Responsibilities - Permit-Authorizing Individual

It is the responsibility of the PAI, often a supervisor, to assign permits authorizing hot work in areas that are not established for permissible hot work. The PAI must determine any hazards associated with the job to be conducted and inform authorized employees of any relevant hazards involved in the work and the necessary types of PPE for the task. It is also the PAI's responsibility to ensure safe, quick access to fire protection and extinguishing equipment at the worksite.

Before authorizing hot work, the PAI is responsible for ensuring any flammable or combustible material is protected from ignition. The PAI must also consider the following:

• Alternative methods to hot work
• Moving the work to a combustible-free location
• If the work cannot be moved, moving the combustibles to a location secluded or shielded from the hot work
• Scheduling the hot work so that any potential combustibles in the area of operation will not be exposed during the task

A hot work permit cannot be authorized if the above criteria cannot be met. If required, the PAI must also ensure that a fire watch is at the site of all hot work. If a fire watch is not required, the PAI must inspect the worksite a half hour after work is completed to ensure there are no smoldering fires.

To learn more about Construction Hot Work visit our Construction Hot Work Online Training web page.