The Perils Of A Paper Permit System

A Permit to Work system ensures that only qualified people are working on a task, which helps keep everyone in a facility safe.

Sponsored byVelocityEHS Control of Work

A key element of a strong risk management process is a centralized, electronic Control of Work system, and a solid Control of Work program can’t really “control” the work and ensure the safety of employees if it lacks an organized and efficient Permit to Work system.

A Permit to Work system houses all the information on the types of work to be completed in a facility, when and where it will be completed, and by whom. It also ensures that only people who are permitted—as in, have an official permit that states that that human has the training and qualifications to complete that type of work successfully and safely—are working on that job.

There are different permits for different types of work, but four of the most common permits are:

  • General work permit
  • Hot work permit
  • Height work permit
  • Confined space work permit

For a long time, facility managers have kept paper records of all the necessary permits on the premises, and many are still relying on that manual system to keep their work moving along smoothly. While it’s a familiar, seemingly simple way to manage permits, there are some complications with a paper-based system that could be easily avoided.

Permit to Work systemIt leaves room for error.

  • Imagine if you needed to find that one paper from some time in December of last year to verify that one contractor who worked on that one project for an audit. Will you have to look through all the papers from December last year?
  • What if by regular human error, a permit gets filled out incorrectly, or goes missing? Is that information lost forever, or do you need to do more digging to find another source for the information you need? How much time would that take?

It takes longer.

  • Not only does physically finding a permit take longer in a paper-based system, it takes more time to read through and find the information you need. You can’t “Search & Find” paper documents. You have to look through each paper on your own—which, even if you have all your permits organized and easy to locate, still takes more time than searching for keywords and immediately finding where that info is on a page.

It takes up a lot of costly space.

  • With the amount of paper required for each permit, for each contractor for each job, you’ll need a lot of space just to hold them all. Plain and simple, do you want to spend extra money on real estate just to house paper?

It’s outdated.

  • With the Cloud, all the information you need to verify anyone working on any project can literally be at your fingertips.
  • Instead of staying in an office, sifting through stacks of paper permits and skimming for specifics, you can interact directly with your employees as they’re working, verifying information easily and quickly on a tablet. Plus, interacting with your employees and having their engagement in the workplace’s safety program makes it stronger.

It kills more trees.

  • Having a paper permit system not only shows that your business is behind the times—it directly relates to more trees being cut down.

A Permit to Work system ensures that only qualified people are working on a task, which helps keep everyone in a facility safe. This is why OSHA standards often require them; the different types of work, like hot work, working at heights or in confined spaces, have different knowledge and skill requirements that should never be overlooked.

Permit to Work systemSee the difference in a cloud-based Permit to Work system.

The electronic Permit to Work system inside VelocityEHS® Control of Work makes it easy to confirm that work requiring special permits is completed in a safe and compliant manner, and that no unqualified contractors are working on site. Our cloud solution gives you the tools to protect your employees and reduce risk by ensuring onsite visitors have been properly vetted, trained, and approved, while increasing visibility for stakeholders. Safe, productive, and efficient onsite work begins with the proper oversight and authorization of every person that comes through your gate.


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