PTW user guide

Plot Plan

The Plot Plan screen shows current permits and isolations as colour-coded markers on a plot plan of the work site. Flashing markers indicate that a permit has expired and requires hand-back. Many companies find this layout very useful in visualising the current state of work at their site.

If you have several sites, or your site has several plot plans (e.g., several floors of a building), use the ‘Selected Site’ and ‘Selected Plan’ dropdown menus at the top of the screen to select which plans are displayed.

To show all areas within a site, tick the ‘Show all Areas’ tick box.
Permits for the site, but in areas not shown on the plot plan are listed in the ‘Not on Map’ section at the bottom of the screen.

Plot Plans are an optional add-on to Pisys Permit to Work. If the menu option is not available please contact your administrator to arrange access.

Within each Plot-Plan section/panel a dropdown labelled "Show Permit Markers" contains a list of all Permits within that Area/Plan. When initially opening the Plan, the selected option will be "All Permits" and therefore all Markers are shown. The User can then select a particular Permit and the Plan will refresh to only show Markers for that Permit.To view the permit title, hover over a marker. To view the permit’s description and validity dates, click on the marker. This opens the popup information box. From here, the permit can be opened, the permit marker moved to a more precise location, and new permit markers can be created as described further below.

Plot Plan Markers & Information Box

Clicking on a permit marker opens the Permit Information Box.

From here, users can:

• Click “View Permit” to open the permit and access all associated actions for the permit (e.g., sign in, hand back).
• Click “Move Position” to move the marker to a more exact location.
• Click “X” in the top right corner to close the Information Box.

The new Marker Shape/Dimensions functionality (detailed below) will continue to colour and animate the Markers as at present e.g.

• Red = Hot Work.
• Green = Confined Space, etc.

At the top of the screen, below the "Site / No / Description" details, the User will be allowed to select the shape of Marker they want to use. This is done with a dropdown labelled "Marker Shape" with options for:

• Circle/Oval.
• Square/Rectangle.
• Triangle.

If navigating to the "Position" screen using the existing "Move Position" button, the selected "Marker Shape" will be set to whatever has already been selected. If navigating to the "Position" screen using the "Add New Permit Marker" button, the selected "Marker Shape" will be set to "Circle".

Either way, the User can then choose to change this to another icon or leave it as it is. As well as selecting the “Marker Shape”, the User will be able to specify the “Marker Dimensions”. This is done using the following inputs:

• Width (textbox, only allowing integer input).
• Height (textbox, only allowing integer input).

At present, when clicking on the Plot Plan, the Position is set, and the User is redirected to the main Plot Plan Screen. To allow the User to ensure that the Marker Position, Shape and Size are correct without having to repeatedly go back and forth between the Position/main screens, the functionality is as follows:

Upon clicking the Plot Plan, the screen will update showing the Marker position with the selected Shape and Dimensions. The User can then choose to:

• Adjust the position by clicking elsewhere on the Plot Plan within the specified area.
• Adjust the shape by changing the Width/Height values.

Once the desired Position and Shape have been finalised, the User can click a “Save” button. This will then redirect back to the main Plot Plan screen, showing the edited Marker in place.
The “Show other Permit Markers" checkbox will only be available if there already is at least 1 other Marker for the current Permit. When selected, it will show all other Markers for the current Permit on the Plot Plan. This is just for reference purposes, and they cannot be clicked/moved.

Google Maps View

Google Map View shows your worksites in Google Maps, along with codes representing different types of permits:
• HW = Hot Work.
• CS = Confined Space.
• HT = Working at Height.
The “Selected Site” dropdown list is used to centre the display on that site, and to display a popup box with more information about the number and types of permits and (if enabled) isolations for that site. Click on the site heading in the popup box to open the corresponding Permit Board.

Planning

The Planning screens show issued permits on a Gantt chart or a daily/weekly/monthly calendar, colour coded by type. This gives a look-ahead of planned work on permits. The screens show validity periods for permits and how work on different permits could overlap – e.g., if they have been issued and are valid for several days.

Concurrent work can be planned, and management have an indication of contractors that will come onto the premises. The Planning screens can also be used to look back, and to view and manage overdue permits.

Gantt Chart View

The Gantt Chart Screen shows selected permits on a timeline, grouped by area and colour coded by their type. Filters in the blue area at the top narrow down the number of permits included in the chart, according to these criteria:

• Site and Area.
• Company performing the work.
• Department and Work category (if used in the system).
• Permit Filter – i.e., permit statuses ‘not closed’, ‘approved’, ‘active’, ‘overdue’. See definitions below.
• Permit Issuer.

• Hover over a permit entry to see the start date and end date.
• Double-click on a permit entry to open the permit, and action it from there.
• Use the scroll bar at the bottom of the screen to go backwards and forward in time, up to the last validity day of a permit.
• Click on the ‘minus’ sign next to the area name to collapse that part of the Gantt chart and only show the heading.
• Click on the ‘plus’ sign next to the area name to expand the list and show all permits.
• When collapsed, the first and last day of the work is shown for each area. This can either be for one permit only or for several permits. The overall number of days is shown in the ‘Duration’ Column.

Calendar View

The Calendar view is very similar in its functionality to the Gantt Chart view.
The Calendar Screen shows selected permits on a timeline, grouped by area and colour coded by their type. Filters in the blue area at the top narrow down the number of permits included in the calendar, according to these criteria:

• Site and Area.
• Company performing the work.
• Department and Work category (if used in the system).
• Permit Filter – i.e., permit statuses ‘not closed’, ‘approved’, ‘active’, ‘overdue’. See definitions below.
• Permit Issuer.

Double-click on a permit entry to open the permit, and action it from there. Use the day/week/month buttons to view permits and also use the arrows on the top to go backwards and forward in time, up to the last validity day of a permit.

POB List

The POB List shows the personnel that are working on active permits (i.e., permit recipients), and the location they are working in. From this screen users can:

• Sort and filter the POB List.
• Export POB data to Excel.

Administration

Pisys PTW is fully configurable by PTW Administrators via the Admin menu.From here, Administrators can:

• Create user accounts.
• Allocate different access levels to users.
• Add work sites/areas and contractor companies.
• Define permit sign rights/user access levels.
• Create new permit questions and answers, or edit the standard question set which is pre-loaded in the system.
• Replace wording on screens and buttons with their own company’s terminology.
• Set up automatic email notifications.
• Control the permit approvals workflow.
• Define what answers and attachments are mandatory.
• Configure Isolations settings if the Isolations Module has been added.
• Configure Contractor Management settings if the Contractor Management Module has been added.
• Select and de-select workflow restrictions, so that users cannot approve their own permits.
• Make method statement and risk assessment attachments mandatory.

Permit Rights

Permit Rights define what users can see and are authorised to do in the PTW system, e.g., see the Management Statistics, create, approve, or hand back permits.
Each user is assigned a Permit Right, e.g., Authorised Engineer, External Contractor, View Only. For example, a user has been assigned the ‘Authorised Engineer’ Permit Right. This means that they can create, edit, and reject permits, but they are not allowed to approve any permits.

Permit Rights List Screen

The Permit List Screen shows all Permit Rights. From this screen, Administrators can:

• Create new Permit Rights.
• Edit existing Permit Rights (expand the panel).
• Delete Permit Rights if they have not yet been allocated to any users (expand the panel to see the delete button).

The Permit Rights screen is divided into two sections:

• The General Settings section.
• The Panels User Allowed to Sign section.

In the General section the administrator can select general rights for the permits, such as Reject, Edit, Create, Approve etc.

Sites and Areas

The Sites and Areas where the work takes place are selected from a dropdown list at Permit creation.
Administrators can create multiple sites, and within each site multiple areas. Permit numbers (allocated automatically by the PTW system) can be pre-fixed with a site identifier.
The Permit Board and Location Maps display permits by their Sites and Areas.

