What is a PTW?  PTW stands for Permit to Work.  It is a critical component of managing high risk work activities and part of a larger safety management system; Control to Work (COW) or Integrated Safe System of Work (ISSOW).  Energy, Utility and Industrial companies manage high risk work activities related to the operation and maintenance of power generation plants, renewable wind, solar farms and manufacturing.    Versify improves the Permit to Work procedures by providing permit to work software to improve safety, compliance and operational performance.

Streamlining the Permit to Work (PTW) Process

Versify’s PTW solution saves time, provides consistent reporting and is web and mobile enabled.  Leverage Versify Workforce, one of the leading Control of Work (COW) software solutions, to digitize your permit to work (PTW) forms and checklists using the simple to use form and workflow builder.  Versify Workforce includes an advanced Digital Logbook to centrally manage all of the work permits, activities, assets and permit status.  Operators and field technicians can access consistent and accurate information via desktop and mobile devices.  Workflows can be configured to enable routing of work, event details and digitized forms between staff, departments and organizations.

Customers can configure their own PTW forms and questionnaires.  Starting with our standard starter templates, they can be easily modified and deployed in minutes.  This allows the flexibility for each energy, utility or industrial company to tailor the application to their processes.

Operators and field technicians can quickly create an event, fill out the work permit details and save and/or route the permit to others for review and approval via Versify’s Digital Logbook.  Versify Workforce can be used to convert multiple business processes and procedures to an online solution accessible by desktop and mobile devices.

What is a Permit to Work?

A permit to work (PTW) for the energy, utilities and industrial industry is a formal process to ensure the safety of the field technicians and workforce. They are used particularly for hazardous maintenance activities, where there is risk to safety and health.  It is meant to control certain types of work that could be hazardous and have an impact on safety.

The permit to work (PTW) is a written record identifying the work to be done and the potential hazards and precautions that need to be addressed.  They are used for coordinating and maintaining safe working conditions.  The process provides guidance to the workforce to identify any possible hazards and the undertake the necessary precautions before the work is performed.

The permit to work (PTW) process and a permit to work system addresses the work to be completed, the equipment to be used, how to prepare the location, safety precautions and any procedures that must be followed for safety.  There could also be additional information recorded depending on the needs such as authorizations, permit expiration, emergency actions and final work completion review and approval.  The following information is often captured as part of the PTW process:

• The description of the work to be performed
• The location and work area
• Site representative or person responsible
• List the person(s) performing the work
• The work planning and steps to be followed
• Identify any hazards and the precautions to be taken
• Identify any permits that may be required
• The crew or worker acknowledgement
• An approval to begin working
• List of checks and review points
• Emergency procedures and contacts
• Time limit of the permit to work
• Any additional information or notes
• Work close out

Challenges with Manual Permit to Work Processes

Energy, Utility and Industrial companies of all sizes struggle with maintaining manual paper documents and forms.  Permit to work procedures vary greatly between organizations and very few have an automated permit to work system.  The wide variety of staffing models and organizational structures pose problems to standardizing safety management procedures.  Power Generation, Transmission, Distribution, Oil, Natural Gas, Manufacturing and Construction all need to have basic safety requirements based on OSHA, HSE and other international safety regulations.  Versify’s permit to work software has been developed for these industries with the flexibility to configure forms and workflows to support safety regulations and compliance agencies.

In addition, the workforce, technicians and engineers have become mobile.  Paper documents, emails and spreadsheets can be damaged, misplaced or never returned to central operations or the compliance officer.  This increases the risk that forms aren’t being completed and closed out correctly.  Maintaining compliance and safety standards for the Job Hazard Analysis (JHA/JSA), Permits to Work and LOTO becomes very difficult and time consuming.

Types of Permits

There are typically several types of permits, each addressing a specific type of job or work activity.  A permit to work is traditionally used for non-routine maintenance.

• Hot Work Permit: A work permit is required for work involving the use of a flame or other sources of ignition
• Cold Work Permit: A work permit is required for potentially hazardous work not covered by other types of work permits
• Electrical Permit: A work permit is required for work on electrical systems where there is a possibility of contacting energized electrical conductors
• Confined Space Entry Permit: A work permit is required to allow personnel to enter a confined space such as a tank, vessel, blade, trench, etc.
• Ground Disturbance Permit: A work permit is required for any excavation or ground disturbance activity that involves digging, trenching, excavating or removing soil or ground

The Permit to Work / Safe Work Permit Procedure

A permit to work (PTW) form must be filled out and the beginning for each day before any work can begin.  The permit must be approved by the appropriate personnel to ensure it has been accurately filled out and all hazards and precautions have been specified.   If the permit form has not been filled out correctly or requires additional information, it will be rejected.  The permit can be resubmitted when all the information has been correctly documented.  When all job hazards and precautions have been reviewed and approved, the work may commence.