Permit to Work (PTW) systems provide a formal documented process to control potentially hazardous activities, and can be an integral part of a safe system of work. Historically, PTW systems have been paper-based involving responsible persons in the authorising sequence for work planning and execution. New technologies are playing an ever-increasing role in assisting organisations to more efficiently and cleverly achieve effective management of risk and are thereby delivering a step change in safety performance.
After several years of planning, developing and trialling such an approach, the WPTW Association is implementing a digital PTW tool that will assist all those planning and performing work at onshore wellsites. The digital PTW will ultimately allow the entire process to be managed electronically and also allow for a printed paper permit akin to the old WPTW system. But if the end result is the same, what is the difference?
Will the digital system simply offer a neater way to produce and store the same information?
One improvement is in the efficiency for users when compared to the previous paper-based system supported by the intelligent process that precedes the output of a permit. This ensures that the correct category of PTW (i.e. hot work) is raised, together with any supporting certificates and links to supporting information. And removes all of the unrelated features of the permit so that only relevant information is displayed or printed.
The digital WPTW system is designed with ‘authorisation gates’ in the software and will assist with identifying any associated mandatory controls (e.g. fire watcher).
Another benefit of the digital PTW system is the ability to share information, together with the ease of access and visibility. This, along with automated communication features such as notifying people who need to be involved and providing a rapid route to the information they need to see, is a major benefit for assuring work planning and risk control – especially for those people with site safety responsibilities.
The Association accepted the challenge to make WPTW a simpler, faster and more effective approach to coordinating higher risk work on wellsites. The change to a digital system allowed for the industry to improve the process for field personnel who are directly using permits, including gaining real time visibility when coordinating an activity and obtaining data to optimise their work and the digital system.