Certificates
Certificates let you track the credentials your people hold, such as licenses, training, and qualifications, and make sure only qualified people conduct inspections. You keep a catalog of certificate types, record which users hold them and until when, and mark which checklists require them. When someone starts an inspection, ToolWorks checks their certificates and keeps a permanent record of what qualified them.
💡 Who is this for? This guide is for administrators who manage credentials. Inspectors who want to know how certificates affect their work should read Certificate Requirements in the Inspections guide.
- Overview
- Create Certificate Types
- Manage a User's Certificates
- My Certificates
- Require Certificates on a Checklist
- What Happens at Inspection Time
- Expiration Reminders
- Reports and Audit
- Security & Permissions
Overview
Credential tracking has four parts:
| Part | What it is | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate types | Your catalog of certificates, e.g., "NFPA 10 Extinguisher Technician" | Certificate in the main menu |
| User certificates | Who holds which certificate, with number, issue date, and expiration | Users → a user's Certificates |
| Checklist requirements | Which certificates an inspector must hold to use a checklist | Checklists → Certificate Requirements |
| Inspection credentials | A permanent snapshot of what qualified the inspector, or why it was overridden | Each inspection's Credentials section |
A typical setup:
- Create the certificate types you track.
- Record each inspector's certificates.
- Add certificate requirements to the checklists that need them.
- Create inspection schedules that assign the work to qualified inspectors.
Create Certificate Types
A certificate type describes a certificate. It does not say who holds it. Create one type for each credential you want to track.
- Go to Certificate in the main menu.
- Click Add Certificate.
- Fill in the details:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | Unique name, e.g., "NFPA 10 Portable Extinguisher Technician" |
| Issuing Body | Who issues it, e.g., NFPA, OSHA, NICET, NCCCO, or a state agency |
| Category | Optional grouping for filtering, e.g., Fire & Life Safety, Fall Protection, Lifting |
| Validity | Check Expires and enter the number of months after issue it stays valid. Leave unchecked if it never expires |
| Description | Optional notes, e.g., what the certificate covers |
- Click Create.
The certificate list shows each type's category, validity, how many users hold it, and how many checklists require it.
Archive a Certificate Type
Certificate types are archived, never deleted, so history stays intact. To archive one, open it and click Archive.
- An archived type can't be given to users or added to checklist requirements.
- Users who already hold it stay qualified. Archiving tidies the catalog without taking away anyone's qualification.
- Check Show archived in the list to see archived types, and Restore one if needed.
Manage a User's Certificates
- Go to Users.
- On the user's row (or card), click Certificates.
The list groups each certificate type with its periods, latest first, so a renewal shows up together with the period it replaced. You can switch between Table View and Card View.
Add a Certificate
- Click Add Certificate.
- Fill in the details:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Certificate Type | One of your active certificate types |
| Certificate Number | The number on the card or certificate. ToolWorks warns you (but still saves) if another user has the same number |
| Issue Date | The date it was issued. It isn't valid before this date |
| Expiration Date | Filled in from the type's validity when you enter the issue date. Change it to match the card, or clear it if it never expires |
| Notes | Anything else worth recording |
- Click Add.
After saving, open the certificate to upload documents, such as a scan or photo of the card, so the proof is on file for audits.
Certificate Status
ToolWorks works out a certificate's status from its dates. You don't set it.
| Status | Meaning | Counts for inspections? |
|---|---|---|
| Valid | Issued, not expired, not revoked | ✅ Yes |
| Expiring Soon | Valid, but expires within 60 days | ✅ Yes |
| Not Yet Valid | The issue date is in the future | ❌ No |
| Expired | Past its expiration date. A certificate is valid through the end of its expiration date | ❌ No |
| Revoked | Revoked by an administrator | ❌ No |
| Renewed | An older period that has been replaced by a newer one | (the newer one is used) |
A Verified indicator shows whether an administrator has checked the certificate against the original.
Verify
When you have checked the certificate against the original document, open it and click Verify. ToolWorks records who verified it and when.
If you later change the certificate number, issue date, expiration date, or documents, the verification is cleared, and you need to verify it again.
Renew
Each renewal is a new period on the same certificate type. It does not replace the old record, so the history stays available for audits.
- Open the current certificate.
- Click Renew.
- The certificate type is filled in. Enter the new number (if it changed), issue date, and expiration date.
- Click Renew.
Early renewals are fine. Periods can overlap, and ToolWorks uses the one that expires last.
Revoke and Reinstate
- Revoke: when a certificate is suspended or no longer valid (for example, failed recertification). Open it, click Revoke, and enter a reason. It stops counting for inspections immediately.
- Reinstate: if a revocation was a mistake or has been lifted, open the certificate, click Reinstate, and enter a reason. The earlier revocation date and reason are moved into the certificate's notes along with your reason, so the history isn't lost.
Edit or Delete
Open a certificate to edit its number, dates, notes, or documents. You can't change the user or the certificate type. If one of those is wrong, delete the record and add a new one.
Delete is for typos and duplicate entries. Inspections already done keep their record of the certificate. To end a real certificate, Revoke it instead.
My Certificates
Every user can see their own certificates:
- Web: open your Profile and click View My Certificates.
- Mobile: open Me and go to Certificates.
The list shows each certificate's number, issue and expiration dates, and status. Inspectors should check it before an expiration date comes up, and let an administrator know when they renew.
Require Certificates on a Checklist
- Go to Checklists and open the checklist.
- Scroll to Certificate Requirements.
