Rethinking permits-to-work: From bureaucracy to safety practice

BackgroundThe Permit-to-Work (PTW) system is essential in industrial safety management, yet major accidents have revealed persistent weaknesses. Events such as Piper Alpha, BP Grangemouth, and others demonstrated failures in supervision, communication, recordkeeping, and risk assessment, underscoring the need for more effective PTW implementation.ObjectiveThis study aims to analyze the functioning of Permit-to-Work (PTW) systems in two oil and gas production units, highlighting their main characteristics, safety implications, and potential improvements.MethodsA case study was conducted within an intervention project in the oil and gas industry, combining quantitative and qualitative approaches. Data were collected between 2021 and 2023 through observations, interviews, discussion groups, virtual meetings, and on-site visits in two operational units (warehouse and thermoelectric plant), involving more than 250 workers.ResultsThe study identified excessive workloads in PTW management at the thermoelectric plant and delays with inefficiencies in the warehouse system. Key limits included divergent risk perceptions, bureaucratic demands, lack of flexibility, and excessive simultaneous releases. Distinct usage patterns among developers, executors, and safety specialists revealed distortions that reinforce PTW bureaucratization.ConclusionsThe effectiveness of PTW in promoting safety is challenged by everyday decision-making, exposing a fragile balance between quality and quantity in operational routines. The findings highlight partial logics of use, collective strategies to manage the system, and the bureaucracy involved in its preparation and application, indicating potential pathways for more effective transformations.