Implementation of Geospatial Electronic Work Permit Dashboards at Gas Facilities in Kuwait Oil Company

Abstract Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) has developed and deployed geospatial Electronic Work Permit (eWP) Dashboards in gas facility control rooms. The objective is to enhance operational awareness, safety performance and maintenance coordination by visualizing work permit activities in real-time. The dashboard solution was created by integrating with the existing eWP system to automatically retrieve and geospatially map current and past permits. Data requirements were established, and a user interface was created through cross-functional team collaborating and deploying the dashboards to operations and maintenance workstations. Permit type, location, duration and proximity to critical ones are some of the visualization layers. User feedback and tracking of HSSE metrices were instrumental in establishing the effectiveness of these dashboards. The deployment of the geospatial eWP dashboards in control rooms at gas facilities significantly improved operations and maintenance personnel situational awareness. Personnel now have real-time access to spatially referenced work permits which guided the planning and coordination of activities especially in concurrent or high-risk work situations. Real-time visualization enabled the anticipation of clashes between work permits and reduced overlap in hazard areas. It also improved compliance with safety procedures. The wait time and delay in work permit approvals by operations staff was noticeably observed to be reduced especially during turnaround maintenance activities when a large volume of work permits are being handled inside facilities. Integration of geospatial technology into daily workflows is a step toward smarter, safer and more proactive facility management processes. The implementation shows a unique application of geospatial technology in work permit management. It demonstrates how electronic integration of safety systems and spatial data can significantly improve safety and operational coordination in high-risk environments such as gas facilities.