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Permits to work questions for the CSCS test

7 free questions on Permits to work, from section A. Working environment. Every question is original and explains why each option is right or wrong.

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Question 1

Easier ·Link to this question (question 1)

A welder needs to cut through an old steel pipe in a plant room. The site manager says a permit to work must be issued first.

What is a permit to work?

Choose one answer.

  1. A. A card that proves the welder is trained to weld
  2. B. A daily sign-in sheet that records who is on site
  3. C. A formal written system for doing a high-risk job safely
  4. D. A licence from the local council that allows building work
Show the answer and explanation

Answer: C

  • A. Wrong: Wrong. A training or skills card shows what someone is qualified to do. A permit to work controls a particular job at a particular time.
  • B. Wrong: Wrong. A sign-in sheet records who is on site, for example for a fire roll call. It does not set out how a high-risk job will be done safely.
  • C. Right: Right. HSE describes a permit to work as a formal system stating exactly what work is to be done and when. The workers sign it to show they understand the risks and precautions.
  • D. Wrong: Wrong. Council approvals, such as planning permission, are about whether a building can be built. A permit to work controls one high-risk job on site.

Explanation

A permit to work is used for higher-risk jobs, such as hot work or work that needs equipment isolated. It says exactly what work is to be done, when, and the precautions needed.

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Question 2

Medium ·Link to this question (question 2)

You are repairing a pump under a permit to work. The pump's power has been isolated, which means switched off and locked off. Your shift is ending and the job isn't finished.

What should you do?

Choose one answer.

  1. A. Take off your lock so the next shift can start straight away
  2. B. Keep working until it's done, even after your shift ends
  3. C. Tell someone on the next shift and leave the permit by the pump
  4. D. Leave the job safe and hand over through the permit system
Show the answer and explanation

Answer: D

  • A. Wrong: Wrong. Removing the isolation while the job is unfinished could let the pump start with no one aware of the danger. Isolations stay in place until the work is safely complete.
  • B. Wrong: Wrong. Working on while tired raises the risk of mistakes, and the permit sets out when the work is to be done. Speak to the person who issued the permit instead.
  • C. Wrong: Wrong. A quick word is not a proper handover. The handover should go through the permit system, so the person in charge knows the state of the job.
  • D. Right: Right. HSE says a job not finished in one shift should be left in a safe state, with clear information for the next shift. The permit system should handle the handover.

Explanation

If a permit-to-work job can't be finished in one shift, leave it in a safe state and hand it over through the permit system. Never remove an isolation until the work is complete.

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Question 3

Medium ·Link to this question (question 3)

A permit to work has been issued for cutting into a live drainage system.

Which of these is true about the permit?

Choose one answer.

  1. A. Anyone on site can do the work once it is issued
  2. B. The permit alone does not make the job safe
  3. C. It means the job no longer needs a risk assessment
  4. D. It is just a note saying the job is allowed
Show the answer and explanation

Answer: B

  • A. Wrong: Wrong. Only the people named on the permit, who understand the precautions, should do the work.
  • B. Right: Right. HSE says the issue of a permit does not, by itself, make a job safe. Safety depends on the people planning, supervising and doing the work following the precautions.
  • C. Wrong: Wrong. A permit is part of a safe system of work. The job still needs to be assessed and planned.
  • D. Wrong: Wrong. HSE says a permit is not simply permission to do a dangerous job. It sets out hazards, precautions and limits.

Explanation

A permit to work sets out the work, the hazards and the precautions. It only works if everyone follows it.

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Question 4

Medium ·Link to this question (question 4)

You are working under a permit in a plant room. Part way through, a strong smell of gas appears that was not there before.

What should you do?

Choose one answer.

  1. A. Open a window and carry on working
  2. B. Finish quickly, then report the smell
  3. C. Stop, make the area safe and get advice
  4. D. Carry on, as the permit covers you for the job
Show the answer and explanation

Answer: C

  • A. Wrong: Wrong. A new hazard means stopping and getting advice, not carrying on.
  • B. Wrong: Wrong. Working on could put you and others in danger. Stop now.
  • C. Right: Right. HSE says if conditions change, stop work, make the area safe and get advice immediately. Tell the person who issued the permit.
  • D. Wrong: Wrong. The permit was issued for the conditions at the time. If they change, the precautions may no longer work.

Explanation

If conditions change during permit work, stop, make the area safe and get advice. Tell the permit issuer.

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Question 5

Medium ·Link to this question (question 5)

A supervisor is in a hurry. They want to issue a permit to work to themselves so they can do an isolation job straight away.

Is this acceptable?

Choose one answer.

  1. A. Yes, because supervisors can issue permits
  2. B. No, nobody should issue a permit to themselves
  3. C. No, because only HSE inspectors can issue permits
  4. D. Yes, as long as they sign it twice
Show the answer and explanation

Answer: B

  • A. Wrong: Wrong. Supervisors may be able to issue permits, but not to themselves.
  • B. Right: Right. HSE's permit guidance says a person should not issue a permit to themself. The issuer and the person accepting it should be different people.
  • C. Wrong: Wrong. Permits are issued by trained, authorised people on site, not by HSE.
  • D. Wrong: Wrong. Signing twice is not a check. A second person is there to check the precautions independently.

Explanation

Permits are issued and accepted by different people, so the precautions are checked independently.

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Question 6

Medium ·Link to this question (question 6)

A permit job is stopped part way because a spare part has not arrived. The permit is suspended.

What does this mean?

Choose one answer.

  1. A. The permit and isolations stay in force
  2. B. The isolations can be removed while you wait
  3. C. Anyone can restart the job when the part arrives
  4. D. The permit is finished and the equipment can be used
Show the answer and explanation

Answer: A

  • A. Right: Right. HSE says a suspended permit remains live until it is cancelled, so the isolations stay in place. Work can't restart until the issuer has checked it is safe.
  • B. Wrong: Wrong. The isolations stay in place. Removing them could put the next person at risk.
  • C. Wrong: Wrong. Work should only restart once the issuer has checked it is safe and revalidated the permit.
  • D. Wrong: Wrong. A suspended job is not finished. The equipment must not be used until the permit is handed back and cancelled.

Explanation

A suspended permit is still live. Isolations stay on, and work only restarts once the issuer has checked it is safe.

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Question 7

Harder ·Link to this question (question 7)

You are doing a job that needs a permit to work.

Put these stages in order, starting with the first.

Put these 5 steps in order.

  1. A. You sign to accept it, showing you understand the risks
  2. B. You do only the work the permit describes
  3. C. You hand it back, confirming the work is done and the area safe
  4. D. The issuer cancels the permit
  5. E. The issuer checks the precautions and issues the permit
Show the answer and explanation

Correct order: E, A, B, C, D

  1. E. The issuer checks the precautions and issues the permit First. The issuer makes sure the area is safe, for example with isolations, and fills in the permit.
  2. A. You sign to accept it, showing you understand the risks Second. The people doing the job sign to show they understand the hazards and precautions.
  3. B. You do only the work the permit describes Third. Work within the limits on the permit, and stop if anything changes.
  4. C. You hand it back, confirming the work is done and the area safe Fourth. Hand-back checks that the job is finished and the plant is in a safe condition.
  5. D. The issuer cancels the permit Last. Cancelling the permit shows the work is complete and the plant can go back into use.

Explanation

A permit is issued, accepted, worked to, handed back and then cancelled. Each stage is signed.

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