ISSOW

ISSOW stands for Integrated Safe System of Work. An Integrated Safe System of Work is used in hazardous industry to request, review, approve and document tasks to be carried out by frontline workers. It integrates Permit-to-Work, Risk Assessment and Isolation Management under a single electronic system, providing safety improvements to the user.

Originating in the North Sea upstream oil industry, ISSoW now forms forms a significant segment of the Enterprise Software market.

Use Around the World

Areas of the World where ISSOW is used: (Oil Producing Regions)

Gulf of Mexico (GoM)
UK Continental Shelf (UKCS)
Azerbaijan
Sakhalin Island
Angola
Canada
Onshore United States
Trinidad & Tobagao
Brunei
Tunisia

History

ISSOW is a term which was created by BP, and has now become synonymous with electronic permit to work. The North Sea began adopting ISSOW in 2001, when it was first rolled out to BP's North Everest Platform. From there a number of the major operators in the North Sea Oil industry started to adopt this electronic safety system.

As of 2009, around 80% of the North Sea use ISSOW in some form or another, as it is widely recognised as a key frontline safety system. Between 2001 and present, ISSOW began to be utilised by some of the major operators including, but not limited to, Maersk Oil UK, Shell, Exxon Mobil, BG Group, and Chevron.

Terms and keywords

Permit - A type of document which outlines the work that is to be carried out, and is signed (electronically) to authorise the work to take place.

Also known as: ESSoW, Permit To Work System (PTWS).

See also

North Sea Oil
Process Safety
Risk Assessment