Sites and Areas Screen

From this screen, the Administrator can create, edit, and delete Sites and Areas.

For each site/area, they can also:

• Set up automatic email notifications for HSE, Environmental and Contractor Managers, which are sent out at key stages of the Permit Workflow for a site/area.
• Designate a user to be ‘Area Manager’ for an Area. This turns on the ‘Area Authority Approval’ workflow for Permits created for that area (i.e. the Area Authority must approve a permit before it can be issued by the Permit Issuer.
• Set their position in Google Maps.
• Define a custom numbering format for permits to represent a site.

Companies

At permit creation, the company that will carry out the work is selected from a dropdown list.
At permit issue, personnel associated with this company can be selected from a dropdown list to perform the work.
The information for both dropdown lists is created using the ‘Companies’ Admin option.
Contractor Management offers extra controls for companies and their personnel.

The Company List Screen

The Companies List Screen shows:

• All Companies in the PTW system – they will become the ‘Company’ dropdown menu at Permit creation.
• The number of users with their own user accounts associated with the company – these users will become the ‘Contractor’ dropdown menu options at Permit issue, when a worker is assigned to the job.
• The number of users who do not have their own user account on Pisys PTW, but whose name and email address has been stored in the system, so that they can be selected a ‘Recipients’ of a permit and set up to receive automatic email notifications.

From here, the PTW Administrator can create, edit, and delete companies.

Creating, Editing and Deleting Companies

• To create a new company, click the ‘Create New’ button. Enter the Company Name and click the ‘Save’ button.
• To edit a company entry, click the ‘Edit’ button next to the name.
• To delete a company, click the ‘Delete’ button next to the name.

A company cannot be deleted if it has already been used in a Permit – it does not have a delete button.

Users and recipients cannot be assigned to a company from the list screen - they must first be created in the user screen and assigned to a company from there.

Users

Access to the PTW system is via user accounts and passwords.

• Each user is assigned to a company.
• Users can be given different Permit Rights for each Site in the system.
• Users can be ‘Administrators’, which allows them to create users, sites/areas, permit rights, permit questions etc.
• Users can be ‘Management Users’, which allows them to access the Management menu option.

Not everyone who interacts with the PTW system needs their own user account, it may be sufficient to set them up as Permit Recipients

Create a User Account for: Company personnel who are involved in the permit workflow (e.g., creation, approval, hand-back).
Make a user ‘Permit Recipient’ for: Contractor personnel who perform a job but are not involved in the Permit workflow. They can sign the permit remotely before they come onsite or in the presence of a company representative while planning/agreeing the work in PTW.

The User List Screen.

The User List Screen shows all PTW user accounts, their company and whether they are an ‘Admin’ in the system. From here, Administrators can:

• Create, edit, archive and lock user accounts.
• Give users their access rights (i.e., what they can see/do in the PTW system).
• Make users ‘Administrators’ or ‘Management Users’.
• Send password re-set emails.

User accounts can use individual emails or collective email addresses. They can be created individually or imported in bulk from an Excel spreadsheet. User information can be exported to an Excel Spreadsheet.

Before User accounts can be created, the Company, Sites and Areas must be set up - these become the dropdown lists in the User Edit Screen.

Creating, Editing and Archiving Users

On the User List Screen:

• Click the ‘Create New’ button to create a new user.
• Click the ‘Edit’ button to edit an existing user’s details. The User Edit Screen opens.
• Complete User information and assign rights by site.
• Click the ‘Save’ Button to Save OR click the ‘Save and Create Recipient Button’ to save the user and add them to the list of Permit Recipients, which will be used during Permit Authorisation.

It is not possible to delete users who have been involved in permits, instead archive the user by ticking the 'archive' box.

Allocating Permit Rights to Users

Decide on a ‘Permit Right’ the user needs for each site or create a new Permit Right with the desired combination of rights in the Admin > Settings & Access Rights > Permit Rights.
In the User Edit Screen, select a ‘Permit Right’ for this user for each of the sites at the bottom of the screen.

Importing Users

Users can be imported in bulk from an Excel spreadsheet. A handy template file can be downloaded from PTW to help with the user import.

Downloading the User Import Template

1. Click the ‘Import Users’ button at the top of the User List Screen. The User Import Screen opens.
2. Click the ‘Download Blank Template’ Button on the User Import Screen.
3. Fill in the required fields in the template (highlighted yellow) and save to your computer.

Importing Users from Excel Spreadsheet

1. Click the ‘Import User’ Button on the User List Screen. The User Import Screen opens.
2. Select the Company a user should be assigned to if this information is not contained in the spreadsheet.
3. Tick the ‘Email User’ box to send automatic welcome emails containing usernames and a password link.
4. Click the ‘Choose File’ Button and select the spreadsheet with the user information.
5. Click the ‘Import’ Button.

Exporting User Information to Excel

1. On the User List Screen click the ‘Export List’ Button.
2. An Excel Spreadsheet containing user information will be downloaded.
3. Save this spreadsheet to your computer.

Recipients

Recipients are personnel who ‘receive’ a permit to perform the work. They belong to a Company and are selected from a dropdown menu at permit issue time.
Recipients do not need to have their own user accounts. They typically come on site to perform the work but are not involved in the permit approvals workflow.
If ‘signatures’ are used on permit issue, Recipients can sign the permit remotely or in the presence of a Worksite Supervisor to confirm that they will perform the job as specified in the permit. Recipients can receive automatic email notifications.

The Recipient List Screen

The Recipient List Screen lists all Recipients (i.e., personnel who can be selected to perform a job), and their Companies.
Email addresses are optional – if they are present, the Recipient can receive automatic email notifications.
The list screen can be filtered by Company, and archived Recipients can be shown or hidden using the tick box.
From here, Administrators can create, edit, and archive recipients.

Creating, Editing and Archiving Recipients

1. On the Recipient List Screen click the ‘Create New’ button to create a new user, or the ‘Edit’ button to edit an existing user’s details. The User Edit Screen opens.
2. Complete Recipient information.
3. Click the ‘Save’ Button to Save OR:
4. Click the ‘Back to List’ button to return to the List of Recipients without saving.

It is not possible to delete recipients who are involved with actions, instead archive them by ticking the 'Archive' box

Permit Questions

Introduction: Permit Questions and Panels

Permit Creators fill out a Permit Form when a new permit is created (via ‘Create Permit’ button on the Home Screen).
Permit questions make up the bulk of this form.
Permit Questions are grouped into ‘Panels’, which are selected as required by the user at permit creation, e.g., Hot Work, Confined Space, Working at Height.

All Panels and questions together make up a Permit Question Set.
Administrators can configure all permit questions and panels and create new questions using the Admin > Permit Questions option.

Version Control of Permit Questions and Panels

Once a permit has been created against a permit question set, questions can no longer be edited or deleted. If a change is required, Administrators can create a new version of the question set and archive the old version.

It is advisable to apply the same version control procedure to question sets as you would to any other version-controlled document.

The Panels and Controls Screen

PTW Administrators can control the look and contents of the Permit Creation Form here. Administrators can:

• Enforce version control over question sets, and control what questions sets are available at Permit Creation time.
• Create, edit, and archive different versions.
• Create, edit, and delete permit questions.
• Set up answer types for permit questions (e.g., dropdown lists, freeform text, dates, tables).
• Configure Panels.
• Make questions and Panels mandatory or optional on the permit form.
• Hide Panels so they do not appear on the permit form.
• Change the order of Questions and Panels on the Permit form.
• Set the validity period for permits created for each panel.
• Set up custom colouring for Panels, Questions, and dropdown menus.
• Change the terminology on the ‘Issue Permit’ and ‘Hand back Permit’ screens.
• Enable/disable the built-in workflows (e.g., suspend/re-instate, approve/reject).
• Print permit forms – to use as a backup when the electronic permit creation form is not available at a worksite.
• Export all permit questions to Excel when it’s time for a review.

