Taking Control: Three Things To Consider When Selecting A CoW Solution

Taking Control: Three Things To Consider When Selecting A CoW Solution

Control of work (CoW) software is a critical segment of operational risk management, encompassing functionality for digital permit to work (PtW) management, job hazard analysis (JHA) and risk assessment, isolation management, and shift management.

CoW processes seek to link work orders with frontline workers, while achieving the twin goals of maximizing worker efficiency and minimizing safety risks. Production and yield optimization and achieving safer operations both emerged as the top spending priorities for 2024 in the Verdantix 2023 operational excellence global survey. As such, we are witnessing a strong growth in the CoW software market, with revenues calculated to increase from $722 million in 2023 to $1.27 billion in 2026. In the 2023 Verdantix Green Quadrant benchmark of process safety management software providers, Enablon, Hexagon, Sphera and Yokogawa RAP came out as the top vendors for CoW capabilities.

When choosing a CoW solution for their firm, operations managers should look for:

• Vendors who offer solutions in line with their industry’s operational risk level.
  High-risk asset-heavy industries seek comprehensive and rigorous CoW software, equipped with advanced functionality to better manage risks posed to frontline workers. In this regard, Enablon, Sphera and Yokogawa RAP offer strong isolation management features; plant overviews highlighting simultaneous operations (SIMOPS); and libraries of controls and hazards to help evaluate risk as comprehensively as possible before issuing a permit. Conversely, low-risk industries desire easy workflows and real-time communication between frontline workers and the control room to ensure worker productivity and safety. Cority, Ideagen DevonWay and Intelex offer offline-ready mobile apps equipped with only the most essential functionality, whilst adapting to different mobile and tablet form factors. Their mobile solutions feature partially auto-filled dynamic forms, leveraging information from external sources to quickly complete PtWs, risk assessments and shift management activities.
  
  
• Functionality to increase real-time visibility of simultaneous or conflicting work occurring across the plant.
  To effectively manage multiple activities taking place on the plant floor, control room staff need to have a complete as well as a real-time view of plant operations. Simple graphical or GIS-based plant visualizations overlayed with information regarding ongoing work are a powerful tool to understand the risks from SIMOPS. Hexagon provides these visualizations through integration with Luciad Geospatial software and highlights potential conflicts between ongoing activities and those pending approval.
  
  
• Integration between CoW and other PSM modules.
  The completion and approval of work permits is made more efficient when risk assessments and isolation management activities are performed in the same workflow. Enablon’s CoW solution supports the full process of producing and authorizing a digital PtW, and also integrates information from its incident management module, making frontline workers aware of recent incidents and their causes. Similarly, Sphera’s CoW module provides a streamlined process for the creation and approval of work permits, and it seamlessly integrates with the Dynamic Risk Pathways and Advanced Risk Assessment modules to help visualize and quantify the level of risk involved with a specific activity, taking into account the condition of nearby and connected assets.

To learn more about CoW software, see the following Verdantix reports:

• Product Benchmark: Control Of Work Capabilities of PSM Software
• Green Quadrant: Process Safety Management Software 2023
• Strategic Focus: Getting Value From Control Of Work Software For Safe Operations
• Buyer’s Guide: Control of Work Software Applications
• Market Size And Forecast: Operational Risk Management Software Applications 2020-2026 (Global)