Process digitalisation · Permits
Digital permit to work
A paper permit captures a signature, but it does not show whether every energy has been isolated or who is still working on the equipment. A digital permit is a controlled process: each state follows from confirmation of the previous step, and the documentation stays with the record.
Approval is not lockout. Every step has a named owner.
How does a digital permit to work function?
Short answerThe permit moves through the states In preparation, Requested, Approved, Locked, Completed and Archive. It reaches the next state only after the responsible person has acted.
| State | What it means | Who acts |
|---|---|---|
| In preparation | A draft record: equipment, requester and the authorised person for each energy. It can be saved and finished later. | requester |
| Requested | The request has been submitted. The operator is notified in the application and by email. | requester → operator |
| Approved | The operator has checked the details and approved the job. The equipment is not yet isolated. | operator |
| Locked | Every authorised person has confirmed isolation of their energy and entered the lock number. | authorised persons |
| Completed | Work has been completed and the authorised persons have confirmed unlocking of their energies. | requester, authorised persons |
| Archive | The closed record, including attached documents, remains searchable. | – |
The states reflect the existing application. Who may request, approve and isolate is configured according to your site’s rules.
The actual work takes place between Locked and Completed. If additional work groups join, the equipment cannot be unlocked while any of them is still active. Details are on the Group lockout page.
Who prepares the permit and who approves it?
Short answerThe requester prepares the permit, the operator approves it and the authorised persons confirm the isolation. Who fills these roles on your site is set by your own rules.
The requester selects the equipment, for example by scanning its QR label, and assigns an authorised person to each type of energy. Worker types are linked to energy types in the system, so an electrician, for example, can only isolate electrical energy.
The operator approves only equipment within their authorisation. If the equipment involves high-risk work, the health and safety technician is notified as well. How roles and restrictions are configured is explained on the Roles and authorisations page.
Why does an approved permit not mean work can start?
Short answerApproval is a decision about the job, not the job made safe. Before work starts, every energy must be physically isolated and the isolation verified (Tryout).
| Task | Meaning | Responsibility |
|---|---|---|
| Permit approval | a decision that the job may go ahead under the stated conditions | operator, within their authorisation |
| Energy isolation | physical lockout and tagging of isolation points, confirmed in the system | authorised person for that energy |
| Tryout | verification that the isolation is effective and the equipment cannot be started | according to site rules |
Each of these tasks carries a different meaning and a different responsibility. A digital permit therefore does not merge them into a single confirmation. The overall Locked status is set only when every authorised person has confirmed isolation. Until then you can see which energy is confirmed and which is still pending.
Tryout is a separate step in LOTOTO. How it is recorded and built into the digital workflow is something we design around the rules of each site.
ReadWhat is LOTOTOHow is high-risk work handled?
Short answerEquipment can be flagged for high-risk work such as hot work, work at height or confined space entry. The matching form template is then offered with the record, and the completed document is attached to the permit.
- Form templates are uploaded by the administrator as PDF files – for example your existing forms.
- Workers can view or download them from the record.
- The completed and signed document is uploaded to the record and stays with it in the archive.
- For specified types of work, the health and safety technician is notified.
Today the application works with uploaded templates and attached completed documents. If you want forms to be filled in directly in the system, we can design such an extension around your process.
Can forms be filled in directly in the application?
Short answerThe current application works with form templates and attached completed documents. If you don’t want to just scan paper forms and attach them as PDFs, we can design a digital version of the form itself: filled in, approved and archived directly in the application.
- 01Choose the formBy type of work or permit
- 02Fill in digitallyPre-filled data, photos, attachments
- 03Approval and signatureAccording to your rules and document type
- 04Generate the documentThe final document from the entered data
- 05ArchiveStored together with the record
What a digital form can do
- create the document directly in the application,
- fill it in electronically, including on a phone or tablet,
- add photos and attachments,
- send it for electronic approval,
- confirm or sign it, depending on the specific implementation,
- generate the final document,
- store and archive it together with the record.
What can be pre-filled
Depending on your requirements, the system can automatically fill in data it already knows:
- the equipment and its code,
- the worker’s identity,
- date and time,
- permit to work details,
- other available operational data.
