Oil & Gas Organization Reduced Permit Errors By 92% With GLSS
Canada
Oil & Gas
Operations
92%
- The problem: This oil and gas organization was experiencing recurring Safe Work Permit errors that required permits to be corrected or rewritten, consuming employee time, delaying work, and creating potential safety concerns.
- After applying GLSS methods, the organization reduced permit errors from an average of 4.5 per month to just one error over the most recent three months, an average of 0.33 errors per month and an improvement of more than 92%.
This oil and gas organization operates in an industry where safe, reliable processes are essential to protecting employees and maintaining efficient operations. Safe Work Permits play an important role in ensuring hazards are identified, requirements are understood, and work can proceed safely.
When recurring permit errors began creating unnecessary rework and increasing the potential for safety gaps, the organization recognized an opportunity to strengthen the process. The improvement team applied the practical problem-solving methods learned through GLSS’s Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Training & Certification to identify what was driving the errors and develop sustainable solutions.
The project also reflected GLSS’s principle of Ethical EfficiencyâĒ, by improving performance in ways that benefit both people and the organization. Rather than simply asking employees to work faster or be more careful, the team focused on providing clearer guidance, better training, and a more reliable process for completing permits correctly.
The team identified two key causes behind the recurring permit errors.
First, employees responsible for completing Safe Work Permits had not received formal, standardized training. Without a consistent approach, employees developed different methods for completing permits, increasing variation and the likelihood of mistakes.
Second, employees lacked clear, standardized guidance for identifying and documenting workplace hazards. They often relied on individual knowledge and experience, making it easier for important information to be overlooked.
Using GLSS improvement methods, the team focused on making the permitting process easier to understand and more consistent to follow.
A comprehensive permit training system was developed to provide employees with standardized instruction on completing Safe Work Permits correctly. This created a shared understanding of requirements and reduced differences in how permits were prepared.
The team also developed a standardized list of common workplace hazards. Employees could use this resource while preparing permits to identify hazards more consistently and ensure important safety information was documented before work began.
Together, these solutions gave employees the knowledge and tools needed to complete permits more accurately while making the overall process simpler and more reliable.
Before the improvements, the organization averaged 4.5 permit errors per month. Following implementation, it recorded only one error over the most recent three months, equivalent to approximately 0.33 errors per month.
That represents a reduction of more than 92% in the monthly permit error rate.
Beyond the numbers, the improvements reduced time spent correcting permits, increased consistency, and strengthened alignment with corporate safety standards. Employees gained clearer guidance for completing permits, while supervisors could spend less time addressing paperwork errors and more time supporting safe, productive operations.
with GLSS
This organization’s success demonstrates how practical process improvement can strengthen efficiency and workplace safety at the same time. By standardizing training and providing employees with clearer hazard guidance, the organization dramatically reduced permit errors while creating a process that better supports the people responsible for carrying it out.
This approach reflects Ethical EfficiencyâĒ by eliminating unnecessary rework while helping employees identify hazards more consistently and complete critical safety documentation with greater confidence.
GLSS Training & Certification’s innovative instructional design and practical, easy-to-apply content help learners move from training to measurable results faster. With permit errors reduced by more than 92% and a stronger standardized process in place, the organization is well positioned to sustain these gains, strengthen its culture of safety, and apply continuous improvement to future opportunities across its operations.
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