Getting Started
Guide reviewed: 7 October 2026. This guide reflects Android release 1.1.0+18. Store availability and released features may differ on iOS.
What is EntryWatch?
EntryWatch helps Topmen record confined-space jobs, pre-entry checks, personnel movements, monitoring and PDF reports. It supports your professional judgement; it does not certify a safe system of work, legal compliance or permission to enter.
Core job records and tracking work locally without a network connection. Purchases, purchase restoration or validation, store licensing and some sharing destinations may require connectivity. EntryWatch is not a gas detector, remote monitoring service or emergency communication system.
What you need
- The app declares Android 7.0 or later and iOS 15.0 or later. Check the relevant store for your device’s availability.
- No separate EntryWatch login is required for local job logging. Store purchases use your store account.
- A charged, suitable phone, working instruments and the competent personnel and arrangements required by your approved safe system of work.
First launch walkthrough
- Welcome — Introduction to EntryWatch.
- Disclaimer — Read and acknowledge the app’s limitations.
- Your profile — Enter your name and, optionally, competency level. Add role and certificate details later in Settings.
- Theme — Choose Dark, Light or High Contrast.
- Completion — Finish setup and open the Home screen.
Free vs Pro
| Feature | Free | Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Technicians per shift | Up to 4 | Unlimited |
| Checklist items | Standard | Standard + custom |
| Visible completed history | Last 5 jobs | Up to 1,000 jobs in the list |
| PDF reports | Watermarked | Company branded |
The Free history limit does not delete older job records. Company details are configured in Settings, not onboarding. Check the paywall and store checkout for your local price, billing period and any eligible trial or offer.
Creating a Shift
What is a shift?
A job groups pre-entry checks, live tracking, repeated personnel entries and exits, monitoring, closing notes and a final report.
Creating a job
Open the new-job action on Home and complete the Create New Job form:
- Site, client and space ID — Identify the work and specific location.
- Risk level — Use the assessed job classification. The app’s UK labels map NC1 to Low, NC2/NC3 to Medium, and NC4 to High. A label does not establish a person’s competence or suitability.
- Scheduled date — Optional; initially empty. A future date places the job in Upcoming Jobs.
- Description and notes — Record relevant job information.
- Personnel — Review names, roles, competency and rescue capability against your actual arrangements.
The selected rules are captured for the job. Changing your preferred jurisdiction later does not rewrite that job’s saved rule snapshot.
Competency warnings
Do not assume the app prevents lone working. Staffing restrictions are not yet implemented; arrange the Topman, entrants and rescue provision required for the actual job.
BA Entry Mode
BA mode uses a manually entered planned duration for each technician. Its countdown is an elapsed-time aid, not a measurement of cylinder pressure, remaining air or safe return time. Determine and monitor those using appropriate instruments and your approved procedures.
Using an earlier job as a template
Use the template action for a previous job to reduce repeated setup. Review every copied detail and current personnel information. A new job needs fresh pre-entry checks and applicable permit information; a template is not renewed authorisation.
Scheduling and calendars
Scheduled jobs appear in Upcoming Jobs. Add to Calendar shares an .ics file; importing it depends on an available calendar app. Verify the calendar entry separately.
If the app confirms the job was saved but a reminder could not be scheduled, the job still exists. Check Home before creating another copy and review reminder permissions.
Pre-Entry Checklist
Before starting
The app checks required, applicable pre-entry evidence before activating live tracking. Completing a screen does not establish legal compliance or make a space safe. Follow the actual risk assessment, permit and approved safe system of work.
The six categories
- Pre-Entry Peak Readings — Record fresh atmospheric measurements from your instrument.
- Toolbox Talk — Record the required briefing confirmations.
- Risk Assessment — Review the assessment and required controls.
- Rescue Plan — Confirm the relevant arrangements and equipment.
- Ventilation — Complete applicable ventilation checks.
- Permit to Work — Record permit details and required confirmations, including applicable isolation checks.
Gas rules and exposure reference
Open Gas Rules & Exposure Reference to view the job’s saved spot-reading rules. Danger takes precedence over warning. Readings outside those conditions do not, by themselves, authorise entry.
The UK exposure reference is separate: time-weighted workplace exposure limits are not spot-reading alarm settings. EntryWatch does not calculate personal exposure averages. Oxygen is percentage by volume; LEL is percentage of the lower explosive limit; CO and H2S are recorded in ppm.
Permit to Work fields
Record the permit number, issuing Authorising Person and issue time from the actual permit. Check these details rather than reusing an earlier job’s authorisation.
Starting the shift
Complete the required categories and review the pre-entry summary before starting. Return to the checklist to correct evidence when necessary.
Pro: custom checklist items
Configure supported custom checks through checklist templates and available pre-entry editing controls. Review them against your RAMS; app customisation does not remove your responsibilities or permit silently rewriting completed safety evidence.
The Live Tracker
The tracker screen
- Live clock — Current time.
- Safety check interval — Choose 5, 10, 15 or 20 minutes.