The Panels and Control Screen can be divided into sections:

• Workflow Steps.
• Permit Options.
• Question Setup (edit version button).

The ‘Under Development’ option indicates that the selected version is hidden, so that no permits can be created inadvertently, as this would prevent any further developments on this version.
The ‘Archived’ option indicates that the version/question set is archived – this version no longer appears as a choice for selection at permit creation time. No permits can be created for this version.

The ‘Edit Version’ button

Opens the Edit Version Screen which allows users to edit the selected version’s questions, panels, signatures, and gas tests.

The ‘Import/Export’ button

Opens the Import/Export version screen where a user can export a template, fill it in and then upload to PTW to create a new Permit Question Set.
From here the user can also export the selected version’s permit questions to Excel format, including panels, answer type, pre-defined answers and whether the question is mandatory.

‘Copy Version’ button

Creates an editable copy of the selected version with all questions and worklfow selections already filled in.

‘Blank Version’ button

Creates a completely new version that is blank and ready to be populated with new questions etc.

The ‘Terminology’ button

Allows configuration of the terminology on the Permit screens.

‘Print Blank’ button

Prints out a blank Permit to Work form for the selected version, including dropdown list or tick box options for answers.

'Preview' button

Shows a preview of the permit in electronic format so the user can see how it will look before they raise a permit.

Keep the 'Under Development' option in the 'Edit Version' screen ticked while you are working on this version. This stops the new version from being selectable at permit creation time. Once the new question set is ready for use, untick the 'Under Development' option to make the question set available during permit creation.

Permit Questions Version

When a question set is still unused or under development, panels and questions can be edited or deleted. Workflow steps can also be enabled or disabled.
The Permit Questions screen allows for the configuration of Permit Questions, Gas Tests and Signatures.

Each one of the panels listed (General, Hot Work, Confined Space etc.) represents a type of permit. They can all be edited, and they can all have different questions on them.

The Panel Order Screen: Changing the Order of Panels on a Permit

Administrators can change the order of panels on a permit by dragging and dropping.

• Click ‘Panel Order’ on the Panels and Permit Questions Screen.
• The Panel Order Screen opens (below). Drag and drop the questions to change the order.
• Click ‘Save Changes’ OR:
• ‘Cancel’ to discard your changes and return to the Permit Questions Screen.

The Panel Edit Screen: Editing and Hiding Panels

• Ensure you have the correct version selected at the top of the Permit Questions Screen.
• Expand the Panel you wish to edit and click the Edit button. For example, the General Panel.
• The Panel Edit Screen opens.

You have the following options:

• To change the name of the Panel, change the ‘Panel Edit’ wording.
• To make the panel visible to users, tick ‘visible’.
• To hide the panel, untick ‘visible’.
• To allow users to switch the panel on or off during permit creation, tick ‘Has Top Question’ and type a question and select if the default will be Yes or No.
• To set the number of hours a permit will be valid for if it includes this panel, type the number into the ‘Max Hours’ field. In the permit workflow, a permit expires once the number of hours has been reached and will require hand-back and/or the creation of a follow-up permit.
• To set whether to include an ‘Atmosphere Test’ section as part of the panel, select an option from the dropdown menu, i.e. None, Mandatory or Optional.
• To set whether to include an ‘Gas Test’ section as part of the panel, tick the Can Result in Gas Test checkbox.
• To set panel and font colours on screen, enter Hex values into the ‘Colour’ and ‘Font Colour’ fields.
• To use panel and font colours on the PTW printout, tick the ‘Colour Report Title’ box and enter Hex values for ‘Colour on Report’ and ‘Font Colour on Report’.

Click ‘Save’ to save your changes OR click the ‘Return’ button to discard your changes and return to the Permit Questions Screen.

It is not possible to create or delete panels, instead re-name existing panels and hide panels that are not required. Once you have used all the available panels email support@pisys.co.uk to request more.

The Permit Questions Screen – Question Setup

The main part of the Permit Questions Screen shows Permit Questions and the Panels they belong to.
In the Permit Questions Screen, Administrators can:

• Edit and Delete Permit Questions.
• Edit Panels (i.e., the group of questions for Hot Work, Working at Height).
• Create the top question for switching a panel on/off by the permit creator (e.g., ‘Is a Hot Work permit required?’ – y/n).
• Create new permit questions.
• Change the order of questions.
• Decide which stage of the workflow a specific question will appear.
• Set up pre-defined answers to questions (e.g., yes/no dropdowns, text boxes).
• Create dropdown lists.
• Add tool tips.
• Change the colour of the menu options on Permit forms.
• Make answers to permit questions mandatory before a permit can be saved.
• Make answers to permit questions mandatory before a permit can be issued.
• Create space for attachments (e.g., risk assessments, photographs).

Creating New Permit Questions

1. Ensure you have the correct version selected at the top of the Permit Questions Screen.
2. Expand the Panel you want the question to be in.
3. Click the ‘New Question’ button.
4. The Question Edit Screen opens (below). Complete the fields:
   • Question Name: the question
   • Tool Tip: some additional information that displays when the mouse hovers over the question.
   • Panel Name Dropdown: already selected but can be changed.
   • Question Type: This is the type of answer that will be available for this question on the permit creation screen (tables, labels, hyperlinks, checkboxes, Yes/No type answers etc.).
   • Label Type: This is the style the question will have. For example, Standard, Header, Emphasised etc.

For the Workflow Step section, the user can select where in the workflow the question will be visible or required:

• Required tick box: tick to make the question mandatory before a new permit can be saved.
• Required Before Sign-Off tick box: tick to make the question mandatory before the new permit can be issued or validated (if this workflow is applicable). It will be possible to save the new permit with this question left blank.
• Visible tick box: tick to make the question visible on screen. Untick to hide the question.
• Print tick box: tick to include the question on the permit print out.
• Hide if empty on Print tick box: tick to hide the question on the printout if it has not been filled in by a user.

Click ‘Save’ to save your changes and add the question to the Permit Questions screen OR
Click the ‘Return’ button to discard your changes and return to the Permit Questions Screen.

Editing Permit Questions

1. Ensure you have the correct version selected at the top of the Permit Questions Screen.
2. Click the ‘Edit’ button next to the Permit Question. The Control Edit Screen opens.
3. Make all changes and click the ‘Save’ button to save, OR:
4. Click the ‘Return’ button to return to the Permit Questions Screen without saving.

Deleting Permit Questions

1. Ensure you have the correct version selected at the top of the Permit Questions Screen.
2. Click the ‘Delete’ button next to the Permit Question, and ‘Confirm’ deletion.

Control Order Screen: Changing the Order of Permit Questions within a Panel

1. Ensure you have the correct version selected at the top of the Permit Questions Screen.
2. Expand the Panel you wish to change the question order for.
3. Click the ‘Question Order’ button.
4. The Control Order Screen opens. Drag and drop the questions to change the order.
5. Click ‘Save Changes’ to save the new order OR ‘Cancel’ to discard your changes and return to the Permit Questions Screen.

Settings and Access Rights

The Settings & Access Rights Screen gives Administrators more control over several aspects of the PTW system.
It is split into different tabs for ease of use. All the listed settings relate to the whole of the PTW system, not just a version of a question set. Most are self-explanatory.

The General Tab

In the General Tab administrators can enable or disable different optional screens to be used in PTW. For example, under the My Item settings section an administrator can enable the Show My Actions / Show Assigned to Me checkboxes which will create a new tab in the Home screen that will show all actions assigned to the logged in user. This is very useful for keeping track of all the different permits a user is involved with.

The Admin Rights Tab

In the Admin Rights Tab administrators of the system can define administrator rights to be used by certain users. You have the option to enable administrator rights to the full PTW system or just certain areas of it. For example, a user can be a contractor administrator only managing their documentation and competencies.

