We’d never sign a mortgage, a loan agreement, or even a gym membership contract without reading it…
So why do people still sign work permits without fully understanding them?
A work permit is a legal document. When you sign it, you’re confirming that the plant is in the state described, that the isolations are correct, and that the controls are in place. You’re also accepting personal responsibility and accountability for working within those boundaries.
Yet across industry, people still sign permits they haven’t read — or worse, permits they assume are correct.
Why does this happen?
Because of normalisation of deviance, risk normalisation, production pressure, and the slow erosion of chronic unease.
Over time, “nothing went wrong last time” becomes the justification for not checking this time.
And history shows the consequences;
Lindsey Oil Refinery (2010) — a worker fatally burned after being exposed to live hydrocarbons due to incorrect isolation and a flawed permit.
Pemex Deer Park (2024) — two workers killed after accessing the wrong equipment under a permit that failed to clearly identify what was safe.Martinez Refinery (2025) — contractors opened a live flange during turnaround because the permit and isolation verification were inadequate.
In every case, the permit was meant to be the final barrier. Instead, it became the weak point.
This is exactly why our Human Factors training focuses on the behaviours that silently undermine safety;
Normalisation of deviance
Risk normalisation
Loss of chronic unease
Over‑trust in the system
Assumptions replacing verification
If we wouldn’t sign a personal legal document without reading it, we certainly shouldn’t sign one in a high‑hazard environment where the stakes are life, limb, and livelihood.
Operational discipline starts with three simple actions:
Read it. Challenge it. Own it.
For further information on our approved Human Performance and Human Factors training courses (delivered at our training centres in South Wales and Chesterfield or at your site), contact our team;
Zulu Joint Integrity & Training Ltd
Tel: 01656 523273
Email: info@zulujointintegrity.co.uk
