Digital Permit to Work (ePTW) Implementation for a Process Plant
Overview
Mayford supported a chemical manufacturing facility in transitioning from a paper-based Permit to Work system to a fully digital ePTW platform aligned with the Energy Institute's 'Guidance on Permit to Work Systems.' The 6-month implementation covered workflow design for 12 permit types, role-based access for over 800 users, and integration with the client's existing isolation management and LOTO procedures. The new system reduced average permit cycle time from 4 hours to under 90 minutes and established a complete digital audit trail for the first time.
The Challenge
The facility operated with a legacy paper-based permit system managing approximately 120 permits per week across 4 operational zones. Permit forms were frequently incomplete, approvals required physical sign-offs from supervisors who were often in the field, and there was no centralized tracking — meaning simultaneous conflicting permits (e.g., hot work adjacent to confined space entry) could go undetected. A recent internal audit flagged 23 non-conformances related to permit management, and a near-miss incident involving overlapping isolation boundaries accelerated the need for a digital solution.
Our Solution
Mayford mapped the client's existing 12 permit types (hot work, confined space entry, excavation, electrical isolation, cold work, working at height, etc.) into structured digital workflows. Each permit type was configured with mandatory fields, automated conflict-checking against active isolations, GPS-tagged work zones, and a multi-tier digital approval chain. The system was integrated with the client's SAP PM module for planned maintenance triggers. Mayford conducted role-based training for 800+ users across operators, supervisors, HSE officers, and contractors over a 3-week rollout period, followed by a 4-week parallel-run phase where both paper and digital systems operated simultaneously.
