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Permit Issuer
Online Permit Issuer training aligned to NZQA Unit Standard 17590 - issue, monitor, close and audit permits
$90 +GST per person ($103.50)
4 x $22.50
Permit Issuer
Online Permit Issuer training aligned to NZQA Unit Standard 17590 - issue, monitor, close and audit permits
A permit to work does not make work safe; the person issuing it does. When a Permit Issuer signs without verifying isolations, without checking atmospheric tests, or without spotting scope creep on the worksite, they are not authorising safe work; they are documenting the absence of it. And if something goes wrong, WorkSafe will want to see that a permit has been assessed and issued properly.
This online Permit Issuer course covers the full permit-to-work lifecycle. You will learn how to determine whether a task needs a permit, identify hazards and select the right controls, prepare the worksite, issue permits, monitor the work, suspend or revalidate permits when conditions change, audit permits, and close them out properly.
Optional modules (which can be turned off if not required) include specialist coverage scenarios: hot work, confined space entry, working at height, excavation, cranage and lifting, critical safety systems, and transfer of control.
The course is aligned to the optional Unit Standard 17590 (issue worksite specific work permits). However, this course does not award unit standards. It can be used for new permit issuers or as a refresher for existing permit issuers.
Who is this course for?
• Permit Issuers and senior site personnel responsible for authorising high-risk work
• Health and safety managers and PCBU duty-holders setting up or improving a permit to work system
• Existing issuers refreshing their knowledge
• Operations supervisors and project managers stepping into a permit issuing role
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What are the advantages of doing this Permit Issuer course online?
- Train at your desk, in the field or at home. No half-day off-site session
- Study at your own pace; use the language and literacy support if required
- Switch foundation modules off for experienced Permit Issuers using the course as refresher training
- Switch specialist modules on individually based on the work types your issuer authorises
- Six months full access. Take the modules as many times as you need
- Video-based modules followed by knowledge checks
- Covers the full permit-to-work lifecycle from application to close-out and audit
- Aligned to NZQA Unit Standard 17590 — issue worksite specific work permits
- Built around the duties of the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 and current WorkSafe guidance
- Free setup, free additional managers, free support
- Easy management and reporting through the DT Driver Training LMS
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FAQs
What is a Permit Issuer? A Permit Issuer is the person who authorises high-risk work to proceed on a worksite by signing a permit to work. The Issuer verifies that hazards have been identified, the right controls are in place, isolations are confirmed, and the worksite is properly prepared.
Does this course award NZQA Unit Standard 17590? No. Most people don't do the unit standard (it's optional). However, the course covers the same five outcomes: explain permit procedures, ensure a permit is properly identified and the worksite prepared, issue permits, monitor and close permits, and audit permits.
Can I really train Permit Issuers online? Yes. The Permit Issuer role is largely knowledge and judgment. Recognising when a permit is required. Identifying hazards. Verifying controls. Making the call to issue, suspend or revoke. All of that can be taught online with video, scenarios and a worked-example assessment. What cannot be taught online is your specific site, your specific procedures, and the on-the-job experience that builds competence over time. This course handles the generic knowledge so your senior issuers can focus on site-specific induction and supervised buddy permits.
Do I need any prior experience or qualifications to take this course? No formal prerequisites. The foundation modules cover hazard identification, risk assessment and the legal framework, so a learner new to permit issuing can start from the ground up. Experienced Permit Issuers using the course as refresher training can have those foundation modules switched off.
What permit types does the course cover? The course covers the standard and specialist permit and certificate types most commonly used in New Zealand workplaces: hot work, confined space entry, working at height, excavation, cranage and lifting operations, critical safety systems, and transfer of control. Each is a separate module that can be switched on or off depending on what the Permit Issuer will actually authorise.
What is the difference between a Permit Issuer and a Permit Receiver? The Permit Issuer authorises the work and is responsible for verifying that all conditions for safe work are in place before signing. The Permit Receiver accepts the permit on behalf of the work crew and supervises the work to the permit conditions.
How long is the certificate valid for? We recommend refreshing the training every two years.
How does the course align with the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015? The course is built around the duties HSWA 2015 places on a PCBU to manage risks so far as is reasonably practicable.
Does the certificate satisfy WorkSafe New Zealand requirements? WorkSafe New Zealand’s expectation under HSWA 2015 is that anyone authorising high-risk work is competent to do so. Completion of this course is structured evidence of training in the Permit Issuer role. It sits alongside your site-specific induction, your organisation’s procedures, and supervised on-the-job experience as part of the overall competency picture.
What if my company has its own permit forms and procedures? That is exactly the situation this course is built for. The course teaches generic, industry-agnostic Permit Issuer principles. Your trainees then apply those principles to your specific permit forms, hazard registers, isolation procedures and approved codes of practice during their site-specific induction.
