Computer-aided compliance
January 2010
IT in Manufacturing
JSE-listed Illovo has gone live with ApplyIT’s IntelliPermit implementation, replacing the old-style manual work permit system at its Pongola mill with a modern electronic application. While the old system had done a fair job it had many shortcomings. One was that employees using it tended to tick the relevant boxes on the permits without fully comprehending the hazards and risk control requirements of each task. Bruce Holmes, operations manager at the time, suggested IntelliPermit. Once funds were allocated and the team was given the go-ahead implementation was undertaken.
“The advantage of IntelliPermit is that people preparing, issuing, authorising, accepting and ultimately signing off permits are compelled through a process where they have to answer questions correctly before the system will issue a valid permit,” says Gavin Halse, MD of ApplyIT. “If they answer incorrectly, or forget to acknowledge any specific risk-related parameter, the application takes them back a few steps and makes suggestions for consideration. Once issued the permit remains with the person doing the work and contains all the hazards, risks and risk control measures required by the permit holder for that specific task. The permit holder can be requested to produce this at any time by a manager who can then perform a spot compliance audit.”
“We have found the system very helpful and we are confident it will improve safety in some of the medium to high-risk maintenance activities in the factory,’’ says John Cox, facilities manager, Illovo Pongola. “We made a conscious decision not to incorporate all the features of the system to start with, but rather to wait until users had gained more experience and confidence before we made use of the complete IntelliPermit functionality.”
An aspect that was underestimated was the time needed to train users, many of whom had little or no previous exposure to computers. “We just did not fully appreciate that to quite a few employees, the mysteries of simple computer phrases such as ‘double click on the icon or drop down menu’ had to be explained. To some, even the most basic instruction resulted in confusion, blank faces and some hilarity,” says Cox. “There is no doubt, however, that the ‘intellipeople’ who persevered and mastered the new tool have benefited greatly.”
Cox concludes by saying that there has been some great feedback from the mill and the friendly and helpful manner in which Dave Brennan and Henry Boshoff from ApplyIT guided the implementation of IntelliPermit on site to make the transition from the old to the new system a pleasant and painless one.
For more information contact Nikki Beech, ApplyIT, +27 (0)31 275 8080, [email protected], www.applyit.com
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