To create a new Admin Right, click on the Create New button, provide a Description, and select the relevant checkboxes. Click the Save button to save your changes.

All rights ( Admin, Permit and Isolation) need to be assigned to users to take effect. Do this from the main User Edit screen.

The Permit Settings Tab

In the Permit Settings Tab, an administrator can define various workflow, issue, and print out settings. For example, which screen a user will see right after a permit has been created (Create PTW follow up screen). They can also, set the length of the Description required on the Permit Edit screen (Minimum Description Length on Edit Screen).

The Permit Rights Tab

Permit Rights define what users can see and are authorised to do in the PTW system, e.g., see the Management Statistics, create, approve, or hand back permits.
Each user is assigned a Permit Right, e.g., Authorised Engineer, External Contractor, View Only. For example, a user has been assigned the ‘Authorised Engineer’ Permit Right. This means that they can create, edit, and reject permits, but they are not allowed to approve any permits.

The Isolation Settings Tab

Here an administrator can define various isolation and long-term isolation options as well as print out settings and home screen groupings. For example, which screen a user will see right after an isolation has been created (Create Isolation follow up screen). They can also, set the length of the Description required on the Isolation Edit screen (Isolation Min Length).

Administrators can set the maximum validity period of a long-term isolation, in months and can also decide if they want to print out a Tag Barcode to be scanned at the worksite.

The Isolation Rights Tab

Isolation Rights define what users are authorised to do in the PTW Isolations Module, e.g., create or approve isolations, request, or approve sanction to test and long-term isolations. Each user is assigned an Isolation Right/User Role, e.g., Issuing Authority, Person in Charge, Responsible Person. Each Isolation Right has a set of user rights associated with it – e.g., ‘can create isolation’ or ‘can approve long-term isolation’.

Isolation Rights must be defined before they can be allocated to a user

The Contractor Settings Tab

Here an administrator can define the behaviour the Contractor Management module will have when creating permits. For example, they could restrict the Company dropdown list to approved companies only when creating a new permit – requires the Contractor Management Module.

Permit Workflows

All permits go through a standardised workflow and approvals process from creation to hand back and close, with the option to include ‘reject’ and ‘suspend/re-issue. These can be enabled by an Administrator.
PTW users can interact with permits at various stages of the permit workflow (e.g., create, edit, approve, hand-back, sign in, add attachments). PTW users can view the workflow history and change history for a Permit and add additional attachments at any stage in the Permit Workflow.

Simple workflow with validation

One of the simplest workflows the Permit to work system supports is a workflow of creation of permit, validation of permit, work is carried out, hand back permit for closure. Here it is in more detail.

• The permit is created and saved by a ‘Creator’ user. During this step, all permit details, such as details of the job, work area, contractor company are filled in, method statements/risk assessments attached. The user also selects the special permits to include (e.g., Hot Work, Working at Height), and answers the relevant questions.
• The permit is then validated. This can be done by the Permit Creator if the creator has ‘validate’ user rights. Otherwise, the Permit Creator submits the permit for validation by a ‘Validator’, who validates it before it is ready for the next step.
• Next, the permit is issued by a ‘Permit Issuer’, who decides on the permit start date and duration of the permit. This step may include signatures by the Permit Issuer and contractor personnel.
• Once the job is complete, the permit is handed back for closure by an authorised user. This user includes details of the job done, whether the job is complete and if there are any lessons learnt (optional).
• If the job is complete, it is closed. If the job is not complete but the existing permit is nearing the end of its validity period, the permit can be closed & a new permit created.
• The new permit now goes through the same workflow as described above.

The Reject workflow

Permits can be rejected or rejected & closed BEFORE & AFTER they have been issued, as follows:

• The permit is created and saved by a ‘Creator’ user. During this step, all permit details, such as details of the job, work area, contractor company are filled in, method statements/risk assessments attached. The user also selects the special permits to include (e.g., Hot Work, Working at Height), and answers the relevant questions.
• The permit is then validated. This can be done by the Permit Creator if the creator has ‘validate’ user rights. Otherwise, the Permit Creator submits the permit for validation by a ‘Validator’, who validates it before it is ready for the next step.

The Permit Validator now has three options:

• Issue, as already described.
• Reject: The permit is rejected back to the permit creator, along with a reason for the rejection (e.g., more details are required). The rejected permit then goes back to the ‘created’ stage. It can be edited by the creator and re-submitted for validation.
• Reject & Close: The permit is rejected and closed out.

Next, the permit is issued by a ‘Permit Issuer’, who decides on the permit start date and duration of the permit. This step may include signatures by the Permit Issuer and contractor personnel. There is an option in the Administration menu that can enable the Reject After Issue workflow.

If this is setup then the next person in the workflow has two options:

• Reject: The permit is rejected back to the permit creator, along with a reason for the rejection (e.g., more details are required). The rejected permit then goes back to the ‘created’ stage. It can be edited by the creator and re-submitted for validation.
• Reject & Close: The permit is rejected and closed out.

Once the job is complete, the permit is handed back for close by an authorised user. This user includes details of the job done, whether the job is complete. If the job is complete, it is closed. If the job is not complete but the existing permit is nearing the end of its validity period, the permit can be closed & a new permit created. The new permit now goes through the same workflow as described above.

The Suspend/Reissue workflow

The Suspend and Re-issue options can be used, as follows:
The permit is created and saved by a ‘Creator’ user. During this step, all permit details, such as details of the job, work area, contractor company are filled in, and method statements/risk assessments if applicable are attached. The user also selects any special permits to include (e.g., Hot Work, Working at Height), and answers the relevant questions.

The permit is then validated. This can be done by the Permit Creator if the creator has ‘validate’ user rights. Otherwise, the Permit Creator submits the permit for validation by a ‘Validator’, who validates it before it is ready for the next step.

Next, the permit is issued by a ‘Permit Issuer’, who decides on the permit start date and duration of the permit. This step may include signatures by the Permit Issuer and contractor personnel.
Issued Permits can be:

• suspended if conditions at the worksite change and work must stop. It can be re-issued once it is safe for the work to continue or handed back for close if work will not resume.
• re-issued without being suspended first, e.g., at shift-change or when a permit validation is required by company procedures, e.g., after a set time has elapsed, to confirm that the work is still allowed to continue.
• handed back for close by an authorised user. This user includes details of the job done, whether the job is complete.

The suspend / re-issue cycle can be used multiple times before the permit is handed back for closure.
If the job is complete, it is closed. If the job is not complete but the existing permit is nearing the end of its validity period, the permit can be closed & a new permit created.
The new permit now goes through the same workflow as described above.

How to use the Permit to Work system

This section describes the generic process of creating, issuing, and handing back permits. These vary depending on user and workflow setup:

• A user’s Role/Permit Sign Rights determine how they can interact with a permit and at what stage.
• The Workflow settings determine what buttons/actions are available for a permit, and at what stage of the process.

If you cannot see everything described here it simply means that the relevant modules have not been enabled in your system - please check with your system administrator to enable these.

Creating Permits to Work

• Click the ‘Create Permit’ button on the Home Screen or the Permit List Screen.
• If the ‘Select the Permit Settings’ screen opens, select the site and a question set/version to use for the permit and click the ‘Create Permit’ button. (This screen will only come up if your company has several sites or several question sets.)
  The Permit Details Screen opens.
• In the Permit Details Screen, complete all permit details, starting at the top of the form, by selecting options from a dropdown list, selecting a time, entering text, adding an attachment, as per the table below.
• Select Yes/No to enable ‘Special’ Permits (e.g., Hot Work, Working at Height). If contractor management is enabled selected competencies will also show on the special permit panels.
• To add more attachments, use the ‘Add Attachments’ button.
• Click the ‘Save’ button to save, or the ‘Return’ button to return to the Home Screen without saving.

