoses and flashback arrestors for torch or oxy-fuel work, and asks about the weather for roof work. Every No or Not applicable needs a reason, and the page counts what is still open.
Sources: HSE, process fire risks in construction and HSE HSG168, Fire safety in construction.
The permit is issued by someone responsible for the site or the work, such as the site manager or supervisor, not by the person doing the hot work. The person in charge of the hot work accepts it by signing, which confirms the precautions are in place and the work will stop at the time stated. The form also names a fire watcher who is not doing the work, and at the end the person in charge signs the hand-back and the issuer signs the cancellation. HSE describes a permit to work as a formal written system to control potentially hazardous work.
One job, in one place, for one shift. The form records the times it is valid from and to, and asks whether the work will finish early enough for the full fire watch before the site closes, because many site rules and insurers require hot work to stop an hour or more before people leave. Issue a new permit if the work, the place, the people or the day changes; that is this form's rule and the Joint Code's approach, and your own procedure may be stricter.
Sources: Miller Insurance's summary of the Joint Code's fire watch requirements and HSE guidance on permit to work systems.
No. The RAMS lists the hot work step and asks for the permit number; the general permit to work covers hot work as one of several permit types and is the better choice where one form must serve height and confined space work too; the fire watch log is the watcher's own timed record where the site keeps it separately. This permit is the dedicated form for the hot work itself, and all four are in the library.
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