Digital Daily Checks & Task Management for UK Leisure Centres
OpsPal is the digital operations platform that replaces paper checklists in leisure centres, swimming pools, and gyms. We automate daily compliance workflows—from pool plant readings to opening/closing checks—giving duty managers real-time visibility of site safety. Our system ensures every cleaning schedule and maintenance check is timestamped, audited, and linked to staff training records for Quest and HSE compliance. See how DLR Leisure Benefited from OpsPal
Manage critical compliance tasks across all leisure facilities
Running safe, compliant leisure centres means completing hundreds of time-sensitive tasks daily — pool water testing before opening, plant room temperature checks, gym equipment inspections, fire safety tests, cleaning protocols and incident reporting. Miss one critical task and you risk member safety, regulatory breaches or failed inspections.
OpsPal’s task management software ensures nothing gets overlooked. Create digital checklists for every compliance requirement:
Pool operations: Pre-opening water tests, hourly chlorine and pH checks, plant room temperature monitoring, backwash schedules, chemical dosing records, pool vacuum logs
Gym and fitness: Equipment safety checks, PAT testing schedules, maintenance inspections, studio cleanliness checks, changing room audits
Health and safety: Fire alarm tests, emergency lighting checks, first aid kit inspections, accident book reviews, legionella temperature monitoring, gas safety checks
Facilities maintenance: Boiler servicing reminders, lift inspections, door closer checks, CCTV functionality tests, AED battery checks
Each task links to relevant procedures, risk assessments and training requirements. When a lifeguard completes a pool water test, they can instantly access the procedure for corrective action if results are out of range. Location tracking shows which facility the task was completed at, essential for multi-site operators managing dozens of leisure centres, swimming pools and sports facilities.
Real-time visibility of task completion across your estate
Multi-site leisure operators need to know what’s happening right now
Not discover missed tasks during the next audit. OpsPal’s live dashboard shows task completion status across every location in real time — giving head office and area managers instant visibility of compliance across the entire estate.
See which leisure centres completed their morning pool tests on time and which are running late. Identify patterns where specific tasks are consistently missed at particular sites. Monitor duty manager walk-throughs, shift handover checklists and daily cleaning schedules across all facilities simultaneously.
Automated notifications alert managers immediately when critical tasks are overdue, incomplete or show out-of-range results. If a pool water test shows chlorine below safe levels, the duty manager receives an instant alert requiring corrective action. If a fire alarm test isn’t completed, automatic escalation ensures senior management knows before it becomes a compliance issue.
Location tagging means every task completion is linked to a specific facility, department or even equipment item. Track which gym has the highest volume of maintenance tasks or which pool plant consistently requires attention. This data helps you allocate resources effectively and identify sites needing additional support or training.
The system maintains complete audit logs showing exactly when each task was completed, by whom, at which location, and whether results were within acceptable ranges. This is precisely the evidence Quest assessors, HSE inspectors and insurance providers want to see — demonstrating your systematic approach to managing safety and compliance.
Streamline operations from opening checks to preventative maintenance
Beyond critical compliance tasks, leisure centres have dozens of operational tasks that keep facilities running smoothly. OpsPal makes it simple to manage everything from opening procedures to preventative maintenance programmes.
Opening and closing checks
Ensure every facility opens safely with structured checklists covering reception setup, pool area inspection, gym floor walkthroughs, plant room checks, changing room preparation and emergency equipment verification. Closing procedures ensure nothing is missed before staff lock up — pool chemical dosing, plant shutdown sequences, building security checks and alarm activation.
Shift handover tasks
Eliminate communication gaps between shifts with digital handover checklists. Outgoing teams confirm key information has been passed on — member incidents, equipment failures, maintenance in progress, upcoming bookings. Incoming teams acknowledge receipt, creating accountability and audit trails.
Cleaning schedules
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Pool Surroundings: Wet-side hygiene and slip-hazard checks.
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Changing Rooms: Hourly inspection logs and deep clean schedules.
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Gym Floors: Equipment wipe-down and dust control.
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Reception Areas: High-traffic cleaning protocols.
Preventative maintenance programmes
Schedule and track servicing for pool plant equipment, HVAC systems, gym machinery, lighting, building fabric and IT systems. Move from reactive to proactive maintenance by setting inspection frequencies based on manufacturer requirements and usage patterns. The system alerts engineers before equipment failures occur rather than after members complain.
Manager walkthrough audits
Structure daily, weekly or monthly site audits with customisable checklists.
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Customise: Build audits for safety, cleanliness, or brand standards.
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Execute: Managers complete the audit via mobile or tablet.
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Action: Failures (e.g., “broken locker”) automatically generate a remedial task.
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Track: Senior leadership views completion rates across all sites.