• The newly created permit is now displayed on the Permit List Screen with the Status ‘Created’, and on the Home screen:
• under the ‘Permits Created’ heading if the Approve/Reject workflow is enabled, OR
• under the ‘Pending Issue’ heading if the Approve/Reject workflow is disabled, OR
• under the ‘Awaiting Area Approvals’ heading if an Area Manager has been designated for the selected work area.

Approving or Rejecting Permits

If the Approve workflow is enabled, an additional ‘Approval’ step is necessary before a permit can be issued.

The Approve Permit Screen

The Approve Screen is opened by clicking the ‘Approve’ button at the bottom of a permit when the permit is open (or created).

The ‘Approve’ screen is split into roughly 5 different sections:

• Other Work in the Area section.
• Approve Details section.
• Permit Approval Signatures section.
• Email Permit section.
• Password section.

Under the ‘Other Work in the Area’ section a user will see a list of other permits that have been raised for the same area. This is an information only section and does not stop the user with issuing their permit.

Under the ‘Approve Details’ and ‘Permit Approval Signatures’ sections the user can set the validity of the permit by selecting a date and time, add a description and add the Approver signature. You can have more than one signatures here.Finally, at the ‘Email Permit’ section the user can select to email the permit to the ‘Creator’, a ‘Site Email List’ to inform a team of people that the permit has been approved or add email recipients in the free text field.
Once done they will need to re-enter their password and click the ‘Approve Permit’ button to approve the permit or click the ‘Return’ button to return to the Permit Details screen without approving the permit.

The approved permit is now awaiting issue (or a further approval step) and can be found:

• on the Home screen under the ‘Pending Issue’ heading if the Approve workflow is disabled, OR
• under the ‘Awaiting Area Approvals’ heading if an Area Manager has been designated for the selected work area, OR
• on the Permit List Screen with the Status ‘Approved’.

Rejecting a Permit for Re-Work or Closure

The Reject Screen is opened by clicking the ‘Reject’ button at the bottom of a permit when the permit is open (or created).

The ‘Reject’ screen is split into 3 sections:

• Reject Details.
• Email.
• Password Entry.

At the ‘Reject Details’ section select a reject reason from the drop-down list and add a description of why the permit was rejected.
At the ‘Email’ section the user can select to email the permit to the ‘Creator’, a ‘Site Email List’ to inform a team of people that the permit has been rejected or add email recipients in the free text field.

Once done they will need to re-enter their password and click the ‘Reject Permit’ button OR click the ‘Return’ button to return to the Permit Details screen without rejecting the permit.

The permit is rejected and requires re-work. It can be found:

• On the Home screen under the ‘Created’ heading, OR
• On the Permit List Screen with the Status ‘Rejected’.

If you need to ‘Reject and Close’ the permit, simply follow the steps above and click on the ‘Reject and Close Permit’ button instead. The permit will then be marked with a status of ‘Rejected Closed’ on the Permit List Screen.

Isolations

Isolations is an add-on module in the PTW system for keeping track of physical isolations, which have been, or are planned to be, put in place at the worksite using a hardware lock-out/tag-out system.

The Isolations module is not intended to replace but to complement a company’s hardware based LOTO (lockout-tagout) system.

The module’s main benefit to a company is access to vital isolation information, from anywhere with an internet/phone signal – not just the office where the LOTO boxes and isolation lists are kept.

• Each isolation can have several isolation points, with associated tag numbers.
• The isolation sequence of isolation points can also be captured.
• Isolations go through a similar approval workflow as Permits, and a history is generated automatically.
• At each approval stage, automatic emails notifications can be sent.
• Isolations can be moved into long-term isolation.
• Sanction to Test is an optional stage in the de-isolation workflow.
• Isolations can be linked to Permits. Many permits can relate to a single isolation.
• Each Isolation can be visualised on the Plot Plan as a yellow X for isolation (As shown below in the middle of Bakery 1) and orange X for long term isolation.
• Configurable security allows a high degree of control over access levels and allows selected permits to be restricted to defined companies or individuals within companies.
• User access levels are set by a PTW administrator and are linked to individual user accounts. Access levels are determined by company procedures and workflows, and are different for each PTW/Isolation system.

If you cannot access some of the menu options, functionality or information described please contact your system administrator to enable the appropriate functionality.

If the Isolation system has been customised to use your company's terminology, the labels used for buttons, selection boxes etc may be different from what you see in this guide , however the locations of all items described will be the same so please refer to the screenshots to clarify any instructions.

Home Screen

The Home Screen is the first screen that displays after login. If the Isolations Module is enabled, tabs at the top of the screen allow users to navigate between Isolations and Permits.

Isolations are displayed by workflow stage, e.g.

• Isolations – Created.
• Isolations – Requested Approval.
• Isolations – Approved.
• Isolations – In Place.
• Isolations – Sanction To Test.
• Isolations – Requested Deisolation.
• Isolations – Deisolation.
• Isolations – Long Term.

All the workflow stages listed above can be enabled or disabled and reordered from the Administration screen.
From here, subject to their access levels, users can open isolations and then action them further.

Once an isolation has been completed, it no longer displays on the Home screen. To access completed Isolations, search the Isolation list

Isolation List Screen

The Isolations List shows all isolations in the system, and their status.

From here, users can:

• View and edit current isolations.
• Create new isolations and submit them for approval.
• Search for isolations by number, description, area and/or status.
• Export the Isolations list to Excel.

Isolation Details Screen

The ‘View’ button next to an isolation (see screenshot above) opens the Isolations Detail Screen.

This screen shows:

• Details of the work which requires the isolation, including the work area.
• A ‘Details’ table of all isolations required for the work:
  • Isolation type (e.g., electrical, mechanical, process).
  • Current isolation point status (e.g., locked closed, locked open, unlocked).
  • Required position and deisolated position (e.g., closed, isolated, labelled, locked open).
  • A cross-reference to the physical lock.
• A list of permits connected to this isolation.
• The names of people involved with the Isolation (e.g., creator, requester, approver, isolating authority).
• Signatures of key people (if this has been enabled by Pisys – contact support@pisys.co.uk for more information).
• The status of each isolation (e.g., created, approved, deisolated).

Remember that the language used by your company to reflect your Isolation procedures and LOTO system may differ from what you see here.

Buttons at the bottom of the Isolations Details Screen allow users to manage isolations information and the isolations workflow. Different buttons are available depending on user access levels and the isolation workflow stage.

Long Term Isolation Register

The Long Term Isolations Register shows information all long-term isolations, including the date the isolation was approved last.

To open the isolation, click the ‘View’ button. To export the register to Excel, click the ‘Export Excel’ button. The Excel file is downloaded and can be saved on the user’s computer.
All isolations in the Long Term Isolations Register are colour-coded to indicate whether they require to be re-confirmed.
The validity period and expiry period for long-term isolations can be set up by Administrators.

Plot Plan & Isolations

Plot Plans can show current isolations as colour-coded dots with crosses in their location.

• To show isolations on the plot plan, select the site and tick the ‘Isolations’ box.
• To view an isolation’s title, hover over a dot on the Plot Plan.
• To view the isolation’s description and validity dates, click on the isolation’s dot. This opens the popup information box.
• From here:
  • Click ‘view’ to open the permit and access all associated actions for the permit (e.g., sign in, hand back).
  • Click ‘move position’ to move the dot to a more exact location.

Isolation Workflows

All isolations go through a defined workflow from creation to close, with the option to request Sanction to Test and Long-Term Isolation. Users can interact with isolations at various stages of the isolation workflow (e.g. create, approve, close).
The actions a user can take depends on the User Role/Isolations Rights a user has been allocated, as described in the Administration Section.

