Managers of companies who operate hazardous plants are fully responsible for the health and safety of the people who work there. A critical aspect of plant safety is to identify and reduce the risks associated with non-routine work such as confined space entry, hot work, working from heights and so on. The ‘Permit to Work’ is the accepted best practice for ensuring that the plant is safe with all energy sources isolated, that people are informed about the risks, that adequate precautions have been taken prior to the work taking place, and that work takes place under the supervision of persons who are properly trained, competent and authorised.

Unfortunately, many paper-based permit-to-work systems are simply unmanageable, and lack the integrity required to ensure that work always takes place safely. The best-designed paper based systems are prone to challenges with traceability, legibility and so on. Furthermore, such systems are typically ineffective in assisting supervisors to identify adverse interactions between multiple work crews. Poorly managed permit and isolation systems could lead to accidents resulting to injury, loss of life, environmental damage, impairment to the reputation of the company, legal and other penalties.