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University College London
“Heresafe have been great to work with, they have been responsive to our needs and requests for development and change. We recognise the complexity of our estate and Heresafe have risen to the challenges we face to produce a system that works and continues to develop.”
Keiron McGrath, Programmes and Performance Manager, University College London
Book a demoWith more than 18,000 staff, 51,000 students and an estates portfolio of 250+ buildings, UCL needs clear Permit to Work controls to manage high-risk activity safely and consistently across their complex estate.
University College London (UCL) is London’s leading multidisciplinary university, with major campus locations including Bloomsbury and UCL East in Stratford. With a busy estate supporting teaching, research and public-facing spaces, UCL Estates manages a constant flow of work activity and contractor presence across sites.
Before implementing Heresafe, UCL Estates faced serious control issues. The Permit to Work process was often ignored or improperly used, failing to provide the necessary oversight for higher-risk work. The lack of clear authorisation paths resulted in a single individual being able to request, issue and authorise a permit. This loophole undermined accountability and escalated the inherent risk. Contractor management also needed improvement, especially in high-risk areas. Inconsistent processes and a lack of central, reliable competency records hindered quick checks on training and suitability for restricted or out-of-hours work.
Before Heresafe
With Heresafe
UCL’s Permit to Work and contractor controls were inconsistent, with unclear authorisation routes and reduced assurance for higher-risk works
A central Permit to Work and contractor management system that strengthens approvals, improves visibility and supports consistent control across the estate.
Permit to Work was not consistently used or engaged with. Digital Permit to Work with permit dashboards and tracking, helping make PTW active, visible and auditable.No clear route for authorisation of works. Role-based permissions and internal approval workflows, ensuring permits follow a defined authorisation route.High-risk works and out-of-hours activities were harder to oversee and manage across the estate. Real-time dashboards, Permit mapping and on-site reporting/monitoring, giving live visibility of permits by location and helping identify clashes.Restricted areas needed stronger, repeatable controls. Authorisation to Work in restricted areas, using defined controls for higher-risk environments.Competency records were not held centrally. Database of competent persons, storing training records with renewal reminders for assurance checks.Proving compliance and system performance was difficult. Real-time reporting, including permit dashboards and on-site audit reporting to support oversight and auditing.Contractor onboarding lacked consistency and took too long. Digital onboarding questionnaires and contractor document requests, supported via an external portal for uploads and internal accept or reject reviews.Documents and inductions were harder to keep current. Automated expiry and renewal reminders for documents and inductions, helping maintain ongoing compliance.What changed with Heresafe
UCL procured Heresafe through a formal tender process, shortlisting two suppliers and selecting Heresafe as the best fit for immediate Permit to Work control requirements and longer-term contractor management objectives. A key factor was the ability to tailor workflows to meet the needs of a complex estate. Since implementation, UCL Estates can track projects and high-risk works across its portfolio, including works taking place outside normal working hours and within restricted areas. With a large portion of the workflow now automated, UCL has improved consistency and sped up delivery end to end, while keeping the right checks and approvals in place.
The Authorisation to Work map and search function, according to UCL, has enhanced transparency, simplifying the process of identifying ongoing work locations. This improvement supports daily oversight and strengthens auditing capabilities by providing better evidence and traceability for active projects.
Contractor onboarding has become more structured and repeatable. Contractors complete an onboarding questionnaire, which is renewed annually, allowing UCL to capture key company documents and policies and keep them up to date. This is supported by a comprehensive operative induction, including a tailored video induction designed to improve engagement and consistency. Individual competencies are captured, supporting stronger assurance that operatives are trained appropriately for the work being carried out.
The supplier portal was introduced to support smoother contractor engagement and reduce delays. UCL also described the value of working closely with the Heresafe development team to introduce new workflows and functionality for estate-specific challenges, including unique high-risk scenarios and earlier visibility of risks, so project teams can address issues from the outset. This implementation of Heresafe has provided UCL Estates with the robust, auditable contractor management system necessary to handle the complexity of its estate, ensuring high-risk activities are consistently safe, visible and fully compliant.
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