The verdict in three sentences
For an oilfield services contractor, a paper permit to work is a contractual risk as much as a safety one: an operator auditing 4,000 permits a year expects complete, signed, searchable records. Custom HSE software covering permits, isolations, incidents and TRIR reporting replaces binders and month-end spreadsheets. For 300 staff and 18 sites, the project usually falls in Kolonell's medium or complex application bracket, with no per-user licence.
Why paper no longer satisfies operators
A contractor headquartered in London and working on the UK Continental Shelf, plus international onshore sites, faces operator requirements aligned with IOGP guidance and, offshore UK, with HSE's expectations under the Offshore Installations (Safety Case) Regulations and the Step Change in Safety permit guidance: permits by hazard type (hot work, confined space, work at height, electrical), energy isolation, signed risk assessments, incident notification within 24 hours, RIDDOR reporting where applicable, and monthly TRIR.
With triplicate permit books the same failures repeat: permits closed without hand-back signatures, no real-time view of open permits on an installation, incident photos stuck on phones, and an HSE lead spending three days a month consolidating hours and incidents from 18 sites.
| Typical operator requirement | On paper | With software |
|---|---|---|
| Live view of open permits | Radio or phone call | Dashboard per site |
| Issuer, performer, area authority signatures | Handwritten, sometimes missing | Mandatory timestamped e-signature |
| Permit conflicts (incompatible jobs) | Visual check | Automatic alert by area |
| Incident report within 24 h | 30 to 50 % late | Mobile entry with photos, instant notification |
| Monthly TRIR | 2 to 3 days of consolidation | Automatic from hours and incidents |
| Audit of 12 months of permits | Archive search | Filtered export in minutes |
Essential modules
- Permit to work: templates by hazard, attached risk assessment, approval chain, validity, extension, hand-back and close-out. Offline mode for installations with limited satellite bandwidth.
- Isolations: isolation points, locks, prove-dead checks, linked to the permit.
- Incidents and near misses: mobile reporting with photos and location, classification, investigation, corrective actions with owners and deadlines.
- KPIs: hours worked per site, TRIR, LTIF, action close-out rate, exports in each operator's format.
- Competence: training and certificates (BOSIET, H2S, work at height) with expiry alerts, blocking a permit if the performer is not competent.
| Option | Cost, 2026 order of magnitude | Note |
|---|---|---|
| International HSE suite | GBP 25 to 65 per user per month, plus integrator | For 120 users, GBP 36,000 to 94,000 a year |
| Specialist permit-only product | GBP 12,000 to 32,000 a year | Incidents and competence sold separately |
| Generic mobile forms | GBP 8 to 20 per user per month | No conflict or isolation logic |
| Kolonell, medium application | 4,000,000 to 7,000,000 FCFA (6,100 to 10,670 EUR) | Permits, incidents, KPIs |
| Kolonell, complex application | 7,000,000 to 15,000,000+ FCFA (10,670 to 22,870+ EUR) | Adds isolations, competence, offshore offline |
| Kolonell maintenance | 35,000 to 120,000 FCFA per month (53 to 183 EUR) | Fixes, changes, monitoring |
Hosting, any ATEX-rated tablets and connectors to operator systems are priced in the quote.
Rolling out without disrupting work
Start with one onshore pilot site and one permit type, hot work for instance, for six weeks. Supervisors test the signature chain, then the other permit types and offshore sites follow. The incident module can go live in parallel since it blocks no activity. Allow three to five months to cover all 18 sites.
Mini case study
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Oliver, HSE manager at a London-based oilfield services company with 300 staff, handles 4,000 permits a year. Each paper permit takes about 25 minutes to prepare, chase signatures and file; software brings that to 10 minutes. The saving is 15 minutes per permit, 1,000 hours a year. Add 30 hours a month of reporting consolidation avoided, 360 hours a year. At a loaded rate of GBP 55 an hour for supervisors and HSE staff, that is GBP 74,800 a year. A complex-tier build at around 18,000 EUR pays back within a few months, before counting the cost of losing a contract after a failed operator audit.
FAQ
Does it work offshore with weak satellite links?
Yes, permits are prepared and signed offline on tablets, then synced when bandwidth allows. A permit is a few kilobytes of text, and photos are compressed before upload.
Can we reproduce each operator's permit format?
Yes, every permit template is configurable field by field. A contractor working for three operators can run three variants of the hot work permit.
How is TRIR calculated?
Recordable incidents multiplied by 1,000,000, divided by hours worked (some operators use 200,000). The software pulls hours from payroll or timesheets and recalculates on every new incident.
Can tier-2 subcontractors use it?
Yes, with accounts restricted to their own permits and reports. That matters when 30 to 40 % of site hours are worked by subcontractors.
How quickly can we start?
Six weeks for a pilot on one site and one permit type, three to five months for all 18 sites.
Let's scope your project. We define permits, incidents and operator reporting with you, starting with an onshore pilot before offshore rollout. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
