Digital work permits help ensure worker safety

According to the latest statistics from the Health & Safety Executive, workers in the UK have experienced more than 61,000 non-fatal and 123 fatal accidents in 2021/22. The issue is particularly acute in manufacturing, where accident rates are higher than average. 

Workers in manufacturing companies face higher levels of risk in some activities. For example, when working at height or when navigating a workshop with moving machinery and trip hazards. 

An in-depth study by the University of Bristol has shed more light on health and safety risks. After reviewing and categorising safety incidents, researchers identified the underlying risk factors. 

It turns out that three of the most common issues in manufacturing are having weak safety management systems in place, having an operational culture that is not geared up to identify and reduce risk, and a lack of adequate risk assessments. 

While these are all relatively straightforward, they need determined effort and focus so that safety remains top of mind at every level from front-line operators and central safety co-ordinators to the board room. This can be challenging for people when they are faced with day-to-day changes and distractions. 

However, software tools are available to help maintain focus. Not only does this keep people safe but it improves the quality of safety processes while reducing the administrative burden on front-line teams. 

Digital permit to work

Most manufacturing companies have permit to work procedures established. These have the goal of ensuring that workers or contractors must apply for and receive authorisation from a responsible person before starting work on a high-risk activity where they may be exposed to extreme temperatures, confined spaces, heights, electric shock or other risks. 

Traditionally, the permit process is managed locally using email or paper-based systems with permits saved onto a local file server. For medium and large businesses, the local administrator or manager needs to share permits with a central health and safety coordinator who is responsible for tracking and monitoring overall performance across multiple sites. 

There are several drawbacks with this approach. While it’s straightforward, it relies on paperwork not getting damaged or going missing in the harsh production environment and creating delays. In addition, the process may be disrupted at times when the local administrator is absent. 

Another potential problem with the conventional paper or email approach is the audit trail and management reporting. This can create issues around compliance. A central safety team may not be able to access records from local teams spread around the country or around the world. Even when local teams do submit records, they may take different formats and use slightly differing approaches. As a result, the central safety co-ordinator may need to spend time interpreting notes before they can get an overview of performance. 

It's possible to overcome these issues by putting in place a software-based approach that enables local teams to apply and review permits quickly, and that provides accurate, consistent and up-to-date reporting to HQ. 

This digital permit to work makes it possible to address the three safety issues identified by the University of Bath. In the first instance, it provides a structured framework to ensure the permit to work process is followed consistently, creating a strong safety management system. Second, it creates a common experience across the company to support the safety culture. And third, it avoids local variation to ensure that risk assessments meet requirements. 

The benefit for maintenance technicians is that they can access their work permits on their smart phone where they can easily check them. Meanwhile, it frees up time for the local administrators. The software will take care of circulating the permits, maintaining records and reporting to management. 

For central compliance teams, the benefits are that they can identify issues quickly when they arise and take action. In the case of an incident, having a digital audit trail in place means that they can review and report on the types of risks that workers in the business are facing, and how frequently. 

The new approach is a new feature that can be found in some Computerised Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS) and Computer Aided Facilities Management (CAFM) systems that track and manage preventive and reactive maintenance. Although many businesses already have such systems in place, some software such as ShireSystem from Elecosoft, is now able to automatically add permits and risk assessments to maintenance tasks. 

Reflecting your team’s working practices

The key to success with any software solution is that it must match the experience and expectations of people working in the business. Therefore, when looking to deploy a digital permit to work solution, it’s worth checking whether a software supplier can easily adapt its systems to integrate the jargon, language and process that your team uses on the front line.

Another important point is that it should be flexible enough to match a company’s workflows and approvals processes. While these may seem like details, they are important factors in supporting a business’s safety culture and practice. 

elecosoft.com/products/shiresystem