Benefits of an Online Permit to Work System
The permit to work system is a vital function within many different types of industry, but especially so where there is a hazardous working environment on a constant basis.
What is a Permit to Work?
A permit to work system is a formal written mechanism that is used to control contractors and certain projects that are either hazardous in their nature, or are being conducted within potentially hazardous environments. Based on our previous experience, we understand how important it is to have full control over all aspects of your assets, including the contractors that are hired to work on specific projects, or maintenance and repair tasks. A good safety work permit system will be designed in a way that helps communication between all involved parties and is clear to assess from start to finish.
Types of Work Permits
A work permit offers clear identification of individual roles responsible for the authorisation of specific jobs. It is also a clear way to identify those responsible for specifying necessary precautions that have to be undertaken. A work permit may be required for:
- All non-production work and tasks, including repairs, maintenance, inspection and testing procedures, modifications and adaptation, cleaning tasks and dismantling projects
- Non-routine operations of an emergency nature
- Projects where there is a transfer of work and responsibilities from one group to another
- Projects were there is a requirement of co-ordinated activities between two or more individuals or groups
What are the Stages of a Work Permit?
An effective permit to work system will follow a pattern that helps with:
- Clear training and instruction on a specific issue or task
- The monitoring and auditing of a work system and processes to ensure it works effectively
- The highlighting of the types of work to be undertaken at a site and the work that is considered potentially hazardous
- Clear and standardised identification of all tasks, related risk assessments, task duration and all other control measures and supplemental activity around that task
Why Do You Need a Permit to Work System?
A permit to work system should be considered in any situation where work is to be carried out and could adversely affect the safety of personnel working on the project, the asset, or the environment. A work permit is not required for general visitors to a site or for routine maintenance that is taking place within areas where there is no risk of potential hazards.
All of the types of permit to work systems mentioned above should pay particular attention to the safety standards on site, especially where multiple individuals or groups are working together.
SitePlanner and Permit to Work Systems
SitePlanner provides you with a fully integrated Permit to Work (PTW) system that is designed to provide you with complete control over contractors working on your assets. Each function of our application offers a benefit to your permit to work system.
RAMS – All Risk Assessment and Method Statements (RAMS) for a site or project are required before specific work can be carried out. With this function of our application you will have the ability to upload, store, view, and review all RAMS for your specific project and site. This level of detail is important as it ensures that both management and contractors have a precise overall view of how specific tasks should be conducted, and all within the overview of the asset, location and potential hazards present.
Work Permits – With SitePlanner you have the ability to create, store, view, and review all site safety work permits that are applicable for your assets. A permit to work system is vital to the safe running of site, and with SitePlanner you can integrate all personnel data and permit data into the one system, allowing for access to approved RAMS and permit-specific data. Permits allow clear communication and assignation of contractors to specific assets and projects, as you can guarantee the safety to work for all parties.
The flexibility of a permit to work system within SitePlanner is that you have the ability to streamline the process, experience a massive reduction in errors and save time and money.
Transfer of Control – Once you have assigned permits to individual contractors for work at your site you can create a Transfer of Control (ToC) record that allows for quick custody of a specific contractor to a specific package. With transfer of control contractors can be managed for set periods of time, within custody periods that fit specific assets, projects and permits.
SitePlanner is our integrated work authorisation system that helps you to manage your permit to work system faultlessly. We believe in providing you with the accurate tools that build a safe and secure framework of working processes. Having complete control on knowledge over contractor work on your assets is vital to ensuring a safe working environment for all, especially when working in potentially dangerous situations.
