DEVB TC(W) No. 3/2023, Annex A 5(12)(c)
Digitised permit-to-work system for high-risk activities
Clause 5(12)(c) of DEVB TC(W) No. 3/2023, Annex A, requires a digitised permit-to-work system for online, real-time application, issue and tracking of permits for high-risk activities such as confined space, hot work and lifting. Supervisors see live permit status on a phone, and an expired permit raises an alert. Kodifly runs it on SpatialSense.
What the circular requires, and how sites use it
The circular asks for a digitised system that handles application, issue and tracking of a permit-to-work, or a permit to move and operate, online and in real time (clause 5(12)(c)(i) and (ii)). It adds to whatever the contract already requires. The Buildings Department and CIC list it as a digitised permit-to-work system for high-risk activities.
On a Hong Kong site, a foreman raises the permit on a phone, the right person issues it, and supervisors and site management see its status live. Nobody chases paper. When a permit lapses, the supervisor and the Safety Officer are told at once rather than at the next walk-round.
High-risk activities named in clause 5(12)(c)(i)
The list is a sample. The contract drafter adjusts it, and the contractor or the Project Manager can add further activities.
Activities covered
- Work in confined spaces.
- Work with electrical hazard.
- Work in a lift shaft.
- Mobile crane, heavy machinery and piling rig operating or moving on the site.
- Hot work.
- Use of a MEWP.
- Lifting operations by tower cranes, mobile cranes, crawler cranes or similar, or by mechanical means. A load of 2.5 tonnes or less within 2.5 m of the edge of the crane is excluded.
- Other high-risk activities proposed by the contractor or specified by the Project Manager, Engineer or Supervising Officer.
What the system must do
| Function | Clause | Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Electronic permits | (c)(ii) | Application, issue and tracking of the permit to work, or permit to move and operate, on the site. |
| Live status | (c)(ii) | Site supervisors and site management open the system on a mobile device and see the real-time status of each permit. |
| Expiry alert | (c)(iii) | The mobile device shows an alert if a permit has expired. |
| Automatic message | (c)(iii) | SMS or in-app pop-up to site supervisors and the Safety Officer. |
| Record | (c)(iii) | Recorded at the platform for follow-up, with the permit details and the date and time of the alert. |
From request to expiry
Request
The permit holder applies online for the activity, place and time.
Issue
The authorised person approves and issues it. The permit shows as live.
Watch
Supervisors see every live permit on a phone, by activity and area.
Expire
At expiry the device alerts and a message goes to supervisors and the Safety Officer.
Close
The permit is closed or renewed, and the record stays on the platform.
How Kodifly supplies, installs and runs it
Permit-to-work is a module of SpatialSense, so permits, alerts and the DWSS safety records sit in one place.
Software, set-up and support together
Online application, issue and tracking
Live status on supervisors' phones
Expiry alerts by SMS or in-app pop-up
Permit types set for the listed activities
Alert record on the platform
Same system as DWSS
Training for permit holders and issuers
Digital permit-to-work, answered
What does the circular require of a digital permit-to-work system?
Online, real-time application, issue and tracking of permits for high-risk activities, live status on a mobile device, and an automatic alert when a permit expires (Annex A, clause 5(12)(c)).
Which activities does it cover?
The sample lists confined space, electrical hazard, lift shaft, mobile crane and heavy machinery, hot work, MEWP use and lifting operations, plus other activities the contractor or the Project Manager adds (clause 5(12)(c)(i)).
What counts as a permit to move and operate?
The clause covers a permit-to-work or a permit to move and operate, for example for mobile cranes, heavy machinery and piling rigs operating or moving on the site (clause 5(12)(c)(i)).
Who is alerted when a permit expires?
Site supervisors and the Safety Officer, by SMS or in-app pop-up. The alert is recorded at the platform with the permit details and the date and time (clause 5(12)(c)(iii)).
Is the permit-to-work part of the DWSS?
It can be. When the CMP is amalgamated with the DWSS, the permit records sit in the same hub as the site safety inspection records (TC(W) No. 3/2023, paragraph 5, footnote 1).
Does every lifting operation need a permit?
Not every one. The sample excludes lifting a load of 2.5 tonnes or less within 2.5 m of the edge of the crane. Other lifting by tower, mobile or crawler cranes, or by mechanical means, is covered (clause 5(12)(c)(i)).
Related guides
Take your permits online
Tell us the activities and the permit types on your contract. We will set up the permit flow and alerts.