A Cold work permit is applied to control a wide range of activities that do not involve the use of ignition sources, or that are not controlled by means of more specific types of permit.
Use of Cold Work Permit does not mean that the job has low risk. It is only because there are no flame or ignition sources involved. However, there can be some other risks from other hazard sources, e.g., chemical, radioactive, working at height, working in severe atmospheric environment, etc.