London Banks H&S Forum
News item added on: 2009-04-27 00:00:00
Introduction
Whilst your supply chain shares a Duty of care to protect people from risks, it is obviously the Banks yourselves that have the most at risk from the Permit system not being operated properly.
It is unlikely that there is anything wrong with the paper-based Permit systems operated in your buildings but there are probably times when you have been left exposed.
The pressures that can jeopardise a permit system are all too familiar; high volume of permits, tight deadlines, lateness of submissions or poor documentation, all compromising the quality of the information and the time available to consider it. These pressures escalate hugely when the risk profile changes in a building, during project work, refurbishments or shut downs.
There are 4 types of risk that we identify, those being:
- Injury to people
- Damage to property
- Disruption of business
- Compromised security
Reducing risks
e-permit systems can substantially reduce these risks, not by changing the circumstances where permits are used or the process or the people involved but by making the people and the process more effective.
The risks to Banks can be reduced by increasing management control where it is lacking, and the prerequisite for management control is of course, management information.
Web-based systems provide that management information to the appropriate people just when they need it, to help them to make the safest decision. But it is very important that the system while providing management information, does not make management decisions. If they begin to make some of the decisions, people tend to rely on them to make all the decisions which would be dangerous. There is no substitute for a well trained, Authorised person, they just need the best information available.
Management control
In simple terms, the APs are trying to ensure that the:
right people, with the
right skills, work to the
right method statement, in the
right place, at the
right time
Management information
So what management information would help achieve these objectives and reduce your risks?
Compliance checking
Safety policy - It would be helpful to inform sub-contractors when their proposed work breaches your Health & Safety policy or site rules and then to advise them where they are non-compliant.
That way you know that the limitations and requirements of your policy and site rules are being enforced consistently on every permit.
Competencies – It would be useful to know that the sub-contractor coming to site has been approved and has current, adequate insurance It would also be helpful to inform sub-contractors when their proposed work team does not have the appropriate competencies, training, language skills or inductions to undertake the task and again to advise them what is lacking.
Hazards - It would be prudent to share the known hazards in a building like asbestos, chemical storage, HV equipment, low beams etc. with the team planning to do the work in advance, so that they can plan the appropriate personnel, equipment, PPE and method of work.
RA and MS – It would be useful to know that the Risk assessment and Method statement were building specific, had been approved by an AP, had not been superseded by a later version and would be reviewed on a regular basis.
High-risk permits – It is vital to know that the high-risk permits for isolations, hot works, work at height or in confined spaces for instance, are all in place, that they are linked to the main permit and cross referenced, that if one is rejected or cancelled then they all are, and that they can only be issued and closed in sequence.
Clash checking
Clash checking – Particularly when the number of permits is high or the portfolio of buildings is large, it would be helpful if potentially dangerous clashes were highlighted as even tasks that are in isolation safe, can present an unforeseen hazard to another party.
It would be helpful to see when two parties were planning to work on the same service or a related service or in the same location. The AP could then make an informed decision to reject one or allow both to proceed, perhaps with a warning to both parties about the other.
When a request is rejected it would also be helpful to let the company know why it has been rejected and to indicate what is needed for it to be acceptable.
Workflow management
Involvement – You would want to know that all the appropriate APs and interested parties were involved for each scenario so that no-one is missed out or circumvented. Their involvement might be as a result of the location, the service being worked on or the permit type and can get very complex.
Role – You would want reassurance that each AP could only approve risks and permit types that their competence covers. This might be Electrical permits but not Hot works permits or Business risk but not People risk. You would also want to know that their authority was still current.
Updates – It would be efficient to contact an AP when they need to assess a RA/MS or a Permit by email or on their PDA. Similarly, as a sub-contractor you would want to know when your RA/MA or Permit has been approved or rejected. If you haven’t been notified, web-access should enable you to track the progress of a submission and progress chase it.
Visibility – The web access also provides visibility of sub-contractors for parties that need to monitor activities across various sites or projects.
Non-compliances – Knowing which sub-contractors or specific persons are not complying with your policies can bring the required leverage to sort them out quickly.
Reports – You would probably want to access reports that focus on locations, activities, companies or time frames of particular interest, at the press of a button.
Audit trail – It is also comforting to know that a system is keeping a record of every key action, date and user stamped in case of an incident.
This type of management information is already accessible to clients in many sectors reducing their risks and bringing them peace of mind:
- Property management
- Banking & Finance
- Legal
- Telecoms
- Airlines
- Retail
- Healthcare
- Private prisons
- Education
- FM companies
- Property developers
- Fitout contractors
and it is operated by major:
These Permit systems are quite simple to implement. They draw on whatever data is available from asset registers and can be integrated with Asset management or CAFM systems such as Maximo or Concept.
They are also easy to use. The HSE has always stressed that a Permit system should be simple to operate. It is therefore important that web-based systems do not deliver their secondary benefits at the expense of usability. There is no value in an application with impressive functionality that is never used.
The benefits and usability of e-permits have been recognised by a number of H&S award bodies. Banyards’ e-permit system has received awards from:
- H&V News
- Building Magazine
- The Construction Health & Safety Group
- Safety & Health Expo
- Specialist Contract Awards
- Building Services Journal
in each case for the category of Best H&S innovation
I hope that gives you an insight into what is going on and why, and I would welcome your questions on any aspect of permits. Thank you