Zurich Smart Permit
A reliable, digital audit trail for hot works
What is Zurich Smart Permit?
Zurich Smart Permit is a web-based solution for managing permits associated with construction and maintenance work. It provides a reliable audit trail and removes the need for paper permits.
Zurich Smart Permit currently offers hot works permits (for both roofing and non-roofing projects) with a view to offering additional permit types in future.
Why was Zurich Smart Permit developed?
Hot work is one of the biggest fire risks facing property owners. Fires cause significant disruption and costs for building damage, loss of profits and increased costs of working. Despite this, many companies still use paper permits, which give little overview of the work being carried out.
Zurich Smart Permit was co-created with customers and contractors and is designed to simplify, streamline and enhance the permit-to-work process for large and small organisations alike.
Key features and benefits
Manage multiple permits from a single location
View, approve, deny and report on a range of permits across multiple locations via an easy-to-use dashboard.
Easy access via QR codes
There's no need to download an app - simply scan a QR code to start a permit.
Create a reliable, digital audit trail
Zurich Smart Permit provides a real-time view of all work taking place, including work status updates, permit extensions, and photos of the work, creating a reliable audit trail.
Stay notified about permit progress
Notifications are sent at key stages throughout the permit process via SMS and email, ensuring site managers always have an up-to-date view of work as it’s being completed.
Control who can access your permits
You can create, edit and delete users and sites across your organisation, and assign the correct people to support any applicable sites.
Delegate and extend permits
Contractors can delegate and extend permits when necessary, without impacting the work being completed.
Get access to help and support
The Help and Support tab provides access to helpful, informative, and up-to-date Zurich resources.
Accessing Zurich Smart Permit
If you are not a Zurich UK property insurance customer, get in touch to find out more about the service. Email:
Zurich Smart Permit is free for customers who have property insurance with Zurich UK.
How it works – the four-stage permit process
Our video and the guide below explain how Zurich Smart Permit works and the four key stages of the hot works permit journey.
Statistics show that hot work is one of the biggest fire risk property owners face. Many things lost in fires are irreplaceable, the disruption to business is immense and there's a real risk to human life.
Hotworks are regularly undertaken during construction and maintenance projects and is a high risk activity that requires careful and active risk management.
Through detailed analysis, Zurich identified that poor adherence to existing paper based hot work permit requirements and lack of controls in place to ensure compliance by the contractor are some of the leading factors contributing to a rise in hot works incidents. Zurich recognised this problem and started to look for a solution.
Zurich Smart Permit helps ensure contractors carry out their works in line with best practise, mitigating the chance of damage and giving visibility to site managers. This reduces the likelihood of incidents and associated disruption. The hot works permit journey is separated into four key stages, induction, permit, fire watch and closure.
The site manager shares the site specific QR code or URL with the contractor who completes a new permit request to start hot work. The site manager is also prompted to approve or deny the permit.
The contractor is notified of the decision via SMS and if approved, can begin work. The contractor must mark the work as complete and start the mandatory final firewatch via the Smart Permit. Once the firewatch is complete, the contractor must answer, post firewatch questions and close the permit.
Operatives must request permit extensions, confirm that they are staying for the final fire watch, and upload photos intermittently during the watch period.
The online dashboard offers a one stop shop to approve, deny, view and report on all hot works permits across multiple sites, providing the site manager with a real time view of the hot works taking place along with a reliable audit trail.
Zurich are keen to support our customers by developing the app to manage multiple risk types and work methods, and we'll be listening further to customer feedback to refine and improve the Zurich Smart Permit.
Four key stages of the hot works permit journey
Induction
The site manager (person monitoring the work) shares a site-specific QR code or URL with the contractor (person completing the work), who can select a permit to complete and submit a completed permit for approval.
Work-in-progress
The contractor is notified of the decision via SMS and, if approved, can begin work. They can also request work extensions or delegate the permit to another worker if required.
Watch period
For applicable permits, there is a built-in watch period after the work is completed. Contractors must stay for the whole watch period and are reminded to submit photos of the site every 30 minutes. They can delegate this responsibility if needed, passing the permit on to another worker.
Closure
Once the work and any applicable watch period is completed, the contractor simply answers a few post-work questions and can close the permit.