Maintenance and investment projects in the process industry involve demanding tasks where safety is critical. Opening pipelines, working inside tanks and carrying out other maintenance work may sometimes be necessary while the plant is still in operation. In these situations, work permits, risk assessments and employee competencies must be managed reliably.
Vitec ALMA's EhsqALMA has been developed to manage occupational safety and other EHSQ activities as part of the ALMA system.
Safety-related processes need to be both efficient and verifiable. For example, during audits, organizations must be able to demonstrate that the required actions have been completed and that safety-related information has been properly documented.
The key principle of EhsqALMA is to integrate safety management with maintenance and project management in the same system. Asset information, maintenance activities, work permits, risk assessments, deviations and other work- and safety-related information form one connected entity.
When safety-related information is managed in the same system as other operational information, it can be linked directly to the relevant work, location and equipment. Information required to make a worksite safe is therefore available to the different parties involved without the need for separate systems.
For example, safety inductions as well as the validity of hot work and occupational safety cards can be managed as part of the same system. This makes it possible to verify who has the competencies required for a particular task.
The same information can be linked to work permits and maintenance targets. When a work permit is processed, the necessary information is directly connected to the work and the location or equipment covered by the permit.
The work permit process is an important part of safe maintenance. Some tasks may involve handling chemicals or working in conditions that require specific protective measures, competencies or work procedures.
Before work begins, it must be possible to ensure that the worksite has been made safe, the employee has the necessary personal protective equipment and the required competencies are valid.
When work permits and maintenance activities are managed in the same system, safety information becomes part of the actual work process. Safety management is therefore integrated into daily operations rather than handled as a separate process.
The purpose of preventive and corrective maintenance is to keep production equipment operational. In the process industry, safety is an essential part of achieving this.
In the chemical industry, for example, the working environment may involve hazardous chemicals, flammable substances and potentially explosive atmospheres. Effective safety management therefore also supports production reliability and operational continuity.
Managing safety information is particularly important during investment projects and shutdowns, when contractors may be working at the plant alongside the company's own personnel. Contractors may not be as familiar with the working environment and its risks as the plant's own employees.
With EhsqALMA's competency management and predefined work procedures, relevant safety information can also be incorporated into contractors' work.
The strength of EhsqALMA lies in connecting safety information with other technical information and daily operations. Work permits, risk assessments, competencies and deviations are not isolated pieces of information. They can be linked directly to maintenance activities, projects and physical assets.
This means that safety information stays connected to the work where it is planned and carried out. At the same time, activities leave a documented and verifiable record for subsequent monitoring and audits.