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Requirements
- You will need one course licence per trainee taking the course. You cannot use one licence for multiple trainees.
- You will need a computer, smartphone or tablet with internet access to take the theory training.
- You should have a working understanding of your organisation’s specific permit-to-work procedures and site-specific risks before issuing permits in the workplace.
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Languages and literacy support
- Video subtitles/captions are available for all videos - see above for the list. Choose the language in the video.
- Questions: 76 languages are available - check the language option at the top of the page (note that written answers must be in English).
- Question audio: play audio of every question in English
Some captions are AI-generated and, as such, may have occasional errors.
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What documents and supporting information come with the course?
These documents are to support the course materials, and for your own reference. They can be printed.
- Permit to work sequence infographic
- Specialist certificate reference infographic
- Transfer of control blank template
- Transfer of control sample
- Permit to work sample for excavation
- Christchurch City Council cranage certificate
- NZ Defence Force permit to work form (receiver and issuer)
- Ports of Auckland hot work permit
- Z energy excavation certificate
$90 +GST per person ($103.50)
4 x $22.50
Course provided by
DT Training
DT is New Zealand's largest provider of vehicle and workplace training, specialising in online and blended courses. Over one million people per year access our training and information.
Training modules
Foundation modules
Can be disabled for trainees if using as a refresher course-
Discover what a permit to work actually authorises, what it does not do, and where verbal permits fit alongside written ones.6 minutes
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Understand how the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 shapes the permit to work system. See where you sit within the legal duties it places on the PCBU and workers.4 minutes
Core Permit Issuer Knowledge
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Learn how a hazard differs from a risk, how to assess both for a specific task on a specific day, and how the hierarchy of controls guides what you put in place.6 minutes
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Identify who does what under a permit system, including the split between the Permit Applicant and the Person in Charge of the Worksite.8 minutes
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The documents you must locate, read, and interpret before signing any permit, including hazard registers, Safety Data Sheets, drawings, Job Safety Analyses, and Approved Codes of Practice.6 minutes
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Work out which tasks need a permit, which permit type applies, and how to spot the grey area jobs that look routine but are not.4 minutes
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The worksite preparation that must be completed before you issue, covering access, housekeeping, equipment preparation, and how to handle other work already happening nearby4 minutes
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Atmospheric testing explained: when it is required, what is being tested for, and how to interpret results before authorising entry into a contaminated atmosphere.5 minutes
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Understand the range of safety equipment and PPE you may see on a permit, and what qualifications your team needs when work involves hazardous substances.4 minutes
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Walk through the first half of the issuing process. This covers confirming the scope of work, conducting the site inspection, and verifying isolations before you sign.5 minutes
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The second half of the issuing process: how to brief the Permit Receiver on hazards, set the conditions of issue, and explain what will cause cancellation.4 minutes
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Once work is live, your obligations don't stop. Find out how to monitor for scope creep and other failures, and how a permit is properly closed when the job is done.5 minutes
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How to coordinate concurrent permits, handle shift handover, and revalidate work that carries across days.7 minutes
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Explore how permits are audited at three levels, what auditors look for, and how corrective action turns audit findings into actual improvement.4 minutes
Specialist modules (optional)
These modules relate to specialist permits. Not all permit issuers deal with all types. When assigned to a trainee, any of these modules can be disabled if not required.-
How energy isolation is secured, why complete paperwork doesn't always mean a working isolation, and how locks and tags are placed and removed.5 minutes
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Understand what working at height covers under NZ legislation, the categories of fall protection used on permits, and what must be in place before anyone goes off the ground.4 minutes
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What makes a space a confined space, what the Safety Observer must and must not do, and why rescue planning is non-negotiable before entry begins.6 minutes
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Find out what counts as hot work, what must be cleared from the area before a spark is struck, and why the fire watch carries on after the tools have stopped.5 minutes
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What an excavation permit must address before any ground is broken.4 minutes
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Lift plans, ground conditions under outriggers, overhead power line clearance, and the rules for lifting personnel in a work platform.4 minutes
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Compensatory controls and notifications while systems are impaired3 minutes
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Transfer of Control certificates and legal responsibility when a work zone is handed to a lead contractor.3 minutes
Permit sequence and contents
Pulling it all together-
Put the full process together step by step, from initial application through site inspection, issue, monitoring, and close-out across the five phases of a permit's life.5 minutes
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Work through the sections of a typical permit form using a sample excavation permit, so you know what each part captures and why it is there.3 minutes
Permit Issuer
Online Permit Issuer training aligned to NZQA Unit Standard 17590 - issue, monitor, close and audit permits
$90 +GST per person ($103.50)
4 x $22.50