Hot work permit: free template to fill in and print

Generate your hot work permit

Complete the fields, tick the precautions actually in place, and download the PDF to be signed on site.

optionalNothing here is required — anything you leave blank prints as a line to fill in by hand on site.

1. Who authorises, who carries out the work

Client company (issuing the permit)

Authorising manager, name and role

Contractor carrying out the work

Operative on site

Operative’s certification or competency

These references tie the permit to your own safety paperwork. Leave blank if the job does not have them.

Permit number

Risk assessment reference

Method statement reference

2. Where and when

Site / project

Exact location of the work (building, level, room)

Date of work

Start

Finish

3. Type of hot work

Tick what will actually be carried out.

Welding (arc, TIG, MIG)

Flame cutting / oxy-fuel torch

Grinding / abrasive cutting

Brazing and soldering

Heat gun / thermal paint stripping

Torch-applied roofing or waterproofing

Drilling, fixing and other work that produces sparks

Other

Description of the work

Equipment used

4. Authorised operatives

Anyone else allowed to work under this permit, on top of the operative named above. Leave blank if there is no one else.

5. Specific hazards

Fill in only what applies to your job. Most hot work falls under none of these.

Work in or next to a hazardous (explosive) area?

Hazards from substances, processes or storage

7. Firefighting equipment at the workstation

Atmospheric testing

Has the atmosphere been tested?

8. Fire watch and raising the alarm

Fire watch during the work

Emergency number

Fire watch after the work finishes

The fire watch after the work is the step most often skipped — a fire can smoulder for hours after the last spark.

Permit issued by (name and role)

The employer or their appointed representative, where different from the authorising manager. They sign the permit fourth.

Notes

This template covers the usual sections of a hot work permit. It does not replace your own risk assessment, and it does not claim compliance with any particular national regulation or insurance requirement — read it through before signing.

Free, no sign-up — your form never leaves your browser.

Paper frames the job. It does not prove it.

A permit signed at the office the day before, or tidied up the morning after, looks exactly like one signed at the work area at the right time. That is precisely what an insurer will look at after a fire.

A signature does not prove attendance

On paper, anyone can sign anything at any time — including the next morning, back at the office, to tidy up a permit that was forgotten.

Nobody sees it expire

The permitted window is written on a sheet of paper in someone’s pocket. Nothing signals that it has passed and the work is still going.

The fire watch gets forgotten

The watch after the work is the most neglected part of a hot work permit — and that is precisely when the fire starts.

The same permit, but signed at the work area

You prepare the permit from the office and display the QR code at the work area. The operative scans it and signs from their phone — on site, at the stated time.

Time-stamped signature, verified position if you require it

The operative signs with their finger on their phone after scanning the QR code: the time comes from our servers, not from the phone. Turn geofencing on and their position is validated by our servers as they sign — no more permits signed back at the depot. Set a backup code for plant rooms where GPS does not reach: signing stays possible, and it is flagged as such on the permit.

Expires on its own

The permit has a validity window. Past the finish time it expires by itself: anyone scanning the QR code sees an expired permit, not a valid-looking document left lying around. You can also close it manually once the fire watch is over.

What the QR code permit keeps

✓ Permit type, description and safety measures
✓ The authorising manager and their signature
✓ The operative, their company and their time-stamped signature
✓ Validity window and status (pending, active, expired, closed)

The “Permit to work” type also covers work at height, confined spaces and electrical work. It is available on the free plan.

Free plan available — no credit card

Hot work permit — frequently asked questions

Is a hot work permit mandatory?

There is no single rule that applies everywhere, but in practice it is rarely optional. Most fire insurance policies make cover conditional on a permit being raised for spark-producing work, and most principal contractors require one before that work starts on their site. Check your policy and your site rules: working without a permit usually means working without cover.

Who has to sign a hot work permit?

Three signatures as a minimum: the person authorising the work on behalf of the client or principal contractor, the operative carrying it out, and whoever is keeping the fire watch. The permit is signed before work starts, once the precautions are actually in place — not afterwards.

How long should the fire watch last after the work?

This is the step most often skipped, and a fire can smoulder for hours after the last spark. Practice varies: one hour is a common minimum, two hours is a frequent requirement, and some sites and insurers ask for longer. Rather than pick a figure for you, the generator lets you set 1, 2 or 4 hours and prints it on the permit in black and white.

Does the generator store what I type?

No. The PDF is produced directly in your browser: what you enter — company, operative, location of the work — is never sent to us, no email is asked for, and none of it is kept. Close the tab and nothing remains; you simply keep the file you downloaded. We only measure use of the generator, anonymously and without cookies: how many permits are produced and which types of work are ticked in our list, never your own entries. After downloading, you can choose to share your form with us to help improve the template — that is an explicit click on your part, never automatic.

What is the difference between this PDF and a QR code permit?

The PDF is a document: it proves you framed the job, but nothing shows that the person who signed was actually on site, or at what time. A BuildQR permit adds that proof: the operative signs by scanning the QR code displayed at the work area, and the signature is time-stamped by our servers. Require it, and their position is checked by our servers as they sign — with a backup code you can set for places where GPS does not reach, a signature that used the code being flagged as such. The permit then expires on its own at the end of the validity window.

What does the QR code permit cost?

The PDF generator is free and will stay free, with no account to create. The “Permit to work” QR type — which also covers work at height, confined spaces and electrical work — is available on the free plan, time-stamped signature and server-side position check included. Paid plans raise your quotas (QR codes, scans, storage): full details on the Pricing page.

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Hot work permit: the free template to fill in and print

What the hot work permit template contains

The usual sections, already written

Filled in under two minutes

Your form stays with you

Generate your hot work permit

1. Who authorises, who carries out the work

2. Where and when

3. Type of hot work

4. Authorised operatives

5. Specific hazards

6. Fire precautions before work starts

Isolations and making the plant safe

7. Firefighting equipment at the workstation

Atmospheric testing

8. Fire watch and raising the alarm

Paper frames the job. It does not prove it.

A signature does not prove attendance

Nobody sees it expire

The fire watch gets forgotten

The same permit, but signed at the work area

Time-stamped signature, verified position if you require it

Expires on its own

What the QR code permit keeps

Hot work permit — frequently asked questions

Is a hot work permit mandatory?

Who has to sign a hot work permit?

How long should the fire watch last after the work?

Does the generator store what I type?

What is the difference between this PDF and a QR code permit?

What does the QR code permit cost?

Our other free tools

Site sign-in sheet

Site log sheet

RAMS sign-off sheet

Site induction form

Goods received note

Equipment maintenance log

Concrete volume calculator

Scan me sign

Everything else on site

Hot work permit

Site sign-in

Site log sheet

RAMS sign-off

Site induction

Goods received note

Equipment maintenance log

Concrete calculator

Site safety documents

QR code types

Where codes go

Going paperless

Environmental records

Ready to get started?

Hot work permit: the free template to fill in and print

What the hot work permit template contains

The usual sections, already written

Filled in under two minutes

Your form stays with you

Generate your hot work permit

1. Who authorises, who carries out the work

2. Where and when

3. Type of hot work

4. Authorised operatives

5. Specific hazards

6. Fire precautions before work starts

Isolations and making the plant safe

7. Firefighting equipment at the workstation

Atmospheric testing

8. Fire watch and raising the alarm

Paper frames the job. It does not prove it.

A signature does not prove attendance

Nobody sees it expire

The fire watch gets forgotten

The same permit, but signed at the work area

Time-stamped signature, verified position if you require it

Expires on its own

What the QR code permit keeps

Hot work permit — frequently asked questions