Which documents can be digitalised
| Area | In the application today | What we can design for you |
|---|---|---|
| Form | A PDF template uploaded by the administrator | A digital form with fields and checks |
| Filling in | Outside the application; the result is attached to the record | Directly in the application, including on a phone |
| Data | Entered by hand | Pre-filled from the record and the register |
| Approval | Approval of the permit in the workflow | Electronic approval of the document itself, confirmation or signature |
| Result | An attached file on the record | A generated document archived with the record |
Which rules apply to electronic documents and signatures?
Short answerWe design the digitalisation of work documentation with the legal requirements of the specific country and document type in mind. Within the European Union, we take into account the rules on electronic identification and trust services under the eIDAS Regulation.
The basis is Regulation (EU) No 910/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council (eIDAS), as amended by Regulation (EU) 2024/1183. In Slovakia it is complemented by Act No. 272/2016 Coll. on trust services, and in the Czech Republic by Act No. 297/2016 Coll. on trust services for electronic transactions. Other countries have their own national rules. Our design is based on the current wording of these acts.
| Term | What it means | What to keep in mind |
|---|---|---|
| Electronic document | Content stored in electronic form, such as a completed form. | On its own it says nothing about who approved or signed it. |
| Internal electronic approval | Confirmation by a signed-in user in the application, recorded with name and time in the audit trail. | Shows how the process ran in the system. It is not a qualified electronic signature. |
| Electronic signature | Data in electronic form attached to a document and used by the signatory to sign. eIDAS also defines the advanced electronic signature. | It cannot be refused solely because it is electronic, but its evidential weight depends on the circumstances. |
| Qualified electronic signature | An advanced signature created by a qualified signature creation device and based on a qualified certificate. | Under Article 25(2) eIDAS it has the same legal effect as a handwritten signature. |
An internal confirmation in the application is therefore not automatically a qualified electronic signature. Nor does eIDAS automatically allow any paper health and safety document to be replaced by an electronic one. Whether the electronic form is acceptable depends on the specific document, its purpose, the required form and the applicable legal and internal rules.
We therefore assess the form of each document with you and, where needed, with your legal or health and safety team. This information is not legal advice.
Can several pieces of equipment be locked out at once?
Short answerYes. Equipment that is always isolated together can be grouped in advance, and one permit can be created for the whole group.
A typical example is a shutdown in which the same set of drives, conveyors and auxiliary equipment is isolated time and again. A predefined group saves preparation time and reduces the risk of leaving something out. Isolation of each energy is still confirmed separately.
If another lockout is already active on any of the equipment, the system flags it. The overview of active records is part of lockout tracking.
What happens to the permit after the job?
Short answerThe requester completes the work, the authorised persons confirm unlocking of their energies, and the record moves to the archive with all its attachments.
The equipment cannot be unlocked until the requester or their substitute has completed the work, nor while an active work group is still attached to the lockout. Unlocking is confirmed energy by energy, just like lockout.
The closed permit remains searchable in the archive. Data changes, with user and time, are recorded in the audit trail. During an inspection or incident investigation there is no need to piece information together from several sources.
Can our own permit form be used?
Short answerWe start from your existing forms. They can serve as templates attached to the record, and which details and steps the digital permit should cover is assessed during the analysis of your process.
Not every field on a paper permit needs to become a separate field in the system. Some information already comes from the equipment register, from roles or from the record’s states. During the analysis we go through what can be carried over, what stays as an attachment and what the process is missing. The analysis is described on the Solution page.
What does a digital permit not replace?
Frequently asked questions
Can a permit be left as a draft?
Yes. A record in the In preparation state can be saved and submitted for approval later, for example once the authorised persons have been assigned.
How is equipment selected for a permit?
From the equipment register by code, or by scanning the QR label with the camera in the browser. There is no need to retype the equipment code.
Who receives notifications?
Notifications are sent in the application and by email for a new request, approval, lockout and unlocking. The health and safety technician is notified for specified types of work.
What if the authorised person is absent?
An authorised substitute from the substitution group can take over the task. The record keeps who actually carried it out.
Next step
Show us your permit to work.
Send us the permit form you use today and tell us who prepares and approves it. We will show you how it would look as a controlled digital process.