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Managers complete walkthroughs on mobile devices, immediately logging issues that generate tracked corrective actions. Senior management sees audit completion rates and trends across all sites.
Multiple scheduling options let you set tasks for specific times (pool water tests every hour), specific days (manager audit every Monday), intervals (plant servicing every 90 days) or frequency (deep clean monthly). Match task scheduling to your actual operational needs rather than forcing operations to fit rigid software limitations.
Drive accountability and continuous improvement
Task completion without accountability achieves nothing. OpsPal links every task back to the individual user who completed it, creating transparency that drives performance improvement and supports fair management decisions.
Training integration for competency assurance
Link tasks to qualification requirements so only appropriately trained staff can complete critical activities.
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Pool Plant Tasks: Require PWTAG or ISRM certification.
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Gym Inspections: Require equipment maintenance qualifications.
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Children’s Activities: Require DBS checks and safeguarding training.
Attach training videos, procedures and reference guides directly to tasks. Staff access just-in-time learning when they need it — a pool chemical handling video appears when logging chemical additions, and equipment maintenance guides link to inspection tasks. This supports new starters whilst providing refresher materials for experienced staff.
Cost visibility for operational efficiency
Understand the true cost of your operations by tracking time spent on task completion. Calculate how much it costs to run daily pool operations, clean facilities, maintain equipment and complete compliance activities. Compare costs across sites to identify efficiency opportunities. Assess whether outsourcing specific tasks (deep cleaning, specialist maintenance) is more cost-effective than in-house delivery.
When tasks are missed, quantify the cost implications — lost revenue from facility closures, emergency callout charges for reactive maintenance, or penalties from failed inspections. This data supports business cases for additional staffing, equipment investment or process improvements.
Problem logging and resolution
Staff add problems, maintenance issues or safety concerns on the move, capturing photographs for clear communication. Instead of issues getting lost in email chains or forgotten verbal handovers, every problem generates a tracked task assigned to the responsible person with due dates and location tags. Managers see exactly what’s been reported, what’s in progress and what’s been resolved across all facilities.
Embed third-party tools like Microsoft Forms or Google Forms directly within tasks for specialist data collection — customer feedback surveys, detailed incident reports, energy consumption monitoring or member satisfaction tracking.
The result: complete operational visibility, demonstrable accountability, evidence-based decision-making and continuous improvement driven by data rather than guesswork.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does digital task management prevent things falling through the cracks?
Digital task management prevents things falling through the cracks by creating automatic reminders, escalation notifications, and visual dashboards that make every task’s status visible to the right people at the right time. Unlike paper checklists or verbal handovers where tasks can be forgotten, misunderstood, or lost between shift changes, OpsPal ensures every assigned task is tracked from creation to completion with full accountability.
The system works through intelligent assignment and visibility. When a task is created (whether it’s a one-off maintenance job, a recurring pool test, or an urgent compliance check), it’s assigned to a specific person or role with a clear deadline. That person sees the task in their mobile app dashboard; when tasks are available to be completed, they go green; they go amber when someone has started them and red if overdue. Simultaneously, their manager can see the task’s status without asking, eliminating the need for micromanagement or status update meetings.
Recurring tasks are particularly well-managed because the system regenerates them automatically. Pool water testing doesn’t rely on lifeguards remembering to test at 08:00 and 12:00; OpsPal creates these tasks automatically based on your scheduled frequency, assigns them to whoever’s on duty, and changes the status so supervisors can see if tests aren’t completed on time. This automation extends to daily opening checks, weekly equipment inspections, monthly compliance reviews, and annual maintenance schedules, removing the mental burden from staff and ensuring nothing is missed.
Live dashboards allow team members and mangers alike to see what is happening live, the organisational view will show this live for every site so you can then drill down to see whats needed and who needs help.
Can OpsPal schedule recurring tasks automatically?
Yes, OpsPal automatically schedules recurring tasks based on your defined frequencies, eliminating manual task creation and ensuring routine operations like daily checks, weekly inspections, and monthly maintenance happen consistently. The system supports simple patterns (daily at 09:00, weekly on Mondays, last Monday of every month) and complex schedules (twice daily at specific times, fortnightly alternating between teams, quarterly aligned with financial periods), accommodating the full range of leisure operation requirements.
Automatic recurring tasks work particularly well for compliance-driven activities. Pool water testing is typically required every 2-4 hours during opening times; OpsPal creates these tasks automatically throughout the day, assigning them to whichever qualified teams or individuals are on duty based on their rota. Fire alarm tests, emergency lighting checks, and equipment inspections all follow similar patterns, appearing in the right person’s task list at the right time without any manager needing to remember to create them manually.
