In heavy industries like construction, manufacturing, oil & gas, and mining, managing work permits is a critical yet challenging task. With multiple activities carried on at the same time, EHS managers often have to juggle between them.
Traditional methods of permit management involve significant manual effort, leading to delays, confusion, and sometimes costly errors. Government regulations are ever-evolving, requiring constant updates to ensure compliance.
This often results in a tangled web of paperwork, miscommunication, and operational inefficiencies.
The solution?
viAct’s AI-Powered Permit Management Software
Working with advanced AI compliance tools such as Generative AI, Computer vision technology, AI video analytics, conversational AI, and LLM agents, viAct’s AI work permit system is a one-stop solution.
Challenges in Traditional Permit Management vs. AI Permit Management Software
Traditional permit management systems present several challenges. These issues can be effectively tackled with viAct’s AI permit-to-work software, streamlining workflows and improving safety compliance.
Here's how:
1. Time-Consuming Manual Work
Traditional methods involve handling physical paperwork, and slowing down processes, especially for industries requiring multiple permits.
With AI: viAct’s AI-powered work permit system automates the creation, issuance, and tracking of permits. Pre-configured templates for permits like hot work or confined space entry reduce preparation time by up to 50%, allowing tasks to commence without delays.
2. Inadequate Monitoring
Manual oversight often misses critical compliance issues, increasing the risk of accidents or regulatory penalties.
With AI: AI Video Analytics and Computer Vision Technology continuously monitor permit activities, flagging unauthorized access or safety breaches in real time. For instance, if a worker enters a red zone in a drilling rig without PPE compliance post permit approvals, the system generates an immediate alert, preventing potential hazards.
3. Regulation Updates
Manually keeping track of evolving safety and environmental guidelines can lead to errors and non-compliance.
With AI: viAct’s AI safety management software is programmed to adapt to regulatory changes, ensuring permits align with the latest standards. Automated risk assessments provide actionable insights to maintain compliance effortlessly.
It complies with government initiatives from Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower, Hong Kong Government’s Construction 2.0, and Smart Site Safety System (4S) initiative, along with Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 initiative.
4. Approval Delays
Waiting for manual authorizations creates bottlenecks, increasing downtime and disrupting project timelines.
With AI: The AI work permit approval software accelerates the process through digital signatures and automated workflows. Mobile-friendly interfaces allow supervisors to review and approve permits from anywhere, enabling work to begin within minutes.
By addressing these challenges, viAct’s AI safety compliance software transforms the complexities of traditional permit management into a seamless, efficient, and safe process and generates the following benefits.
Benefits of deploying viAct’s PTW Software
Time Savings: Digital workflows reduce approval times from days to minutes, ensuring faster project execution.
Enhanced Safety: AI tools detect risks and ensure safety compliance through instant verifications of documents through real-time monitoring.
Improved Compliance: Automated tracking and audit trails guarantee regulatory adherence and minimize penalties.
Cost Savings: Streamlined processes of permit management reduce downtime, accidents, and project delays, lowering operational costs.
Boosted Productivity: Automation eliminates repetitive tasks of seeking permit approvals, allowing focus on high-value activities.
Scalability: Easily adapts to multiple sites or projects, ensuring consistent management and compliance.
A Case Study: Confined Space Entry Permit Management in Manufacturing using viAct’s AI-Powered PTW System
Background: A manufacturing plant involved in chemical processing required regular maintenance inside its storage tanks—a confined space with high safety risks.
Considering the plant using traditional methods of permit management, the following challenges occur.
Manual PTW processes often delay maintenance due to extensive paperwork.
The lack of real-time monitoring made it hard to ensure compliance.
High turnover among contractors led to frequent safety oversights.
Solution with viAct’s AI PTW Software:
Automated Permit Issuance: The plant manager can generate confined space entry permits with customizable templates, cutting preparation time by 50%.
Worker Qualification Verification: viAct’s LLM Agents verify contractors’ safety certifications in real-time, ensuring only trained personnel receive approvals to enter.
AI Video Analytics for Monitoring: The system tracks activities within the tank using AI-powered cameras, instantly flagging PPE violations, unauthorized entry, decreasing oxygen levels, or unusual worker behaviour such as fatigue or nausea.
Digital Approval Process: Supervisors use mobile access to sign permits digitally whether they are present on-site or offsite, reducing delays caused by physical document transfers.
Outcome:
70% faster permit approvals.
Zero safety violations during maintenance.
Enhanced compliance with safety standards.
