Permits-to-work are notoriously difficult business procedures even without a pandemic looming over everything. The quantity, specificity, and complexity of permits some companies in high-risk industries deal with, is reflected in the time spent on creating, validating, planning, and eventually executing them.

Operational permits are considered business-critical because they help to ensure that maintenance or operational tasks are performed safely, adequately, by the right person, and at the right time. Usually, the approval process takes the permit through several departments, from operations to HSE, through departmental supervisors, until it finally arrives at whoever gives the final sign-off.

Many safety and operations professionals will likely concur here: it’s something of a headache printed to paper.

Necessary complexity

Where does this complexity come from? It derives from two aspects essential in managerial practice:

• Permits are both subject to and generated by regulations on national and regional levels. The compliance of these procedures with local, national, and supranational legislature or directives is of critical importance for business success, reputation, and efficiency.
• The permit touches on almost every level of the operational reality of manufacturing companies and sits at the heart of many processes that have a direct impact on company performance.

Companies, as legal entities, have thought up management systems to cope with this complexity and mitigate it. Such systems are intended to aid and support people working at various levels of a hierarchical organizational structure. The system streamlines the procedures for day-to-day operations, which in turn guide work processes, put in place necessary checks, and ensure that mishaps at any one point in a given process can be mitigated, or contained as quickly as possible. The goal is to increase productivity and efficiency, and to limit the time spent on, or the cost of, regulatory compliance.

Now more than before, permits are returning to be viewed in a different light. Often still paper slips, traveling desk-to-desk to be signed off by different people, the permit is something of a carrier pigeon which carries more than information in this day and age. One of the ways companies have chosen to move forward is by digitizing this process; to speed it up and to mitigate the health risks paper can pose these days.

Here’s why digitizing is a good idea if you’re having to deal with essential people working from home, or if you’re struggling to get a grip on a distributed workforce.

Any task you can automate is time won for the improvement of the system

Business processes are also usually related to information flow (for example activities translate into reporting, shop floor happenings are transmitted to the quality or EHS departments, and so on). The next logical step for improvement has come to lie with software automation thanks to the major wins in:

• Productivity: Thanks to software, you are able to automate parts of the work you’re already doing anyway. You will see fewer corners being cut since a lot of the data already in a digital system can be repurposed. Moreover, repetitive tasks such as sending email alerts or notifications, planning, and even checking results: all can be automated.

• Risk reduction: Informational control is paramount. You’ll have a better grip on pre-assessments, validations, performance, and responses. Your lock-out tags will be smartly generated based on automations, which leaves little to no room for error.
• Flow control: Software ensures improved coordination throughout the company, both in terms of information and in terms of work. This also means that there is an auditable trail for procedures.

There are also a number of often-overlooked benefits to keep in mind here:​

• Control of work & visibility: Digital permits-to-work are more than simply managerial control. It’s also about scaling down to the ground level where several users can keep an eye on the information that is passed along. Centralized information from other sources (incidents, inspections, risk, shift data, …)​ can also be easily accessed.

• Information sharing is enhanced: A comment system linked to each permit allows for quick notifications on several channels at once. Incidentally, more contextual information is available to all concerned employees at all times. The sharing of information is thus streamlined, as multiple systems are working at the same time.

• Adaptable: There is no reason to change your way of working to fit the software. Software is able to adapt to your way of working, and can even take into account future changes.

If you are interested to discover more about how digital permits-to-work could optimize your workforce, reach out to us.