- Click Add Requirement Group.
- In the group, add one or more certificate types.
- Choose the group's Enforcement: Hard (block) or Soft (warn + override).
- Repeat for more groups, then click Save Requirements.
A checklist with no groups has no requirement. Anyone with inspection rights can use it.
Requirement Groups
Groups let you describe "this OR that" and "this AND that":
- Certificates in the same group are OR'd. The inspector needs any one of them.
- Groups are AND'd. The inspector must satisfy every group.
| You want | Set up |
|---|---|
| Must hold A | Group 1: A |
| Must hold A or B | Group 1: A, B |
| Must hold A and B | Group 1: A · Group 2: B |
| Must hold (A or B) and C | Group 1: A, B · Group 2: C |
Hard vs. Soft Enforcement
Each group has one enforcement level:
| Enforcement | If the inspector doesn't satisfy the group | Use when |
|---|---|---|
| Hard (block) | The inspection cannot be conducted. There is no override, not even for administrators. | The law, a code, your insurer, or a customer contract requires the credential |
| Soft (warn + override) | The inspector is warned and can Proceed Anyway after entering a reason. The override is recorded permanently on the inspection. | Company policy or best practice, where an exception may sometimes be justified |
💡 Tip: Rolling out requirements to an existing team? Start with Soft while you record everyone's certificates. Use the Certificate Overrides report to find who is missing what, then switch to Hard.
Examples
Portable fire extinguisher inspection
| Group | Certificates | Enforcement |
|---|---|---|
| Group 1 | NFPA 10 Extinguisher Technician or State Extinguisher License | Hard |
Fall protection equipment inspection
| Group | Certificates | Enforcement |
|---|---|---|
| Group 1 | Competent Person – Fall Protection | Hard |
| Group 2 | OSHA 10-Hour or OSHA 30-Hour Construction | Soft |
Here the inspector must be a competent person. Without OSHA 10/30 they can still inspect, but they have to give a reason.
Changes to requirements apply to inspections started after you save. Past inspections keep the record captured when they were started.
What Happens at Inspection Time
When You Schedule
When you pick an inspector on a tool inspection schedule, ToolWorks checks that person against the checklist's requirements and warns you if they would be blocked (Hard) or would need to override (Soft). The warning is advisory. You can still save the schedule, but a blocked inspector won't be able to do the work, and the inspection will go overdue.
When the Inspection Starts
ToolWorks checks the certificates of the person actually conducting the inspection, as of the day they start:
| Result | What the inspector sees | Recorded on the inspection |
|---|---|---|
| All groups satisfied | Nothing extra | Satisfied: certificate name, number, issuing body, and expiration |
| A Soft group not satisfied | Certificate Requirements Not Met, plus a required Override Reason | Overridden: the reason, who, and when |
| A Hard group not satisfied | Cannot Start Inspection | Nothing. The inspection cannot be done |
For each missing requirement, the inspector sees why: not held, expired (with date), revoked, or not yet valid.
Offline Inspections
The mobile app checks certificates on the device, so inspectors normally see the same prompts offline. If the server finds at sync that a requirement wasn't met (for example, the device had out-of-date certificate records), the inspection is still saved, since the work was done. It is recorded as Overridden (Soft) or Bypassed (Hard) with the reason "Requirement not met; accepted from sync".
For a Hard bypass, ToolWorks immediately sends a Certificate requirement bypassed notification to administrators, the person who scheduled the inspection, and the inspector's supervisor. Review these inspections and decide whether they need to be redone by a qualified inspector.
The Credentials Record
Each inspection keeps a Credentials section: one entry per requirement group, showing what qualified the inspector or the override details. The certificate facts are copied at the time the inspection starts. Renewing, revoking, editing, or deleting the certificate later, or changing the checklist's requirements, never changes what an inspection already recorded. This record appears on the inspection detail and in the inspection PDF.
Expiration Reminders
ToolWorks sends email reminders automatically for active certificates that have an expiration date:
| When | Sent to |
|---|---|
| 60, 30, and 7 days before | The certificate holder and their supervisor |
| On the expiration day | The certificate holder and their supervisor |
| 1st of each month | Administrators: a digest of every certificate expiring within 60 days, plus expired certificates that haven't been renewed |
If a certificate has already been renewed (there's a newer period that expires later), no reminder is sent for the old one. Set each user's Supervisor on their user record so supervisors get these reminders.
Reports and Audit
Under Reports, in the Certificate category:
| Report | Shows |
|---|---|
| Certificate Overrides | Inspections started with a certificate requirement overridden or bypassed |
| Expiring User Certificates | User certificates expiring in the next 60, 30, or 7 days |
You can subscribe to these reports to receive them by email on a schedule.
When an auditor asks "was this inspection done by a qualified person?", open the inspection and look at its Credentials section. It shows the certificate, number, and expiration that applied on that day, or the override reason.
Security & Permissions
| Action | Who |
|---|---|
| Manage certificate types | Users with the Manage Certificates right |
| Add, edit, verify, renew, revoke, reinstate, delete user certificates | Users with the Manage Certificates right |
| View own certificates | Every user |
| Set checklist certificate requirements | Users with the Manage Templates right |
| Override a Soft requirement | The person conducting the inspection |
| Override a Hard requirement | Nobody |
Certificate tracking is available on plans that include compliance features.
Next Steps
- Add certificate requirements to your checklists: Checklists
- Learn what inspectors see: Inspections
- Set up users and supervisors: Users
- Schedule certificate reports: Report Subscriptions