Work permit & LMRA — the last-minute risk analysis before electrical work

The danger zone/approach zone guide and the live working guide describe the distance and competence requirements around electrical work. These requirements are laid down in a work permit, but just before execution there is a separate, short step that still needs to be added: the LMRA (Last Minute Risk Analysis).

Work permit versus LMRA — the difference

Work permit / TRA (Task Risk Analysis) — drawn up in advance, at the office or during preparation: which tasks, which competencies (see the roles & appointment guide), which switching operations (see the switching statement example guide), and which control measures have been established beforehand.
LMRA — a short, practical risk assessment that the person carrying out the work performs themselves, on site, just before starting the work. Unlike a risk analysis drawn up in advance, the LMRA is not prepared at the office beforehand, but at the workplace itself, at the moment of execution.

VCA obligation

Carrying out an LMRA is mandatory under the VCA standard (Safety, Health and Environment Checklist Contractors — VGM Checklist Aannemers): an organization must have a procedure that sets out when, by whom, and how an LMRA is carried out. The LMRA briefly checks whether there are risks in the area of Safety, Health and Environment (SHE) that, at the moment of execution, deviate from the situation for which the work permit/TRA was originally drawn up.

Why this is more than a formality

The work permit and TRA describe the situation as expected at the time of preparation. Between preparation and execution the situation can change: another crew may already be working in the same danger zone, a switch may not actually be in the expected position, or the weather may have turned during outdoor work. The LMRA is the moment at which the person carrying out the work explicitly checks whether the assumptions of the work permit still hold true, right before the actual work begins.

Practical relevance

In a company hall or horticultural business where multiple disciplines are active at the same time (electrical, installation, construction), there is a real chance that the situation in a danger zone has changed between the drawing up of the work permit and the actual execution. A consistently performed LMRA catches this kind of deviation before it leads to an incident.

Common mistakes

Ticking off the LMRA as a pure formality without actually assessing the current situation at the workplace — this undermines the whole purpose of the last-minute check.
Using a work permit/TRA as a substitute for the LMRA — a risk analysis drawn up in advance does not cover the changes that have occurred since it was drawn up.
Not having a documented procedure for when, by whom, and how the LMRA is carried out — without a procedure it cannot be demonstrated that the VCA obligation is being met.