Pisys Permit to Work in the Chocolate Tank

The next step involved a software trial aimed at overhauling the existing paper-based permit questions before implementing the new system. Pisys facilitated this by emailing the customer team a spreadsheet containing the PTW system’s standard question set.

Key personnel at the food manufacturing plant used these questions as a foundation to design their own permit questions, tailored to their specific operational requirements. After a couple of months, the company provided a full set of newly designed permit questions, which the Pisys team imported into the trial system.

Brand New Permit Questions and an Electronic System
The comprehensive new PTW system for the snacks manufacturer featured ‘panels’ of questions addressing various safety and operational concerns, including:

Hot Work
Confined Space
Working at Height
Electrical Safety
Environmental Impact
Isolations
Asbestos Management
Hazardous Materials
Excavations/Groundwork
Sloping/Flat Roofs

Not all these question sets were required for every permit; different panels would appear as needed during permit creation or hidden otherwise. This flexibility ensured that the PTW system was both comprehensive and user-friendly and was an immediate improvement on the old paper based system which relied on a  single template which contained sections for all possible permit types, resulting in large cumbersome documents which had to be printed and manually moved around the sites.

The new system had core functionality which was well received by users:

• Comprehensive Permit Boards and Location Maps: These tools display the location, type, and status of all permits in a centralized, highly visible location, reducing the risk of errors related to simultaneous operations (SIMOPS).
• Isolations Management Module: This module ensures safe and effective control of all isolations, enhancing safety.
• Contractor Management Suite: This feature helps ensure that third-party contractors have the appropriate certifications to undertake work, enhancing safety and compliance.
• Handback Inspection Stage: Ensures that all work has been performed to a suitable standard before the permit is closed.
• Secure Central management of permits: The system is hosted on a cloud platform so permits can be viewed/managed from any of the sites using a secure browser connection. This made it easy for management to get an overview of all permits in force, and to more effectively plan tasks.

The trial phase proceeded smoothly and transitioned seamlessly into the roll-out phase. By the time Pisys received the purchase order, the system was already well established within the company’s operations.

The snacks manufacturer now benefits from a simple, robust electronic PTW system that was redesigned, tested, and implemented within a few months. The new system has significantly enhanced the safety and efficiency of their operations across all three locations.

The company shared their satisfaction with the system, stating, “We’re very happy. It’s a nice simple system that does what it says on the tin.”

Despite the tempting names of PTW activities in the system such as “check chocolate tank for leaks,” “commission belt for fruit dispenser,” and “install syrup boiling system,” the implementation was so smooth that on-site technical support from the Pisys team was never required, we are however on standby for any confectionary-related issues.