Question 1

A new Master joining a vessel reviews the permit to work log from the previous few months and finds it sparse — very few permits raised for work that clearly required them (e.g. enclosed space jobs logged in the engine log but no corresponding permits found). What does this suggest, and what should the Master do?

Accepted Answer

It suggests the permit system may not be functioning as intended — possibly normalised under-use of permits for routine-feeling jobs — and the Master should investigate why, retrain as needed, and reinforce that permit requirements apply regardless of how routine a job has come to feel A sparse permit log against known qualifying work is a sign the system may be silently bypassed for routine-feeling jobs — a pattern the Master should actively investigate rather than read as efficiency.

Question 2

A cadet is told a hot work permit was issued "this morning" and asks the bosun how long it's valid for, without checking the form itself. What is the maximum validity period a permit to work can have?

Accepted Answer

24 hours from issue, with any shorter job-specific time limits also stated on the permit COSWP Chapter 14 sets 24 hours as the maximum validity period a permit can be issued for, with any further job-specific time limits stated on the permit itself.

Question 3

An OOW taking over the watch finds a permit for overside work was issued 20 hours ago and the job is still running. The outgoing OOW says it's "basically the same job, don't worry about it." What should the new OOW do?

Accepted Answer

Check elapsed time against the 24-hour limit, recognise it's close to expiry, and flag to the authorising officer that revalidation will be needed rather than letting it lapse unnoticed A permit approaching its validity limit needs proactive attention at handover, not passive monitoring — the new OOW's job is to flag it to the authorising officer before it lapses, not to wait for it to expire.