Standard Isolations Workflow from Creation to close

• The isolation is created and saved by a ‘Creator’ user. During this step, all isolation details, such as details of the job, work area.
• Contractor company are filled in. The user also sets all isolation points, and the isolation sequence.
• Once created, a user requests approval for the Isolation.
• The Isolation is approved for isolation or rejected by a user with ‘Approval’ rights.
• If approved, the physical isolation is carried out at the worksite, and then ‘confirmed isolated’ in the Pisys software.
• The equipment now shows as ‘isolated’ in the Isolations List and on the Plot Plan (orange box on diagram).
• Once the job is complete and the isolation ready for de-isolation, the de-isolation is requested.
• Once the de-isolation has been ‘approved’ by an authorised user in the PTW software, the de-isolation is carried out at the worksite.
• The equipment is ‘confirmed de-isolated’ in the Pisys software.
• The isolation is ‘closed’. It no longer displays on the list of active isolations or the Permit Board.

Sanction to Test

Isolations at the ‘Confirmed Isolated’ stage (orange box) can go through an optional ‘Sanction To Test’ workflow, as illustrated in the diagram below:

1. An authorised person requests Sanction to Test.
2. An authorised person confirms readiness for the Sanction to Test.
3. An approver approves or rejects the Sanction to Test.
4. If approved, the test is carried out at the worksite.
5. An authorised person confirms in the PTW Isolations System that the Sanction to Test is complete.

From here, users can reisolate or request deisolation of the equipment, returning to the regular Isolations workflow.

Long Term Isolations steps

Isolations at the ‘Confirmed Isolated’ Stage (orange box) can be moved into the Long Term Isolation register, as per the workflow below:

1. Authorised personnel request that the isolation be moved to the Long Term Isolation Register.
2. An approver approves or rejects the request.
3. If approved, the isolation is now in the Long Term Isolation Register.
4. As an optional step, authorised users can confirm the long term isolation – i.e., confirm periodic checks and that the equipment should remain in long-term isolation.
5. To remove from Long Term Isolation Register, authorised personnel request removal from Long Term Isolations.
6. An approver approves or rejects the request.
7. If approved, the isolation is moved from the long term isolations register to the list of current isolations, returning to the standard isolation workflow.

To deisolate an item which is in the long term isolation register, first remove it from the register then deisolate as per the standard workflow, as described in the 'Standard Isolations Workflow from creation to close' section.

Using Isolations

This section describes the generic process of creating, approving, and confirming isolations, moving them in and out of long term isolation, integrating Sanction to Test and deisolating. Access to the Isolations Module is from the main menu bar in Permit to Work.

Getting the Isolations Module ready before first use

A basic setup is required to populate the ‘Type’, ‘Required Position’, ‘Deisolation Position’ and ‘Current Status’ dropdown lists. Contact your PTW Administrator if the dropdown menus are blank.

Creating Isolations and Requesting Approval

1. Click the ‘Create Isolation’ button on the Isolation List.
2. If the ‘Select the Isolation Settings’ screen opens, select the site and a version to use for the isolation and click the ‘Create Isolation’ button. (This screen will only come up if your company has several sites or several question sets.)
3. The Isolations Details Screen opens.
4. In the Isolations Details Screen, complete all isolations details, starting at the top of the form, by selecting options from a dropdown list, selecting a time, entering text, adding an attachment, as per the table below.
5. Click the ‘Save’ button.
6. The newly created isolation is now displayed on the Isolation List Screen with the Status as ‘Created’.
7. View the newly created isolation and to move the isolation to the next step in the Isolations workflow, click the ‘Request Approval’ button.
8. The Isolation Approval Request Screen opens.

9. Tick the confirmation box, add a comment, select if you wish to send an email, re-enter your password and click the ‘Request Approve Isolation’ button OR click the ‘Return’ button to return to the Isolations List without saving/sending approval request.
10. The newly created isolation is now displayed on the Isolation List Screen with the Status as ‘Created’ or ‘Requested Approval’.

Approving or Rejecting Isolations

1. In the Isolation List, click the ‘View’ button next to the isolation you want to approve or reject. The Isolation Details Screen opens.
2. Review the isolation.
3. If everything is in order, click the ‘Approve Isolation’ button at the bottom of the screen, OR if the isolation is not ready to be approved, click the ‘Reject Isolation’ button.
4. The Approve (or Reject) Isolation Screen opens. Re-enter your password and click the ‘Approve (or reject) Isolation Button’ OR click the ‘Return’ button to return to the Isolation Details Screen without approving.

The newly approved isolation is displayed in the Isolation List Screen with the Status as ‘Approved for Isolation’ and is now awaiting confirmation that the isolation has been put in place.
If the isolation has been rejected, it remains at ‘Created’ status, and can be edited and re-submitted for approval.

Confirming Isolations

Once the physical isolation has been carried out at the worksite, it is important to confirm that the isolation is now in place by updating the information in the Pisys PTW Isolations Module.

1. In the Isolation List, click the ‘View’ button next to the isolation you want to confirm. The Isolation Details Screen opens.
2. Click the ‘Confirm Isolated’ Button at the bottom of the screen. The Isolation Confirm Isolated Screen opens.
3. Re-enter your password and click the green Confirm Button OR click the ‘Return’ button to return to the Isolation Details Screen without approving.
4. The newly confirmed isolation is displayed in the Isolation List Screen with the Status as ‘Isolation in Place’.
5. Once an Isolation is in place, the following actions are available:
   • Print.
   • Request Sanction to Test.
   • Request Deisolate.
   • Request Long Term Isolation.

These actions are available from the Isolations Details Screen of a confirmed isolation.

Requesting Deisolation

When the work has been completed and de-isolation can take place at the worksite, the isolation software must be updated:

1. In the Isolation List, click the ‘View’ button next to the isolation you want to confirm. The Isolation Details Screen opens.
2. Click the ‘Request Deisolate’ button. The Deisolate Request Screen opens.

3. Re-enter your password and click the ‘Confirm ready for deisolation’ button.
The Isolation Details Screen opens with the Deisolation request added at the bottom. The isolation is displayed Isolation Home Screen under the heading ‘Requested Deisolation’ and in the Isolation List Screen with the status ‘Deisolate Request’ and is now awaiting approval for the deisolation by an authorised person.
The Isolation Details Screen opens. It now has a ‘Deisolation Details’ Section.
From here, users can:

• View the history of the isolation.
• Print the isolation.
• Approve the deisolation (if the user is authorised to approve de-isolations) OR click ‘Save’ to save the isolation request for someone else to approve.
• Return to the Isolations List.

The isolation is displayed in the Isolation Home Screen under the heading ‘Requested Deisolation’ and in the Isolation List Screen with the status ‘Deisolate Request’ and is now awaiting approval for the de-isolation by an authorised person.

Approving Deisolations

1. In the Isolation List, click the ‘View’ button next to the isolation you want to approve for deisolation. The Isolation Details Screen opens.
2. Click the green ‘Approve Deisolation’ button.
3. The ‘Confirm Deisolation’ Screen opens.
4. The Deisolate Request Screen opens.
5. Tick the email addresses that should be sent the deisolation approval and re-enter your password.
6. Click the green confirmation button at the bottom of the screen.

The Isolation Details Screen opens. The deisolation approval has been added into the Deisolation section, as in the screenshot below.

From here, users can:

• View the history of the isolation
• Print the isolation
• Close the isolation
• Return to the Isolations List

Closing the Isolation

1. In the Isolation List, click the ‘View’ button next to the isolation you want to close. The Isolation Details Screen opens.
2. Click the green ‘Close Isolation’ button.

The isolation is now closed. The Isolation Details Screen opens. It now includes a ‘Completed’ section at the bottom.
The History for the Isolation shows all the approval steps from creation to close.

Requesting Sanction to Test

In the Isolation List, click the ‘View’ button next to the isolation for which the Sanction to Test is required. The Isolation Details Screen opens.

1. Click the green ‘Request Sanction to Test’ button.
2. The ‘Sanction to Test Request’ Screen opens, see screenshot below. Select people to receive the request by email, re-enter your password and click the green ‘Confirm Ready for Sanction to Test’ button.

