For leaders in high-risk industries, ensuring the safety of workers isn’t just a priority. It’s a constant concern.
Serious injuries and fatalities (SIFs) remain the most pressing safety challenge, making effective prevention strategies a cornerstone of operational excellence. At the heart of this effort lies Control of Work (CoW) – a structured, system-driven approach to managing risks inherent in hazardous work environments.
CoW connects the dots between risk assessment, permitting, incident prevention, and operational discipline. When implemented effectively, it creates a continuous feedback loop between incident management and Permit-to-Work (PtW) systems, enabling organizations to both prevent incidents and learn from them. For organizations focused on safer workplaces and preventing repeat incidents, the most critical systems to integrate are incident management and CoW.
Deloitte defines Control of Work as a formal approach to manage work risks and ensure proper execution using processes and systems to regulate activity. At its core, CoW enables organizations to coordinate complex workflows, manage approvals, and deliver real-time, aggregated information that supports better risk-based decision-making.
However, many organizations still rely on outdated, paper-based permitting systems or ad-hoc tools like spreadsheets — approaches that are increasingly ill-suited to today’s operational demands. Manual systems are error-prone, inefficient, and lack the visibility and traceability required to maintain control in dynamic work environments. For example:
- Paper permits can be lost, illegible, or misfiled – issues that digital systems eliminate by design.
- Administrative overhead is significantly reduced with digital CoW systems, freeing resources for frontline safety improvements.
- Digital permits improve coordination, enhance compliance, and reduce the risk of unqualified personnel performing hazardous tasks.
- Required fields and system checks in digital platforms reinforce procedural discipline, whereas errors on paper permits may go unnoticed or uncorrected.
Despite these advantages, many companies have yet to modernize. According to recent studies, 60% of businesses still rely on manual processes for critical operations and 70% of manufacturers continue to collect data manually. Only 24% of companies consider themselves truly “data driven,” highlighting a persistent gap between data collection and the ability to use it effectively for decision-making.
Perhaps more concerning is the fact that an analysis of more than 850 companies worldwide shows only 35% of businesses accomplished their objectives related to digital transformation. Help is definitely needed when considering CoW software solutions and doing the actual implementation.
By effectively connecting people, processes, and technology, CoW can drive measurable improvements in safety performance and operational efficiency.
Want to learn more?
Check out the following Wolters Kluwer Enablon Insight Briefs to discover the importance and value of CoW:
- The Evolution of Control of Work (CoW) Systems
- Functional Areas of Control of Work (CoW)
- What is Control of Work (CoW) Software?
For more information about Enablon Control of Work software and to speak with a product specialist, please visit our Control of Work Software webpage.
