More Effective Permit-to-Work Systems

Many incidents in the chemical-industrial workplace are associated with maintenance works, which are typically controlled by permits-to-work (PTWs). Computerized PTWs have advantages of flexibility and informational clarity, and allow closer coordination of activities and integration with computer applications. A system has been developed linking computerized PTWs with an incident database: the system examines the nature of the job, equipment and chemicals specified on the PTW and draws users' attention to relevant incident reports without requiring explicit searches or further data; unknown or forgotten hazards are thus highlighted when preventative action may still be taken.