The permit-monitoring mistake that fails HSE inspections

Practical steps

1. 1

   At lunch and at end-of-day, open the permits area and review every Live permit.

2. 2

   Any permit past its valid-until time without being closed is an immediate HSE finding.

3. 3

   Tap each live permit. Confirm the work is still happening; if not, close the permit on the spot.

4. 4

   If the work is still happening past the valid-until time, the issuer must re-issue, not extend.

5. 5

   Document any re-issue with the reason. HSE looks at re-issue patterns when they audit.

Key takeaways

• Lapsed permits are the single most common HSE finding on UK sites.
• Re-issue, never extend. Re-issue creates a fresh record; extension hides the gap.
• Lunch and end-of-day review is the single habit that prevents this finding.