Managing a UK public swimming pool means keeping track of dozens of moving parts simultaneously — water quality readings every two hours, daily chemical checks, maintenance tasks, staff handovers, documentation for inspectors. The PoolComply PPO Dashboard puts all of it in one place, updating in real time, on any device.
This is a complete tour of the dashboard — what each section does, how it connects to your compliance obligations under PWTAG's Code of Practice and HSG179, and why pool operators who use it describe it as the difference between chasing paperwork and being in control.
Who is this for? The PPO Dashboard is built for pool and spa operators who are responsible for day-to-day water quality management. It's designed to be used on-poolside from a phone as well as at a desk — and it works as a Progressive Web App (PWA), meaning you can install it on your home screen without needing an app store.
1. What Is the PPO Dashboard?
PPO stands for Pool/Plant Operator — the person (or team) responsible for the water quality and day-to-day safety of a swimming pool or spa under UK health and safety law. Under HSG179 and PWTAG's Code of Practice, the PPO has a legal duty to test water at defined intervals, record the results, act on out-of-range readings, and maintain evidence of all activity.
The PoolComply PPO Dashboard is the operational hub where all of that happens. It replaces the paper logbook, the whiteboard task list, and the stockroom clipboard with a single, live, searchable digital record — accessible from the plant room, the reception desk, or your kitchen table.
When you log in, you're greeted with a personalised summary of your facility's current status: how many pools are on track, how many water tests have been completed today, how many tasks are still pending, and whether any chemicals are running low. Everything updates the moment a team member submits a new reading.
2. Live Facility Monitoring
The Facilities section is the core of the dashboard. Each pool or sauna at your site gets its own card, showing its current status at a glance. There's no need to scroll through a logbook or ask a colleague — everything is visible in real time.
Each facility card shows:
- Latest water quality readings — pH, free chlorine, and combined chlorine for pools; temperature for saunas, displayed inline with colour-coded status indicators.
- Testing progress ring — a circular indicator showing how many of today's required tests have been completed, with a percentage and raw count (e.g., 4/6 tests done).
- Time to next test — a live countdown showing whether the next test is due in 45 minutes, due now, or already overdue, so your team always knows where they stand.
- Operating hours integration — when a pool is closed, the card shows the next opening time. No false alarms about missed tests on a Sunday morning before the facility opens.
- Quick-action buttons — log a water test, log a water dump or backwash, or expand the card to see the last five test readings, all without leaving the dashboard.
If you manage multiple pools or a site with both pools and saunas, each facility gets its own card. Managers with access can see all facilities across all sites they're responsible for — making it straightforward to spot which pool needs attention without phoning around.
3. The PWTAG Traffic Light System
PoolComply uses the PWTAG traffic light system as its water quality framework — the same system defined in the PWTAG Technical Statement (2020) and referenced throughout HSG179. This means every water quality reading isn't just stored as a number; it's automatically assessed against the correct thresholds for your pool type.
🟢 Ideal
All parameters within optimal range. No action required. Continue regular monitoring schedule.
🟡 Action Required
One or more parameters approaching the limit. Investigate and correct within the hour. Increased monitoring recommended.
🔴 Close
Parameters critically outside safe range. PWTAG guidance recommends closing the pool immediately and resolving the issue before reopening.
⚪ No Data
No test has been recorded today. The facility's current status is unknown — a test should be submitted before swimmers enter the water.
The colour status appears on the facility card border, in the history table, and in the Compliance Centre — so at any point in time, you (and your manager) can see the full picture of water quality across your site. Each status is automatically determined the moment a test is submitted, with no manual interpretation required.
PoolComply also supports custom water quality profiles for different pool types — outdoor pools, learner pools, hydrotherapy pools — each with appropriate thresholds rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.
⚠️ Why this matters: During an HSE or local authority inspection, the most common finding is an inability to demonstrate consistent monitoring within PWTAG limits. A dashboard that shows a full year of colour-coded readings, with named operators and timestamps, is direct evidence of systematic compliance — not just paper records that could have been filled in at any time.
4. Never Miss a Water Test
PWTAG recommends water quality tests at minimum every two hours during opening hours. In practice, many pool operators miss tests — not through negligence, but because there's no system that tells them a test is due. A paper logbook is passive. PoolComply is active.
The dashboard shows the time remaining until each pool's next required test directly on the facility card. As the window approaches, the status changes:
- On Track — test completed on schedule, next test due in more than 30 minutes
- Due Soon — next test due within 30 minutes, shown in amber as a prompt
- Due Now — next test window has opened, action required immediately
- Overdue — test window has passed without a result being logged, shown in red
Logging a test takes around 30 seconds. The operator taps Log Water Test on their pool's card, enters the pH, free chlorine, and combined chlorine readings from their test kit, selects any relevant notes, and submits. The system immediately calculates the PWTAG status, updates the facility card, and adds the result to the permanent record.
Every test entry is automatically stamped with the date, time, and the logged-in operator's name. This creates the kind of attributable, timestamped audit trail that satisfies the record-keeping requirements under PWTAG CoP Chapter 4 and HSE guidance — without any extra effort from your team.
See It in Action
PoolComply is currently in Alpha — the first operators to sign up get one full year of access completely free, all features included.
