Feature
Permit to work software for contractor hot work and other higher-risk jobs.
Raise a permit for the job, have a different admin approve it, and close it when the area is safe. While a permit is live, the contractor sees it on the kiosk as they sign in, so reception and the contractor both know what has been cleared and until when. Permits to work are part of the BeckonDesk plan, alongside contractor compliance.
How it works
Request, approve, live, closed. Each step carries a name.
- Request. Anyone on your team except read-only Viewers opens Permits to work in the admin app and fills in the job, the type of work, the site, where on site it happens (for example "Roof plant room"), the start and end, the details and the precautions agreed. Pick a contractor you already have on file, or type the name and firm of a one-off worker.
- Approve or reject. An admin decides. BeckonDesk refuses an approval from the person who requested the permit, so a second person always signs it off. Site admins decide permits for their own sites. A rejection needs a note saying why, and a request nobody has decided yet can be withdrawn.
- Live. An approved permit is live from its start time to its end time. The "Live now" filter shows what is running. When the contractor signs in at a kiosk at that site, the welcome screen lists their live permits there: the job, the area and the time it ends.
- Close. When the work is finished and the area made safe, close the permit with an optional note. A permit that reaches its end time without being closed shows as Expired, so you can see which jobs nobody signed off.
Types of work
Six work types, including a hot work permit.
Every permit is one of these types. The type shows on the permit list and on the contractor's kiosk screen with the job title.
Hot work
Welding, cutting, grinding and other work that makes sparks or flame.
Working at height
Roofs, ladders, scaffolds and aerial work platforms.
Confined space
Tanks, pits, vaults and other spaces with limited entry and exit.
Electrical isolation
Work that needs equipment or circuits isolated first.
Digging / excavation
Breaking ground, trenching and excavation.
Other
Anything else your site treats as higher-risk.
Entry
Permits do not block entry.
BeckonDesk shows permits; it does not enforce them at the door. A contractor with no permit can still sign in, and an approved permit does not let anyone in who would otherwise be refused. If someone arrives to do hot work without a live permit, reception has to notice and stop the job.
What does decide entry at the kiosk is contractor compliance. BeckonDesk refuses a contractor who is blocked, outside their access dates, has an expired certificate, or has a failed or lapsed induction. See contractor compliance for how those checks work.
Details and limits
What is recorded, and what is not there.
- Up to 31 days per permit. A job that runs longer needs a new permit. The end must come after the start.
- Who decided and when. Each permit stores who requested it, who approved or rejected it and when, with their note, and who closed it and when, with the closing note.
- Audit trail. Creating, deciding and closing a permit are all written to the workspace audit trail with who, what and when. Admins can export the audit trail as CSV from Reports. There is no separate permit report.
- Site-limited staff. Someone limited to particular sites sees and handles only those sites' permits.
- No permit notifications. BeckonDesk does not email or message anyone when a permit is requested, approved or closed. Approvers check the "Waiting for approval" filter on the Permits page.
- One approver. A permit needs one admin's approval. There are no multi-step approval chains or named approvers per area.
- Kiosk display needs a contractor on file. Permits raised for a one-off worker typed in by name appear on the Permits page but not on a kiosk sign-in screen.
- Free-text details. Precautions and details are written as text. There are no checklists, no fields for gas test readings, and no file attachments on a permit.
United States
What OSHA says about hot work and confined space permits
For welding and cutting, 29 CFR 1910.252(a)(2)(iv) says the area must be inspected by the individual responsible for authorizing the work, who designates the precautions "preferably in the form of a written permit." Paragraph (a)(2)(iii)(B) adds that, where a fire watch is required, it is maintained for at least a half hour after the work ends.
For permit-required confined spaces, 29 CFR 1910.146(e)(1) requires the employer to document the pre-entry measures by preparing an entry permit, and 1910.146(f) lists what that permit must identify, including the authorized entrants, the attendants and entry supervisor by name, the hazards, and the results of atmospheric tests.
A BeckonDesk permit records the job, the place, the time window, the precautions and who approved it. It has no structured fields for entrants, attendants, test results or rescue arrangements, so where your program requires a 1910.146 entry permit, keep that form and put its reference in the permit details. These duties sit with the employer; BeckonDesk records the approval you give.
Frequently asked
Does BeckonDesk stop a contractor signing in without a permit to work?
No. Permits are shown, not enforced. A contractor without a permit can still sign in. Entry at the kiosk is decided by contractor compliance: blocked status, access dates, certificate expiry and induction.
Can the person who requested a permit approve it?
No. An admin other than the requester has to approve it. Rejecting a permit needs a note explaining why.
How long can a permit to work last?
Up to 31 days. It is live only while it is approved and inside its start and end times. After that, issue a new permit.
Do permits to work cost extra?
No. They are included in BeckonDesk's single plan at $79 per location per month, and in the 30-day free trial.
Related
See a permit go from request to close.
We will raise a hot work permit, approve it as a second admin, and show what the contractor sees when they sign in at the kiosk.