3. The Isolation Details Screen opens. It now has a ‘Sanction to Test Request Details’ section and – for authorised personnel – buttons to ‘Approve Sanction to Test’ and ‘Reject Sanction to Test'.

Approving or Rejecting Sanction to Test

1. In the Isolation List, click the ‘View’ button next to the isolation for which you want to approve the Sanction to Test.
2. The Isolation Details Screen opens. Click the ‘Approve Sanction to Test’ button to approve, OR
   click the ‘Reject Sanction to Test’ button to reject the request.
3. The ‘Sanction to Test Approve’ Screen OR the ‘Sanction to Test Reject’ Screen opens.
4. Select email recipients, re-enter your password and click the green confirm button.

If the Sanction to Test was approved, the Isolations Details Screen opens. The approval is now included in the ‘Sanction to Test Request Details’ section and – for authorised personnel – buttons to ‘Reisolate’ and ‘Request Deisolate’. If Sanction to Test has been rejected, it remains at ‘Confirmed’ status, with all standard workflow options available, as described in ‘Confirming Isolation’. The rejection is now included in the ‘Sanction to Test Request Details’ section and – for authorised personnel – buttons to ‘Request Sanction To Test’ or ‘Request Deisolate’, as in the screenshot.

Requesting a Deisolation following Sanction to Test

After the Test has been carried out, the equipment can be deisolated by authorised personnel. Open the isolation by clicking the ‘View’ button next to the isolation in the isolation list. The Isolations Detail Screen opens.

1. Click the ‘Request Deisolate’ button.
2. The ‘Deisolate Request’ Screen opens.
3. Select the people to receive email notifications, re-enter your password and click the green ‘Confirm’ button OR click ‘Return’ to return to the Isolation Details Screen without deisolating

The Isolation Details Screen opens. It now has a ‘Deisolate Details’ section and – for authorised personnel – a button to approve the de-isolation. To approve the de-isolation, proceed as described in the “Approving Deisolation” Section.

Requesting Long Term Isolation

1. In the Isolation List, click the ‘View’ button next to the isolation which you want to move into Long Term Isolations to open the Isolation Details Screen.
2. Click the ‘Request Long Term Isolation’ button.
3. The Long Term Isolation Request Screen opens. Enter a reason for the request, re-enter your password and click the ‘Request Long Term Isolation’ button.

The Isolation Details Screen opens. It now has a ‘Long Term Isolations Details’ Section with buttons (for approved personnel) to approve the Long Term isolation or remove the item from long term isolation.

Approving a Long Term Isolation request

1. In the Isolation List, click the ‘View’ button next to the isolation which you want to approve for Long Term Isolations.
2. The Isolation Details Screen opens. Click the ‘Approve Long Term Isolation’ button in the Long Term Isolation Details Section.
3. The ‘Isolation Confirm Long Term’ Screen opens. Re-enter your password to approve and click the ‘Confirm Long Term Isolation’ button OR click the ‘Return’ button to return to the Isolation Details Screen without approving the long term isolation request.

The Isolations Details Screen opens. The Approval for the Long Term Isolation is now listed in the ‘Long Term Isolation Details’ Section.

The isolation is also listed in the Long Term Isolations Register.

Confirming Long Term Isolations periodically

To confirm that an isolation has been reviewed and is still required, follow the instructions in the ‘Approving a Long Term Isolation Request’ section of this manual.
Each time the Long Term Isolation is approved, the approval is added to the ‘Long Term Isolation Details’ section of the Isolation Details Screen.

Removing Isolations from the Long Term Isolations Register

1. In the Isolation Long Term Register, click the ‘View’ button next to the isolation which you want to remove from the Long Term Isolations Register.
2. The Isolation Details Screen opens. Click the ‘Remove from Long Term Isolation’ button in the Long Term Isolation Details Section.
3. The ‘Isolation Remove Long Term’ Screen opens. Re-enter your password and click the ‘Remove from Long Term Isolation’ button, OR click the ‘Return’ button to return to the Isolation Details screen without removing the isolation from the Long Term Isolations Register

The Isolation Details Screen opens. The removal from Long Term Isolations Register is listed in the ‘Long Term Isolation Details’ Section of the screen.

Once removed from the long term register, the isolation returns to ‘Confirmed’ status, with all standard workflow options available, as described in ‘Confirming Isolation’. The isolation is no longer listed in the Long Term Isolations Register.

Linking Isolations and Permits

When a new permit is created, an isolation can be linked to the permit either

• Immediately by selecting an existing (approved) isolation from the dropdown list.
• At a later point before permit approval, if the isolation has not been created or approved yet, by ticking the ‘Create New Isolation’ box.

The Screenshot below shows the relevant section from the Permit Creation Screen.

Administrators Guide to PTW Isolations

Administrators can set up user rights, details of isolation points, statuses, and various aspects of the isolation workflow by using the Isolation Administration buttons.

Initial Setup

A basic setup is required to populate the ‘Type’, ‘Required Position’, ‘De-isolation Position’ and ‘Current State’ dropdown lists in the Isolations Module.
This is done via the Isolations Admin Options, which allow Administrators to create, edit, archive and delete:

• Isolation Types (Admin > Isolation Point Types).
• Isolation Point Statuses (Admin > Isolation Point Status).
• Isolation Point Current Statuses (Admin > Isolation Point Current Status).

The Isolations setup is IN ADDITION TO the initial permit to work setup and assumes that Companies, Sites/Areas and Users have already been created

If isolations are to be linked to permits, and Administrator must create an ‘Isolations Link’ on the Permit Creation Form.

Version Management in the Isolations Module

Version Management in the Isolations Module follows the same principles as the main PTW System:

• New versions can be created any time, either from scratch or based on another version of the isolations set.
• Editing and deleting is only possible if a version of the isolation form has not been used to create any isolations.
• Any used versions can be archived at any time.

Isolation Rights

Isolation Rights define what users are authorised to do in the PTW Isolations Module, e.g., create or approve isolations, request, or approve sanction to test.

• Each user is assigned an Isolation Right/User Role, e.g., Issuing Authority, Person in Charge, Responsible Person.
• Each Isolation Right has a set of user rights associated with it, e.g., ‘can create isolation’ or ‘can approve long-term isolation’.

Isolation rights must be created before being allocated to a user.

The Isolation Rights Tab in Admin

The Isolation Rights Tab shows all Isolation Rights.
From this screen, Administrators can:

• Create new Isolation Rights.
• Edit existing Isolation Rights.
• Delete Isolation Rights if they have not yet been allocated to any users.

Creating and Editing Isolation Rights

• In the Isolation Right Tab Screen, tick the appropriate boxes for this Isolation Sign Right.
• Click the Save Button to save OR click the ‘Return’ Button to return to the admin screen without saving.

Allocating Isolation Rights to Users

• Decide on an ‘Isolations Right’ for the user for each area or create a new Isolation Right with the desired combination of rights.
• In the User Edit Screen (Admin > Users > Edit), select an ‘Isolation Right’ for this user for each of the sites at the bottom of the screen.

The Isolation Point Type List

This List shows all isolation types that make up the ‘Isolation Point’ dropdown list in the Isolations Detail section when an isolation is created.
In the Isolations Point Type List, Administrators can create, edit, archive, and delete isolation types.

When an isolation Type is in use at a location it cannot be deleted. The 'In Use' box is ticked and no Delete button is available. The Isolation type can be archived instead.

Creating, Editing, Archiving and Deleting Isolation Types

• To create a new isolation type, click the ‘Create New’ button, fill in all details and click the ‘Save’ button.
• To delete an isolation type, click the ‘Delete’ button (if available).
• To edit an isolation type, click the ‘Edit’ button next to the Isolation Type, make the changes and click the ‘Save’ button.
• To archive an isolation type, click the ‘Edit’ button and tick the Archive box.

