Digital Permits to Work in Production: How to Replace Paper-Based Processes
In chemical plants, refineries and pharmaceutical facilities, safety depends on permits to work. The problem isn't the concept — it's the paper it runs on.
Before a maintenance technician works on a pipeline in a chemical plant, they need a permit to work. Before a cleaning crew enters a tank, an authorisation must be in place. Before a contractor begins welding, they need a reviewed and signed approval — specifying protective gases, fire extinguishing equipment and the current state of the installation.
These authorisation processes — known in industrial environments as work permits or permits to work — are legally required, safety-critical and non-negotiable. Yet in most facilities, the process looks exactly as it did thirty years ago: print a form, fill it in by hand, get a physical signature, file it in the office, collect it again after the work is done.
What gets lost along the way: speed, traceability and legal certainty. This article explains how digitalising this process works in practice — and what requirements the system must meet to do so compliantly.
What is a permit to work — and why is it needed?
A permit to work is a formal document certifying that a specific task may be carried out at a defined location under defined conditions. It specifies who performs the work, what protective measures have been put in place, who bears responsibility — and for how long the authorisation is valid.
In the process industry, this applies primarily to work in potentially explosive atmospheres (ATEX zones), hot work such as welding and flame cutting, work in confined spaces (vessels, tanks, shafts), activities on pressurised installations, and contractor operations within the facility.
Why paper fails in practice
Paper-based permit to work procedures have structural weaknesses that become visible in day-to-day operations — even when every individual step is carried out correctly.
| Problem | Operational impact | Risk level |
|---|---|---|
| Illegible handwriting, missing fields | Permit formally invalid, rework required, time lost | High |
| Physical signature unavailable (holiday cover, night shift) | Work delayed or started without correct authorisation | High |
| Paper document lost or damaged | Missing documentation during regulatory inspections, GxP deviation | High |
| No overview of active permits across the site | Duplicate permits, overlooked parallel activities, conflicts | High |
| Permit filed in office while technician is on site | Technician does not have full knowledge of permit conditions | Medium |
| Subsequent changes not traceable | No audit trail, no version history, no evidence preservation | High |
The critical point is not that paper is inherently unsafe. The problem is that paper does not allow validation — a permit can be completed without the system checking whether all preconditions have actually been met.
How the digital permit to work process works — step by step
The following process model shows how a fully digitalised permit to work workflow is structured. Each step includes a direct comparison with its paper-based equivalent.
Application
The person carrying out the work creates the permit digitally — on a tablet, laptop or smartphone. The system enforces all mandatory fields. The permit type (hot work, cold work, confined space entry) automatically determines which additional fields appear.
Paper-based
Print the form, fill it in by hand, take it physically to the responsible person. If there's an error: start again with a new form.
Digital with mularis Permit to Work
Mobile form with mandatory field validation. Location, date and time set automatically. Illegible entries are not possible.
Safety check
The system automatically checks for conflicting permits — parallel activities in the same zone or overlapping ATEX areas. The safety officer receives a structured checklist covering all normatively required check points. Every check is logged with a timestamp and user ID.
Paper-based
Manual check with no system-level comparison against other active permits. Conflicts are often only discovered on site.
Digital with mularis Permit to Work
Automatic cross-check of all active permits by location and time. Conflicts are made visible before authorisation — not after.
Digital authorisation
The responsible person approves the permit via digital signature — compliant with the eIDAS Regulation. In regulated industries, this meets the requirements of FDA 21 CFR Part 11 and GAMP 5. Authorisation can be granted from anywhere — no physical presence required.
Paper-based
Handwritten signature required. During holiday cover or night shifts: delays or the signature requirement being bypassed.
Digital with mularis Permit to Work
Digital signature from any device. Cover arrangements stored in the system. Automatic notification to the next approval level.
Execution & live monitoring
The technician sees the approved permit on their device — including all conditions, protective measures and the exact validity period. The site manager has real-time visibility of which activities are active and where. As the expiry time approaches, both parties receive an automatic notification.
Paper-based
Permit is in the office or in the technician's pocket. Site management has no real-time overview of active work.
Digital with mularis Permit to Work
Live dashboard of all active permits. Automatic expiry reminders. No uncontrolled extensions.
