Guide · Occupational health and safety

Safe work procedure: what it is, structure and an example

A safe work procedure (SWP, or PTS in Chile) says how a task is done with its risks controlled. Here is what Chile's Supreme Decree 44 requires, how the procedure follows from the IPER risk matrix, its eight sections and a complete procedure for cleaning a slicer in a food plant.

IPER matrix template Get early access

Informational guide, not legal advice. Check the current regulation at Ley Chile (Chile's official law library) and consult your safety professional or your mutual insurer (mutualidad).

Art. 7

IPER matrix

Hazards and risks by process, task and job

Art. 8

Preventive program

Measures, deadlines and owners within 30 days

Art. 9

Order of controls

Administrative measures include safe work methods

Arts. 10 and 13

SWP

How the task is done with the controls in place

Art. 15

IRL

The worker is informed before starting

What DS 44 requires

Where the safe work procedure appears in DS 44

The decree has no template, but it names the SWP in six articles. Text checked on Ley Chile.

Art. 9 No. 3

What it says

Reduce risk with organizational and administrative measures "including the development of safe work methods." The SWP is a third-level measure: it does not replace elimination or control at the source.

Art. 10

What it says

Employers that use machines, equipment or tools with a risk of entrapment, cuts, injury or amputation must have a safe work procedure with an operation and maintenance program, functional checks and guarding.

Art. 13

What it says

A procedure for using, maintaining, replacing and changing personal protective equipment.

Art. 15 No. 3

What it says

The occupational risk information each worker receives before starting includes the safe work procedures.

Art. 46

What it says

The joint safety committee may review control measures and safe work procedures.

Art. 52 No. 5

What it says

The Prevention Department advises line management on designing work procedures.

Article	What it says
Art. 9 No. 3	Reduce risk with organizational and administrative measures "including the development of safe work methods." The SWP is a third-level measure: it does not replace elimination or control at the source.
Art. 10	Employers that use machines, equipment or tools with a risk of entrapment, cuts, injury or amputation must have a safe work procedure with an operation and maintenance program, functional checks and guarding.
Art. 13	A procedure for using, maintaining, replacing and changing personal protective equipment.
Art. 15 No. 3	The occupational risk information each worker receives before starting includes the safe work procedures.
Art. 46	The joint safety committee may review control measures and safe work procedures.
Art. 52 No. 5	The Prevention Department advises line management on designing work procedures.

That is why the SWP starts from the risk matrix: the hazards it lists are those in the matrix, and it is delivered along with the risk information (IRL). SUSESO, Chile's Social Security Superintendency, lists safe work procedures among the forms in Annex No. 62.

Structure

The eight sections of a safe work procedure

This is the usual structure, not a legal format. Tap each section to see how it reads in the slicer example.

Example · slicer cleaning · part 1 of 8

Objective

Clean and sanitize the line 2 slicer at the end of every shift with no exposure to the blade or the chemicals.

Full example

SWP for cleaning and sanitizing a slicer

A made-up example for a food plant. Because the slicer carries a risk of cuts and entrapment, art. 10 of DS 44 requires a safe work procedure.

1. Stop the line

Hazard

Start-up while someone approaches

Control

The shift lead authorizes and alerts the line

2. Lock out and tag out

Hazard

Unexpected start-up

Control

Personal padlock on the disconnect and a named tag; test that it will not start

3. Wait for full stop

Hazard

Blade coasting

Control

Check that the blade is still before opening

4. Remove scraps

Hazard

Cuts

Control

Long-handled tool, with the blade guard in place

5. Remove moving parts

Hazard

Cuts and strain

Control

Cut-resistant gloves; parts go on the table, not the floor

6. Wash and sanitize

Hazard

Chemical on skin and eyes

Control

Dispenser, concentration per the data sheet, goggles

7. Reassemble and check

Hazard

Guards not refitted

Control

Close-out checklist: guard, covers and sensors in place

8. Release the equipment

Hazard

Start-up with someone inside

Control

Whoever placed the padlock removes it; the shift lead releases and signs

Step	Hazard	Control
1. Stop the line	Start-up while someone approaches	The shift lead authorizes and alerts the line
2. Lock out and tag out	Unexpected start-up	Personal padlock on the disconnect and a named tag; test that it will not start
3. Wait for full stop	Blade coasting	Check that the blade is still before opening
4. Remove scraps	Cuts	Long-handled tool, with the blade guard in place
5. Remove moving parts	Cuts and strain	Cut-resistant gloves; parts go on the table, not the floor
6. Wash and sanitize	Chemical on skin and eyes	Dispenser, concentration per the data sheet, goggles
7. Reassemble and check	Guards not refitted	Close-out checklist: guard, covers and sensors in place
8. Release the equipment	Start-up with someone inside	Whoever placed the padlock removes it; the shift lead releases and signs

PPE is issued with a record (PPE issue log) and must be free of charge to the worker (art. 53 of DS 594). If a cut occurs, the investigation follows the cause tree.