Start Free Trial5. Daily Task Management
Water testing is only one part of a pool operator's daily workload. Alongside readings, you're expected to complete physical checks, equipment inspections, chemical dosing procedures, safety checks, and administration tasks — all of which need to be documented. PoolComply's task management module handles this.
Each day, your task list is automatically generated based on:
- Daily tasks — recurring checks that appear every operating day (e.g., inspect poolside for hazards, check emergency equipment)
- Weekly tasks — tasks that appear on specific days of the week (e.g., full plant room inspection every Monday)
- Monthly tasks — tasks that appear on a specific date each month (e.g., test anti-entrapment drain covers on the 1st)
- Priority ordering — tasks are sorted by priority level, so critical safety checks always appear at the top
When an operator completes a task, they tap the completion button. The task moves to a "Completed" section with a timestamp and their name attached — creating an automatic, timestamped record of exactly who completed which checks and when. This is precisely the kind of evidence that regulators and insurers look for during investigations.
Pending tasks are shown in the summary card at the top of the dashboard, so managers can see at a glance if any outstanding checks need chasing without having to read through the full list.
6. Chemical Inventory Tracking
Running out of chlorine mid-session isn't just operationally inconvenient — if it means you can't maintain safe water quality, it's a compliance failure. PoolComply's chemical inventory module gives you a live view of your stock levels, with low-stock alerts before you reach a crisis.
What the chemical section shows
Each chemical registered in your account displays:
- Current stock level with the appropriate unit (litres, kilograms, etc.)
- Your defined minimum threshold level
- A visual stock bar showing current level relative to minimum
- A colour indicator — green when adequately stocked, red when at or below minimum
The dashboard summary card shows the total number of chemicals currently below minimum at a glance, so even if you don't open the chemical section, you know immediately if something needs attention.
Logging usage
When a team member doses the pool or uses chemicals from stock, they log the usage directly in the dashboard. They enter the amount used, and the system automatically deducts it from the current stock level and records the transaction — including the date, time, and who logged it.
This creates a usage history that serves two purposes: it keeps your stock levels accurate in real time, and it gives you a detailed chemical dosing audit trail. Under COSHH regulations, you're required to maintain records of hazardous substance use — the PoolComply chemical log satisfies this automatically.
Good practice tip: Set your minimum thresholds at the point where you'd need to reorder, not at zero. If your minimum is set to your one-week buffer, you'll get the low-stock alert with enough time to place an order before you run out.
7. Backwash & Water Replacement Logs
Backwashing your filter and managing water replacement (dilution) are both mandatory compliance activities. PWTAG's Code of Practice Chapter 6 requires that backwashing is performed at defined intervals, or when pressure differential exceeds limits — and all events must be recorded. Water replacement dilution is required to manage rising combined chlorine levels.
PoolComply logs both in a dedicated backwash log section with the following trigger categories:
- Pressure differential — backwash triggered by filter pressure exceeding the defined threshold
- Scheduled backwash — routine planned maintenance according to your operating schedule
- Water quality — backwash or dilution triggered by out-of-range readings
- Post heavy use — additional backwash following high bather load sessions
- Water dump / dilution — fresh water replacement to manage combined chlorine, bather contamination, or TDS
You can log a water dump directly from the PPO dashboard using the Log Water Dump button on a pool's facility card — it takes one tap and automatically records the timestamp, operator, and trigger reason. The full backwash history is available in the Backwash Logs section with filtering and a complete table view.
This logging is particularly important during inspections. An inspector reviewing your records wants to see that you're proactively managing your filter and dilution schedule — not just reacting when something goes wrong. A complete, timestamped backwash history is direct evidence of systematic management.
8. Operational Notes & Shift Handover
Informal knowledge — the slow drain in lane 3, the chemical delivery arriving on Thursday, the broken poolside tile that's been reported — often lives in someone's head or on a scrap of paper. When that person goes home, it's lost. PoolComply's Notes section gives your team a shared, permanent operational log.
Notes can be created by any team member with dashboard access, and they're visible to everyone on the account. Each note has a title and a free-text body, and is automatically stamped with the date and time it was created. Notes can be edited or deleted as situations change.
Common uses our operators have found:
- Shift handover notes (issues to watch, tasks left incomplete)
- Equipment faults reported and logged for the maintenance team
- Bather incident records pending a formal report
- Supplier communication notes (order placed, delivery expected)
- Upcoming inspection reminders or pre-inspection preparation tasks
Because notes are tied to the account and timestamped, they contribute to your overall evidence trail — showing that your team communicates consistently and that issues are tracked from identification through to resolution.
9. Getting Started with the PPO Dashboard
The PPO Dashboard is live for all PoolComply accounts. Setup takes around 20 minutes — you add your pools and saunas, set your water quality profiles and testing schedules, configure your chemical inventory and thresholds, and add your daily task list. After that, your team can log in and start using it immediately.
The dashboard is designed to be used on mobile without training. The layout is clean, the buttons are large, and the most common actions (Log Water Test, Log Water Dump, Complete Task) are all accessible within one or two taps from the main screen.
PoolComply is currently in its Alpha programme, which means the first operators to register get one full year of access at no cost — all features, no restrictions, no card required. This is the right time to get set up before it becomes essential rather than optional.