- Personnel cards — Status, time inside and entry/exit actions.
- Check Now — Record a manual monitoring check.
- Add technician — Add personnel within your plan’s limits, reviewing qualification warnings.
- Emergency and End Shift — Record an incident or close the job through their confirmation flows.
Logging entry and exit
Tap LOG ENTRY when a technician enters, then LOG EXIT when they leave. Record actual movements promptly. Logged timestamps cannot be edited through normal entry/exit controls. This is an app safeguard, not a claim that the database is a certified tamper-proof archive.
Safety reminders
Use the configured reminder interval and check controls to record monitoring. Acknowledge a check after performing it, not just to silence an alert. Acknowledgement and response time are recorded.
Gas readings during a check
Inputs may show the last logged values. Obtain a fresh instrument reading and verify every value before confirming, even when the measurements are unchanged. Saving creates a new reading record; the app does not take a measurement itself.
BA countdown
- 50% of planned time remaining — Warning state.
- 10% of planned time remaining — Critical state.
- Planned time exhausted — Countdown has reached zero.
These percentages refer to planned time, not pressure or air remaining. They must not be used to decide turnaround or cylinder replacement without your actual BA procedures and instrument readings.
Adding personnel
Name suggestions can reuse earlier personnel details. Verify current role, qualifications, expiry and rescue capability; a saved suggestion is not a competence assessment.
Emergency
The emergency control has a confirmation flow and changes the job to an emergency state, recording the incident and interrupting normal reminders. Follow your rescue and communication procedures; EntryWatch does not contact emergency services.
Ending the shift
Confirm actual personnel whereabouts before ending. If technicians are still marked inside, the app warns and offers an explicit end-anyway action; it is not an absolute block. A job with permit details prompts for surrender/cancellation confirmation. Unconfirmed surrender is flagged in the report.
Current limitation: Permit surrender status is recorded, but a separate surrender timestamp is not yet captured or included in the PDF. Record the required time in your permit system; a note is not a dedicated surrender-time field.
Shift Report
Report contents
- Summary — Job identity, location, dates, risk level, duration and totals.
- Permit — Number, issuing person, issue time and surrender status; no separate surrender time yet.
- Personnel — Recorded roles, competency/certificate information and rescue designation.
- Checklist — Saved checks, status and timestamps, not a complete edit-by-edit audit trail.
- Entry/exit log — Recorded movements and durations.
- Monitoring and gas records — Saved checks, response times, measurements and their available interpretation context.
- Notes and sign-off — Saved notes and available Topman signature.
- Branding — Free watermark or configured Pro company details.
Generating and sharing
Reports are generated on the device. Share targets depend on installed apps and may need connectivity. Android’s share sheet may not offer Save to Files: use a suitable recipient or Print / Save as PDF when available. On iOS, Save to Files depends on the available share actions. Verify that your file was actually saved or delivered.
Understanding gas presentation
Gas values and chart interpretation use the job’s saved rules where available. Legacy records without an original rule snapshot are explicitly labelled as retrospective fallback comparisons, not recorded pass/fail decisions.
Oxygen is % by volume, LEL is % LEL, and CO/H2S are ppm. Chart colours or reference lines do not prove compliance with time-weighted exposure limits or authorise entry.
Response-time colours
| Colour | Recorded response time |
|---|---|
| Green | Up to and including 60 seconds |
| Amber | Over 60, up to and including 120 seconds |
| Red | Over 120 seconds |
Response colours describe elapsed acknowledgement time, not the safety of the atmosphere or personnel.
Report references
A reference such as EW-VJ5U4B-2026-0007 helps identify and file reports. Retain the relevant backup and exported copies; the reference is not proof of authenticity or legal compliance.
Settings & Profile
Your profile
Manage your name, role, competency, certificate information and expiry date in Settings. Review upcoming or expired certificate warnings when expiry information is provided. The app does not verify training with an awarding body.
Company profile (Pro)
Add supported company details and a logo for PDF branding. Review the generated report before distributing it.
Theme and rules
Choose Dark, Light or High Contrast. Your preferred jurisdiction/rules setting is used when setting up jobs; it does not retrospectively rewrite saved job rule snapshots.
Backup and import
- JSON export — Export supported job records and rule metadata as a backup file. It is not a full device image or a backup of every preference, logo or external file.
- Save externally — Export opens the share sheet, not a guaranteed local save picker. Choose an available destination, then verify the saved file outside EntryWatch.
- JSON import — Imports supported jobs with remapped identifiers alongside existing records. It does not overwrite the whole database. Importing the same backup again can create duplicates.
Report a Bug / Suggest a Feature
Open feedback from Settings. Device/OS and app-version information are included; optional diagnostic details include record counts. Do not assume these details are anonymous. Review your message and any diagnostics before sending through your email app.
Support: dev@brope.co.uk. Purchases and subscription status are managed through the relevant store and RevenueCat; local job backups are a separate workflow.
FAQ
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