Common mistakes

Why an SWP fails on the plant floor

Copying a generic SWP from the internet that does not name the machine, the line or the owners.
Writing it in the office without watching the task or asking the person who does it.
Using the SWP instead of an engineering control: a missing guard is not replaced by a written step.
Hazards that do not match the IPER matrix, or a matrix that is not updated when the SWP changes.
Steps so long that nobody reads them on the floor; better a few steps, each with its control.
Not recording that the worker received and understood it (it is part of the art. 15 risk information).
Not reviewing it after an incident or a change of equipment, process or chemical.

To turn an SWP into an induction the worker goes through and signs, see LUMYA. ACHS guide to DS 44 (in Spanish).

Free template

IPER matrix template: every SWP starts here

You have to build or update the hazard identification and risk assessment matrix required by Chile's Supreme Decree 44 and derive the preventive work program from it.

· Probability times consequence using the method of Chile's Public Health Institute (ISP): expected loss value (VEP) and level calculated and color-coded
· Controls in the order of article 9, from elimination to PPE, recording the highest control used
· Owner, deadline, status and next annual review, ready for the preventive program
· Alerts for high risks controlled only with PPE, rows without a control and overdue deadlines

Locked file

matriz-iper-ds-44-en.xlsx (40 KB)

Leave your work email to download this spreadsheet and hear about the next one.

It does not replace an expert assessment or the Chilean Ministry of Health (MINSAL) protocols.

In the app

The safe work procedure in the app

iGromi's free app keeps task observations, SWP reviews with their dates and the signed record of who received it, as a PDF.

App screen for recording a task observation with photo, time and place

Get early accessFree app, in early access.

Frequently asked questions

Safe work procedure FAQ

What is a safe work procedure?

It is the document that describes step by step how a task is done with its risks controlled: who does it, what hazards it has, which controls and protective equipment are used and what to do if something goes wrong. In Chile it is known as a PTS (procedimiento de trabajo seguro) and is written for specific tasks, especially critical ones.

Does DS 44 require safe work procedures?

Yes, in several cases. Art. 10 of Chile's Supreme Decree 44 requires a safe work procedure for employers using machines, equipment or tools with a risk of entrapment, cuts, injury or amputation; art. 13 requires a procedure for using and maintaining PPE; and art. 15 includes safe work procedures in the information each worker receives before starting.

How does the SWP relate to the IPER matrix?

The IPER matrix (art. 7 of DS 44) identifies hazards and assesses the risks of each task; the preventive program (art. 8) sets the measures. The SWP is one of those measures: art. 9 places safe work methods at the third level of control, after eliminating the risk and controlling it at the source. The hazards in the SWP must match the matrix.

What sections does a safe work procedure have?

Common practice is: objective, scope, responsibilities, hazards, controls, task steps, personal protective equipment and emergencies. Many companies add references, records and version control. DS 44 does not set a format; your administering body (the mutual insurer or the ISL) may provide its own.

Who writes the safe work procedure?

The employer is responsible. Line management that knows the task writes it, together with the people who perform it and with advice from the Prevention Department where there is one (art. 52 of DS 44) or from the administering body (art. 10). The joint safety committee may review it (art. 46).

How often is an SWP reviewed?

DS 44 requires the matrix to be reviewed at least once a year and whenever conditions change or an accident occurs (art. 7). It makes sense to review the SWP at those same points and whenever the equipment, process or chemical changes.

What is the difference between an SWP and a work instruction?

The SWP focuses on the hazards and their controls at each step; the operating instruction, on how the equipment or process works. For critical tasks they usually go together, and the SWP refers to the manufacturer's manual where relevant (art. 10).

Sources: DS 44 on Ley Chile (BCN) · SUSESO, Annex No. 62 · DS 594 on Ley Chile · ACHS, DS 44. Reviewed on November 1, 2026.

Keep reading

Occupational health and safety guides

DS 44: the records it requiresThe hub: every preventive-management record, with its article.DS 594 summarizedWorkplace sanitary and environmental conditions, title by title, with their limits.Joint safety committeeDuties, election, job protection and the safety delegate.Risk matrixHow a risk is assessed, with worked plant examples.5-minute safety talksReady-made topics by hazard, plus the attendance record.IRL under DS 44What the occupational risk information must say and when it is delivered.Risk mapWhat the DS 44 risk map includes, with a plant example.Internal safety regulationsWhat the health and safety regulations contain and how they are published.PPE issue logWhat to record when personal protective equipment is handed out.Cause tree analysisAccident investigation step by step, with a worked example.Accident rate calculatorAccident, lost-day, frequency and severity rates with their formulas.TMERT protocolChecklist, risk levels and deadlines of the MINSAL musculoskeletal protocol.

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PLANT · SHIFT B

Tasks

Luis · maintenance

OVERDUE

Sugar silo 1

No signal since 05:40

Sensor · supply

TODAY

M-204 vibration

4.1 mm/s, above normal

Detected by the sensor

PROPOSED

Check the capper

14 badly seated lids since 08:30

AcceptDismiss

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