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Frequently Asked Questions

To see the full article for the FAQ, click on the link underneath each one

Charlotte Cannon avatar
Written by Charlotte Cannon
Updated over a week ago

If you are looking for a way to manage your equipment and demonstrate safety compliance, try Papertrail for free for 45 days. If you have any questions, book in to speak to one of our Product Specialists.

If your organisation is using Papertrail, you should receive an email invitation from one of the account admins.

Please note - if you are waiting for an email invitation that hasn't arrived yet, it's worth checking your spam or junk filters.

Being an admin means you not only have privileges and permissions to create folders and add/edit records on the account, it also allows you to invite other users.

4. Is Papertrail ISO27001 accredited?

Papertrail is proud to announce that we have been certified against the requirements of ISO 27001:2017 by the British Assessment Bureau from May 2022.

This certification goes beyond trust by providing certainty around information technology security.

To reset your password, you must be able to receive and access emails at the address that you first registered on Papertrail with. If you can't remember what this email address is, contact us.

Click on this link to reset your password. If you don’t receive an email within a few minutes you may have either registered with a different email address or our invite may be sat in the spam filter/junk box.

Please note - for security reasons, the password reset link in the email is only valid for 60 minutes.

6. What is a record?

A record in Papertrail is a digital record of an individual asset that requires regular or routine inspection. For example, this can be a piece of equipment such as a helmet or karabiner. You can also use records to keep track of documents, certificates, structures, vehicles etc.

Once you have created a record you can add inspections to it. The full inspection history will be saved to the record for you to retrieve and report on whenever you need.

7. Why can't I delete a record?

If you have just created a record and realise you don’t need it then you can choose the option to delete it immediately.

However, if you have added a note or an inspection log against a record it cannot be edited or deleted from your account. What you can do instead is retire the record so it becomes part of your archive. This means it will still be available, just in case you are ever called upon to show that something has been carried out on a particular item on a specific date etc.

If you have what is seemingly an empty folder but you get an error message that says you can’t delete it, it could be that you don’t have the correct permission to carry this out or more than likely it has Retired - archived records that will stop the folder from being deleted.

When a record is ‘Retired’ it stays in the folder but is 'hidden' from general view. This means the folder may look empty but in reality it isn’t. The retired record will become viewable using the 'Archived' filter on your dashboard.


Papertrail has made moving and nesting folders around your account is really easy. Essentially you can 'drag and drop' a folder to a 'Top Level' or inside another folder if necessary; it’s up to you to create the system you want.

Please note - you can currently only move folders around with our web app, not the mobile.


We understand that you may enter something in an inspection in error and need to put it right. If you are an administrator or have edit permissions, you can use the 'Revert' tool to 'cross out' the action that retired the record and make it available again.

Please note - this action doesn't delete the error, it merely overrides it, leaving the evidence of what has happened in place. A note or inspection log is seen as documentary evidence and once entered cannot be edited or amended in any way.

Creating a record for an item of equipment is really simple but if you are trying to create many records for the same type of items such as karabiners or helmets it may look a little daunting.

‘Cloning’ allows you to create one record then make a direct copy of it to add a second. When you create the copy you have to remember to edit the name as well as amending any other unique identifier such as the serial number.

12. How do I change something on many records at the same time?

Save yourself lots of time and effort by editing the same field on multiple records at the same time, e.g. amend the frequency of inspection of a folder full of helmets from monthly to half-yearly.

Select all the records within the folder and click on the drop-down arrow next to the Add inspections button before selecting edit and the specific field.

The mobile app will always sync as long as it has a good 3G or 4G cellular or wireless internet connection. If you are concerned that the mobile app is not up to date with inspections and activities, please force sync the app.

The simplest way to do this on both iOS and Android devices is:

  • Tap and hold your app screen just below the account name

  • Swipe downwards in one continuous motion for 3 - 4 cm

  • Confirm that the app tells you it is Syncing followed by Sync up to date is shown

  • If there are any errors or issues with your connection the app will inform you

If you need to change the email address that you used to register on Papertrail you can carry the actions needed out by:

  • Click on your avatar in the top right hand corner of your dashboard screen and

  • Select Profile

  • Change your email address in the field on the left hand side before adding your password to confirm the action

  • Don't forget to click on the Save email address button

15. Can Papertrail be used as a booking engine?

As a specialist health and safety management tool, Papertrail cannot be used as a booking engine as such. We know that this is a tool that lots of activity centres find very valuable however, and are very happy to put you in touch with companies which offer this service.

Please contact us and we will discuss your needs and either try to help you out through Papertrail or send you more information.

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Still can't find the answer you need? We'd love to help!
Contact our Customer Support Team via the chat button in the lower right corner of the screen, on +44 (0)1248 719270 or at support@papertrail.io.

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