The Isolation Point Status List

This List shows all isolation point statuses that make up the ‘Required Position’ and ‘Deisolated Position’ dropdown lists in the Isolations Detail Section, as well as their codes. Administrators can create, edit, archive, and delete isolation point statuses.

When an isolation Point Status is in use at a location it cannot be deleted. The 'In Use' box is ticked and no Delete button is available. The Isolation Point Status can be archived instead.

Creating, Editing, Archiving and Deleting Isolation Point Statuses

• To create a new isolation point status, click the ‘Create New’ button, fill in all details and click the ‘Save’ button.
• To delete an isolation point status, click the ‘Delete’ button (if available).
• To edit an isolation point status, click the ‘Edit’ button next to the Isolation Type, make the changes and click the ‘Save’ button.
• To archive an isolation point status, click the ‘Edit’ button and tick the Archive box.

The Isolation Point Current Status List

Shows all isolation point statuses that make up the ‘Current Status’ dropdown list in the Isolations Detail section of the Isolations Module.
On this screen, Administrators can create, edit, archive, and delete isolation point current statuses.

When an isolation Point Current Status is in use at a location it cannot be deleted. The 'In Use' box is ticked and no Delete button is available. The Isolation Point Current Status can be archived instead.

Creating, Editing, Archiving and Deleting Isolation Point Current Statuses

• To create a new isolation point current status, click the ‘Create New’ button, fill in all details and click the ‘Save’ button.
• To delete an isolation point current status, click the ‘Delete’ button (if available).
• To edit an isolation point current status, click the ‘Edit’ button next to the Isolation Type, make the changes and click the ‘Save’ button.
• To archive an isolation point current status, click the ‘Edit’ button and tick the Archive box.

The Isolation Version Screen

Administrators can view the settings and manage different versions of the Isolation Creation Form here. They can:

• View the settings and revision status for an Isolation version, and the number of isolations created using that version.
• Create, edit, delete and archive Isolation versions.
• Enforce version control over isolation versions.
• Define what information will be captured when a new isolation is created, such as isolation equipment, isolation reason, isolation requested by and performed by.
• Make this information mandatory, so that a new isolation can only be saved or approved if this information is present.

The Isolation Version Screen is divided into 4 sections, and they are self-explanatory:

1. The Isolate/Deisolate Workflow Step.
2. The Sanction to Test Workflow Step.
3. The Long-Term Isolation Workflow Step.
4. The Isolation Option / Section.

Here an administrator can select which workflows they will use for the life or their isolations. More isolations settings were covered in The Isolation Settings Tab and The Isolation Rights Tab.

Contractor Management

Contractor Management is an add-on module in the PTW system for keeping track of Contractor Companies’ certification and their authorisations to work on different Sites within a company.
The module allows companies to define what level of competence / certification is required for a contractor company to be authorised to work on a certain site. Copies of certificates can be attached. They are stored electronically and are accessible from anywhere.
The Contractor Management module also keeps track of certificates’ expiry dates and flags these up at the permit creation stage, so that expired certificates can be renewed before the work commences.
If enabled, ‘Contractor Management’ is an item on the main menu bar.

There are several advantages to the contactor management module. These are:

• Allows all the contractor information to be stored in a single place with easy search and retrieval of all requirements.
• Requirements can be defined by the customer; it is not fixed like some other solutions.
• Allows the documents to be stored against the requirements.
• When connected to Permits:
  • Can flag up when a requirement becomes out of date.
  • Can flag up what should be done before a permit is started.
  • Can only allow companies that meet the requirements to be selected on creation of a permit.
  • Can record the performance of companies.
• Management
  • Allows the overall performance of a contractor to be viewed (only when using permit feedback).

Steps to confirm Contractors

Setup Contractor Template(s)

The first step is to setup the templates. Pisys provides default templates which are fully customisable and should be confirmed before use. The Contractor Management section of the Administration screen is where you will find all the tools to setup Contractor Management for your PTW system.

Confirm Competencies that clients will use.

Navigate to the Admin/Competencies screen under the contractor management section. The website includes default competencies. These can be added to and removed from if the competence is not used.
The competencies are linked to a panel on the permit e.g., Working at Height might have both ladders and roof work. The required competence(s) for the individuals working on the permit are selected when setting up the Permit.

The requirements that a company or individual need to be able to demonstrate their ability to perform at task with this competence are set on the contractor templates.

Configuring the Company Type

The Contractor Type allows a template of requirement to be created. A contractor will have this template applied and the difference between what is required and what has currently been supplied by the contractor will be displayed.
These templates are accessed from the Admin/Company Type screen. Pisys by default supply two templates, one for your company and the requirements for your personnel and one for all other contractors. You can setup others for other companies. Additional Company Types can be created if you have separate requirements for companies such as sub-contractors or office-based contractors such as cleaners.

Select the template that you would like to review and then select the “Edit Type” button. This will show all the requirements for both the company and the employees of the company who will be the recipients of permits.

Setting a Company Type

When the Company Type is ready then each company needs to have the company, type selected. To perform this, go into Admin and select Companies under the General section. Edit each Company in turn. The companies can now have emergency contact phone numbers and a contact email address added.
The competencies that a client provides can also be identified so that e.g. a plumbing contractor cannot be used on electrical jobs.

Obtaining all Documents to confirm a contractor is valid

Once the Companies have their requirements set then the documents that verify that these requirements are met can be added.
Currently this can only be performed by a user with a login. At a future date, the contractors will be able to attach the details and attachments themselves via a link that will be emailed to the contact email address mentioned above.
To perform this step, go to the Contractors Menu and select Company List from the dropdown.
Next press the “Details” button next to the Company that will be performing the permit. This will provide an overview of the company.

When first setting up a company click on the “Documents” tab then the “Update” button. This will list all requirements with the out-of-date items in a red/orange colour or a yellow colour for dates that are soon to expire.

Depending on the restriction Control type either a simple check, start date, end date or both start and end date are required to be entered for each requirement.
If an attachment was specified when the requirement was setup a scan of the document or insurance certificate should be added. Once all documents are added and the client will be to be valid on the list screen.

Using Contractors on Permits

Once enough companies have had their accreditation confirmed in the system, the link with the Permits can become used.
The best way to link the two modules together is to go to the Admin Screen select Settings & Access Rights under General and then select the Contractor Management tab and ensure that the “Recipients to be pre-selected” option is checked.

Use on Permits Before Issue

This option allows the planned start and finish date of a permit to be selected, the people who are expected to arrive at site and the competencies that are required on the permit to be entered.

When used in conjunction with “Only allow approved Companies can move to Approved PTWs” the system will check all the accreditation is in place before the issue of the permit and will also list all the additional actions that need to be completed by the contractor and their employees e.g., “Site Induction” on arrival.
The Planned Dates can be used on issue saving the need to enter this information again.
The Recipients that are selected will be available on the Issue screen and those that are not selected will be excluded from this list.

The checks that are in place when using this option are used are as follows.

• Is there at least one Recipient selected to perform this permit?
• Does the company selected on the permit have “Company Type” selected?
• Does the company have all the Competencies that have been selected as being required on this permit?
• Does at least one recipient selected have the competencies that have been marked as required?. E.g., if a plumbing and an electrical competency are required you will need a plumber and an electrician or an individual who can perform both tasks.
• Does the Company meet all the requirements specified with an expiry date on or after the planned permit finish date?
• Do all the recipients have the requirements specified with an expiry date on or after the planned permit finish date?

When setting up the Requirement the “Mandatory before Arrival” checkbox will determine the message displayed. The default message next to each missing requirement would be “Needs to be supplied before arrival” or “Needs completed before work starts”.

Use on Permits when Issuing

When issuing a permit only the Recipients that have been preselected will be shown, eliminating the need to search through other names. There is also an option to use the planned dates on the permit meaning that this step is now easier.

Use on Permits on Hand Back

When handing back a permit there is the option to record the company’s performance. Over time this should become a reliable quality indicator.