Completion & sign-off
After completion, the technician digitally confirms that the work area has been handed back in a safe condition. Deviations and observations are documented directly — with photo attachments if necessary. Only after this sign-off is the permit considered fully closed.
Paper-based
Permit is returned physically — or forgotten. Verbal sign-off that is never documented.
Digital with mularis Permit to Work
Digital sign-off with timestamp and user ID. Open permits remain visible in the system until explicit closure confirmation.
Complete archiving & audit trail
Every action on the permit — application, check, signature, amendment, closure — is recorded immutably. In the event of a regulatory inspection, internal audit or incident, complete documentation is immediately available — no searching through filing cabinets.
Paper-based
Permit filed in a folder. Retrieving old permits is time-consuming. Subsequent changes are not traceable.
Digital with mularis Permit to Work
Full-text searchable archive. Every change versioned. GxP-compliant long-term archiving. Export at the click of a button.
Compliance requirements: what the system must deliver
A digital permit to work process is only legally compliant if the software solution technically implements the relevant standards. These requirements vary by industry — but they are consistently demanding.
ATEX (2014/34/EU)
Permits for potentially explosive atmospheres must capture zone classification, ignition protection measures and work restrictions. The system must enforce zone-specific templates.
GxP / FDA 21 CFR Part 11
In the pharmaceutical industry, electronic records must include audit trails, access controls and qualified signatures. mularis meets these requirements through its embedded audit trail module.
BetrSichV / DGUV
The German Industrial Safety Regulation requires documented authorisation procedures for hazardous activities. The duty to provide evidence to insurers and authorities is fulfilled through the digital archive.
SIL (IEC 61511)
Work on safety-instrumented systems requires specific permit procedures. The system can record SIL levels and link authorisation to a SIL-qualified approval level.
ISO 45001
The occupational health and safety management system standard requires documented risk assessment prior to hazardous activities. The digital permit captures this process in a structured and traceable way.
eIDAS (EU 910/2014)
Electronic signatures on permits must meet at least the standard of an advanced electronic signature. For regulated industries, a qualified electronic signature (QES) is recommended.
mularis Permit to Work: the module for digital work authorisation
mularis is a modular process platform from cts Group. The Permit to Work module (electronic Permit to Work) forms the core of digital permit management. It can be combined with additional mularis modules that are frequently required together in process industry environments.
Digital Permits to Work
Configurable permit types for hot work, cold work, confined space entry and special authorisations. Digital signatures, mandatory field validation, conflict detection, automatic expiry monitoring and a complete audit trail.
Digital Shift Log
Shift handovers and fault reports can be linked directly to active permits. Every shift supervisor can see the full context of current authorisations.
Training & Qualification Management
The system is capable of verifying prior to authorisation whether the technician holds the required qualifications. ATEX training records and SIL certifications can be cross-checked automatically.
SAP / MES – System Integration
There is the option to integrate mularis with existing ERP and MES systems. Maintenance orders from SAP PM could then automatically trigger a permit application — without manual data transfer.
Implementation in practice: what works
Acceptance on the shop floor: Technicians who have worked with paper for twenty years need to be convinced — not instructed. The best way to achieve this is to ensure the digital system genuinely makes their daily work easier: no searching for forms, all information available on their own device.
Device availability in ATEX zones: Not all devices may be used in potentially explosive atmospheres. mularis supports ATEX-certified tablets and smartphones for Zone 1 and Zone 2. Alternatively, data entry can be completed before entering the zone.
What organisations concretely achieve
Authorisation lead times fall because physical handovers are no longer required. Compliance risk decreases because the system does not allow incomplete permits through. Audits become shorter because documentation is complete, searchable and always available. And incidents caused by overlooked parallel activities are structurally prevented through the system's automatic cross-check of active permits.
For facilities operating under GxP requirements or subject to regular regulatory inspections, the move to a validated digital system also represents a direct reduction in risk: it is no longer the quality of handwritten documentation that determines the outcome of an inspector's visit — but a system that structurally enforces completeness.
Ready to digitalise your permit to work process?
Talk to us about your requirements — from ATEX to GxP.