Core Features of viAct’s PTW System
As outlined above, viAct’s Digital Permit to Work (PTW) system is designed to streamline the complex and often time-consuming process of issuing, approving, and managing work permits.
With a focus on enhancing safety, improving compliance, and increasing productivity, this system is equipped with powerful AI-driven tools such as its conversational AI chatbot, viGent, making it an essential solution for high-risk industries.
Simplified Permit Creation Process
The process of creating work permits is usually cumbersome, especially in industries that require multiple permits for different tasks.
viAct’s Digital PTW system simplifies this by allowing users to quickly create or customize work permits based on the type of task and risk involved. Workers and safety officers can choose from a range of pre-configured permit templates like Hot Work Permits, Cold Work Permits, Confined Space Entry Permits, Excavation Permits, and more.
For example, in the construction industry, issuing a Hot Work Permit for welding tasks can be tedious, requiring safety checks and compliance with fire regulations.
With viAct’s PTW system, this process is automated, reducing human errors and speeding up the issuance of the permit. The system ensures that all required safety measures—such as fire extinguisher placement, protective barriers, and worker PPE—are confirmed before the permit is issued.
Improved Monitoring and Compliance Tracking
One of the key challenges in traditional permit management is the inadequate monitoring of permit activities, which can lead to compliance issues and safety hazards.
viAct’s PTW system provides real-time monitoring of all active permits, ensuring that safety protocols are being followed at every step. This feature also tracks each permit’s lifecycle, from creation to approval and expiration, providing a comprehensive view of all activities.
viGent, the AI-powered assistant, further enhances compliance by providing real-time alerts to workers and supervisors, offering reminders about compliance requirements or safety protocols that need to be followed.
For instance, John, a worker in a manufacturing plant, needs an Electrical Work Permit but is unsure about the requirements. He asks viGent through his mobile.
viGent didn’t just provide the usual permit requirements but also monitored the surrounding area for potential hazards (like hot work) in real time and gave John situational awareness by alerting him when the area was safe.
Real-Time Authorization and Digital Signatures
The approval process for permits, especially in industries like construction and oil & gas, often involves waiting for signatures from multiple stakeholders, leading to delays and project downtime.
With viAct’s e-PTW system, this issue is resolved by enabling real-time authorization through digital signatures. This feature eliminates the need for physical paperwork and reduces the approval time from days to minutes.
For instance, when a Lifting Work Permit is required on a construction site, the system allows the safety officer to digitally sign off on the permit after confirming that all pre-requisite safety checks—such as crane inspections and load calculations—have been met.
Workers can then access the approved permit through the mobile app and proceed with their tasks, without waiting for lengthy approval processes.
Automated Risk Assessment and Conflict Resolution
viAct’s PTW system goes a step further by automating risk assessments for every task, reducing human errors in evaluating the hazards involved. The system analyzes the type of work, location, and environmental factors to automatically assess the risks and identify any potential conflicts between different tasks.
In mining, where high-risk tasks such as Excavation Permits are common, the system assesses environmental factors such as ground stability, gas leaks, and proximity to other work activities.
If the system detects a high risk, it can automatically suggest additional safety measures, such as reinforcement for unstable ground or specialized equipment for hazardous conditions.
Instant Labour Qualification Verification
Ensuring that workers are qualified for specific tasks is crucial for safety and compliance. viAct’s PTW system integrates with personnel databases to automatically verify the qualifications and certifications of workers before issuing any permits.
This eliminates the possibility of assigning unqualified personnel to high-risk tasks.
viGent also plays a key role by assisting workers and supervisors in finding the right personnel for the job. It can quickly cross-check personnel databases, recommend qualified workers, and even alert them to necessary training updates.
viAct’s AI-powered permit-to-work software is more than a digital tool—it’s a comprehensive solution for enhancing safety, compliance, and efficiency across industries.
Quick FAQs
1. How does AI enhance permit management in industries?
AI permit-to-work software automates risk assessments, improves monitoring, and accelerates approvals, ensuring compliance and safety.
2. What steps are required for viAct’s AI work permit system for implementation?
Getting started with viAct’s AI work permit approval software is easy. It needs three steps –
1️ Share your project details with viAct.
2️ Let viAct assess your current processes and challenges.
3️ Deploy the AI PTW System with zero disruptions in the current infrastructure.
3. Why choose AI safety management software over traditional systems?
AI-powered solutions like viAct streamline processes, reduce errors, and provide real-time insights, making workplaces safer and more efficient.
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