The Wellsite Permit to Work (WPTW) is an essential part of our Member’s operations management process, however, the information it contains is often not acknowledged or recognised as being a valuable source of insights about work planning and risk management practices.
While we have in the past used copies of the paper system to monitor the PTW process, the ability to consolidate information, link that information to other areas or activities, and ultimately draw impactful insights has been virtually non-existent. With the move, some years ago to Rev 2 and then Rev 3, suggestions for changes were sought from users to enhance risk controls (work precautions) but as the paper system did not lend itself to transferring the information easily, these suggestions were rarely available.
With the rollout of the Digital System, Members will have the ability and therefore the power to instantly review WPTW data for their own operation to assist with:
- Identifying what categories of work use better and more robust work precautions to prevent the risk of injury and use that knowledge to improve management of high-risk work:
Once data is linked to managing risk, roughnecks to rig managers to company management will have insights to determine whether some types of work result in lower risk management effectiveness than others. This data can then be used within the organisation (and later more broadly in the industry) for introducing better preventative measures, such as altering the way certain jobs are planned and scheduled or providing different and better work precautions, including training for workers.
- Undertaking easy and accurate audits to demonstrate PTW and other procedures are being properly implemented:
The old adage goes something like “if it isn’t measured and tracked, then it likely isn’t happening”. Auditing the WPTW process is essential for ensuring that management, supervisors and workers alike are properly following the process and it is working. Members will have the power to almost instantaneously audit their own conformance with the Wellsite system and their own company procedures.
- Understanding the suitability to the work of Permits to Work which are active, suspended or closed:
Real-time insights into ongoing, suspended or closed Permits to Work can help everyone from Rig Managers, OCRs to Managers (and particularly the Wellsite Permit Authority), to better understand the worksite activities that may impact their team.
Permits may be an untapped source of valuable data that can help improve the way we are able to plan and schedule work to be efficient and minimise risk to our people and operations.
More Information
For information about analytics, refer to the WPTW Handbook, go to our FAQ page, contact our support centre on 1800 078 939 or email us [email protected].