Work permits are a certain process, or rather a procedure, that is very widespread at industrial plants in the Automotive industry. I presume that this practice is known in other industries as well. If you have thoughts you would like to share, please feel free to contact us through the editorial office. I am very interested in this subject and will listen with curiosity about the similarities and differences in other branches of industry.
The chart above presents what types of work and particularly dangerous work require organizing an appropriate permit. Such a permit authorizes conducting activities at a given location within the production hall. It can also be seen how many permits in total are needed in the case of one hundred random works related to breakdowns, commissioned work, or planned repairs. The work permit is mandatory. Other permits are prepared according to the situation.
The situation changes when we are dealing with larger orders requiring several days of work.
For work located in one place, one permit for conducting work for the entire duration of the installation is sufficient. Currently, permits for particularly dangerous work are beginning to dominate, which are renewed every day.
The idea of permits allows two very important functions to be achieved in a simple way:
- Transfer responsibility for safety and installation execution to the external company
- Convey information about the conducted work to coordinators and managers
Thanks to this, nobody from outside, without consent, will stop the production line (generating losses) to start repair work – as it was in times when such permits were not yet required.
As can be seen in the chart above, this noble idea of permits, which is supposed to raise safety standards and convey valuable information, has become a cause generating additional tasks that burden engineers at industrial plants.
Managers who do not directly participate in the permit organization process itself may not notice what this procedure looks like on a daily basis. Engineers participate in their daily meetings, during which external companies must wait to receive the required permit. One needs to walk even several hundred meters in total to collect all signatures and perform workplace verification. During this organization, we spend not only our own time but also the time of those who are essential for opening a permit, closing it, and those waiting for it.
The most time-consuming permit, which requires particular attention both during issuance and throughout the supervision process after the work is completed, is the permit involving the use of fire.
Adding up the costs of materials, their printing, photocopying, logistics around the plant, the disposal process of these same permits, and the presented labor intensity at average rates that external companies charge for their services and how much we pay our own employees, one can quickly come to the conclusion that access to e-work permits in the InnerWeb® service is a saving worth implementing.