Petrofac is a leading international service provider to the energy industry. Its rope access division plays a vital role in delivering inspection, maintenance, and engineering/construction services across some of the world’s most challenging environments. Managing in excess of 50,000 components and ensuring they remain safe and compliant is critical to the success of every single project.
Safety sits at the heart of Petrofac’s Global operations . With large teams working in demanding environments, the company needs reliable systems to track/trace equipment, complete inspections and prove compliance across multiple projects and locations.
The Challenge
Before adopting Papertrail, Petrofac relied heavily on spreadsheets and manual record keeping. This approach made it difficult to share information quickly between teams and created unnecessary administrative work. As projects grew in scale and complexity, visibility of equipment status became harder to maintain and there was always the risk of missing inspection deadlines. Producing clear evidence for audits and client reporting also became more time consuming, with staff often chasing paperwork or updating duplicate records.
"We looked at other software, but Papertrail was clearly the one that could provide what we needed. It gave us manifests, certificates of inspection and later on full project analytics reports, which turned out to be hugely beneficial for reporting to senior management.”
- Lee Walker, Rope Access Manager
The Solution
Petrofac introduced Papertrail to bring all inspection records, compliance tasks and equipment information into one secure, digital platform. Instead of relying on paper forms and manual updates, Petrofac teams can now log inspections directly on site using mobile devices. Information is available instantly across teams, ensuring that everyone is working from the same accurate data.
“Petrofac is great because of the team behind it that supports it and part of that team is Papertrail and we wouldn’t be where we are today without it”.
- Lee Walker, Rope Access Manager
The system has standardised processes across all different projects, with scheduled reminders helping to keep inspection routines on track. When evidence is needed for audits or client reporting, the information can be accessed in just a few clicks, reducing the time previously spent gathering paperwork.
The Results
Since moving to Papertrail, Petrofac has seen clear improvements in both safety management and operational efficiency. Teams now spend less time on repetitive admin and more time focusing on the work that matters most. Inspection records are always up to date, equipment compliance is easier to prove, and audits run far more smoothly thanks to the ability to generate accurate reports instantly.
"If someone asks where a component is, we can not only say where it is but also what condition it’s in, its retirement date and its full working and inspection history. We could pick up a single wire sling for example and see everything about it instantly.“
- Lee Walker, Rope Access Manager
Beyond the time savings, the biggest benefit for Petrofac has been peace of mind. The company can be confident that its safety-critical complex equipment is visible, traceable and compliant at all times. This not only strengthens Petrofac’s internal operations but also reinforces its reputation with clients as a trusted, safety-first partner.
"If we have an issue, it takes two or three minutes to get through to Support and they’re always ready to help.“
- Lee Walker, Rope Access Manager
Looking Ahead
Petrofac continues to expand its use of Papertrail across projects, ensuring that high standards of safety and compliance remain consistent wherever teams are working.
As the energy sector evolves, the ability to provide digital assurance and instant reporting will support both the company’s ongoing commitment to safety and operational goals.
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