The intelligence extends to handling exceptions and variations. If a task is typically completed by the duty manager but they’re off sick, the manager will have the access to see the duty manager’s duties and reallocate. If a weekly pool plant inspection normally happens on Monday mornings, but Monday is a bank holiday, you can simply change the next due date and after the task is completed on the Tuesday it will simply fall back in line with the schedule.
Recurring tasks also adapt to changing circumstances. If you add a new gym area requiring daily equipment checks, you create the recurring task once with the appropriate frequency and assignment rules, and OpsPal generates instances automatically from that point forward. If inspection frequency changes (perhaps moving from weekly to fortnightly based on revised risk assessments), updating the recurrence pattern immediately affects future instances while leaving historical completions intact for audit purposes.
What's the difference between reactive and proactive task management?
Reactive task management means responding to problems after they occur, whilst proactive task management means preventing problems through scheduled preventative actions tracked and completed before issues arise. Traditional paper-based leisure operations tend toward reactive approaches because it’s difficult to maintain awareness of upcoming needs without sophisticated tracking systems, leading to equipment failures, compliance lapses, and emergency responses that could have been avoided.
OpsPal shifts operations from reactive to proactive by making future needs visible and actionable. Instead of waiting for the pool plant to break down, proactive task management schedules regular maintenance checks that identify worn components before failure occurs. Instead of discovering expired lifeguard qualifications during an HSE inspection, the system flags upcoming expiry dates three months in advance, ensuring renewals happen on time. Instead of realising fire extinguishers are overdue for inspection only when an officer visits, scheduled annual checks appear automatically in maintenance task lists.
The practical difference shows in operational outcomes. Reactive organisations experience higher maintenance costs (emergency repairs cost more than scheduled maintenance), more compliance failures (rushed last-minute actions to meet audit requirements), and increased incident risk (unnoticed hazards develop into actual harm). Proactive organisations spend less on repairs because they catch issues early, maintain continuous compliance because required actions are scheduled systematically, and experience fewer incidents because hazards are identified and controlled before causing harm.
This shift doesn’t require changing what you do, just when you do it. The same pool plant maintenance that happens reactively after a breakdown becomes proactive by scheduling it quarterly before problems develop. The same qualification renewals that happen reactively after expiry notices arrive become proactive by tracking expiry dates and triggering renewal actions three months early. OpsPal’s task management simply provides the structure and visibility needed to move every operation from reactive to proactive mode.
How do managers track task completion across multiple sites?
Managers track task completion across multiple sites through OpsPal’s organisation-level dashboard, which provides real-time visibility of all tasks, and then you can view site dashboards filterable by, department, task type, status, or assigned person. This centralised view eliminates the need to call each site, check individual spreadsheets, or wait for weekly reports to understand what’s happening across your estate, enabling proactive management instead of reactive firefighting.
The dashboard presents task status using visual indicators that make patterns immediately obvious. Green indicators show tasks available to be completed, amber shows tasks started and not overdue, red highlights overdue tasks, and grey indicates tasks not yet due. A head office operations manager can see at a glance that Site A has three tasks, Site B has perfect compliance, and Site C has upcoming fire safety checks due within 48 hours, allowing them to intervene where needed whilst leaving well-performing sites to operate autonomously.
Filtering and reporting capabilities allow managers to investigate specific patterns. If you want to see all pool testing compliance across your leisure centres for the past month, you go to a site filter for “pool tests” and generate a log report showing completion rates, results, and any missed tests. If you’re preparing for a Quest assessment, you can filter for all health and safety tasks to demonstrate consistent compliance across your estate. If you’re investigating why one site has higher maintenance costs, you can compare preventative maintenance task completion rates to see if poor maintenance discipline is causing reactive repairs.
Site tracking also enables benchmarking and best practice sharing. When one site consistently completes tasks on time whilst another struggles with overdue work, the performance difference is visible in the data, prompting investigation into what the successful site does differently. Perhaps they have better staff training, clearer procedures, or more effective management handovers. Identifying these patterns allows you to replicate successful approaches across all sites, raising overall operational standards.
Can tasks be assigned based on staff competency levels?
Yes, OpsPal can assign tasks based on staff competency levels by allocating them to different job roles, ensuring only qualified and competent staff are assigned work they’re approved to perform. This competency-based assignment is crucial for leisure operations where many tasks require specific qualifications (lifeguards for pool supervision, first aiders for medical responses, trained technicians for plant room work), and assigning unqualified staff creates both safety risks and compliance failures.
Each task has an area where you can add the expectation/training for how to complete the task; this means that staff can only complete that task once they have signed this off. They will always have access to this training if they ever need a reminder, or if it gets updated, so if there has been a change due to a recent incident, staff will have to reread it before they can complete the task.
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We’re on hand for any questions you may have. Simply book a meeting using our booking system and we will talk you through any questions.