ApplyIT, the South African software solution provider to the process manufacturing industry, has secured a patent for the Aurora Plant Clearance system, a world-first software application designed to enhance the safety and reliability of manufacturing plants across the globe.
The software controls the process by which clearances, or permits to work within an operating plant, are prepared, authorised, issued and subsequently managed. It enhances plant safety by improving management and control over the clearance process.
The patent guarantees international protection on the intellectual property of the locally developed software. The patent covers the unique process of managing clearances electronically as well as certain innovative features of the software. These include "predictive hazard identification", which enables the software automatically to detect the hazards associated with a specific task depending on the type of work being carried out, the area in the plant and the types of equipment involved. Also covered by the patent is a software rules engine which, based on the hazards present, ensures that the correct personal protective equipment (PPE) is used and the necessary precautions are taken to protect workers from potential hazards.
"In order to comply with the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHS Act), employers must ensure that employees are aware of the hazards involved in the job and the area in which they work, and are adequately protected," says Gavin Halse, MD of ApplyIT.
Legislation also requires that all clearance certificates be issued, authorised and accepted by trained and competent employees and all active clearances be kept up to date to guarantee safe working conditions. These are essential to safeguard employees and the environment, avoid damage to the plant and prevent loss of production when work is carried out.
The software caters for various levels of authority for different types of work in different areas of a plant, ensuring all clearances are authorised and issued in line with company procedures. It provides up-to-date clearance information to management and those involved in operating the plant and manages shift handovers and transfers of responsibility of active clearances.
The system allows plant managers to monitor every area of the plant, identifying what clearances are active and what isolations are in place. "Anyone in manufacturing who knows how things happen on the factory floor experiences pain associated with traditional paper-based clearances. The Aurora module directly addresses those pains, and has universal application," says Halse.
ApplyIT plans to market the Aurora Plant Clearances module internationally, using value-added resellers in the UK, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.
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