Supporting HSE in an ERP system or specialist HSE software: which is better? This is a frequently heard discussion in the factories we visit. For example, it may have been decided to change over to SAP, into which HSE processes like work permits, Lockout/Tagout and MoC have to be accommodated. It is certainly logical to want as much functionality as possible in one system, but it is also important to make HSE software effective, relevant to the work situation, and efficient. In other words, it has to be attractive enough for employees not to circumvent HSE procedures.

On the basis of a 2009 investigation, the Dutch Association for the Chemical Industry has concluded that levels of personal safety in the chemical industry have improved considerably down the years, with fewer and fewer Loss Time Incidents occurring at most factories. Indeed, the LTIs that do take place often concern less serious incidents involving people stumbling, slipping or missing their footing. Can we conclude from this that everything is fine as regards safety, and that we can rest on our laurels?

Safety is a hot item in industry. Everyone will have heard of the slogan: ‘We work safely or we don't work at all’. It sounds fantastic, but what does it actually mean? Is it possible to describe a situation in black-and-white terms? What exactly is working safely, what is the right thing to do and where are the boundaries? In reality, every company sets its own boundaries, because working safely is always defined in a specific context.

As of January 2011, all SABIC facilities in Bergen op Zoom and Raamsdonksveer have introduced the PermitCliq electronic permit to work system from iBanx. Part of an ongoing program to improve safety performance, this move was prompted by a successful pilot project at the LEXAN finishing plant.