ELECTRONIC LOG BOOKS
from ABSA "Pressure News", June 2005


A log book is a legal document that is required by Regulation to record such activities as maintenance work, inspections, tests, repairs and other pertinent data. The Power Engineers Regulation requires that a log book be updated and maintained for power plants, heating plants and thermal liquid heating systems. The log book must be a permanent record that cannot be altered.

As technology has advanced, so have the methods of recording information. An electronic log can be acceptable if and only if it can be shown to be a permanent accurate record.

An Electronic Log must be secured in such a way as to:

  1. prevent revisions, additions, or deletions to data which has been previously logged.
  2. provide a means for other operators, within the organization, to review the log entries as required.
  3. include a provision for signatures by a PIN or other secure means for the operator and the Chief Engineer to acknowledge his/her reading/writing of the log.
Note: There must be a unique log-in procedure to provide security so that the entry may be traced to a particular engineer. There can be no question that anyone other than the person who logged on entered the information.

Here is a list of items that ABSA would require for an Electronic Log.

  1. Indicate in the Electronic Log the names of the persons fulfilling the roles of Shift Engineer, Assistant Engineers, etc, on the shift.
  2. All entries should be time/date stamped for each log entry.
  3. Establish a Policy and Procedure for the electronic log. The policy must clearly state that the Electronic Log is intended to satisfy the log book requirements of the current Power Engineers Regulation and that tampering with a log is an offence under the Act.
The Policy and Procedures and the final Electronic Log is to be reviewed and accepted by ABSA. No changes are to be made to the system without ABSA's acceptance.

First published January 2006
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