Observation Notification FAQs

Does the observer receive notifications when an Observation is submitted or closed?

No. There are no separate email notifications sent to the observer when an Observation is submitted or closed.
This is because an Observation can be raised on behalf of another individual, so the person recorded as the observer may not be the user who submitted it.

How are General Observation notifications controlled?

General Observation notifications are controlled at role level. When a notification type is enabled for a role, users assigned to that role may receive notifications for Observations raised on sites or projects they have permission to access. Notification settings are managed through the user’s assigned role rather than directly against the individual user.

Can Observation notifications be turned off for specific users?

To change the notifications a user receives, review the notification settings for their role. Any changes made to that role will also apply to other users assigned to it.

Can different roles receive different Observation notifications?

Yes. Observation notification settings can be configured separately for each role. This allows organisations to give different teams an appropriate level of visibility. For example, one role may receive all relevant Observation notifications, while another may only receive selected notification types.

Which sites and projects will users receive notifications for?

Users will only receive General Observation notifications for sites or projects they have permission to access or visibility of.
Enabling notifications for a role does not automatically give users access to additional projects.

Can we disable only the notification sent when an Observation is closed?

The available General Observation notification settings should first be reviewed at role level to determine which notification type is generating the email.
Outside of these general settings, there are no separate emails sent specifically to the observer when an Observation is submitted or closed.
If users are receiving closure emails, these may instead relate to actions raised from an Observation that are later completed or closed.

Are there separate action notifications for Observations?

Yes. An Observation is used to record something noticed on site at any time. This could include a positive observation, concern, issue or general point to note.
An action is created when someone needs to complete a specific follow-up task in response to that Observation. Because Observations record what has been identified and actions track what needs to be done, they have separate notifications. Users may therefore receive notifications when an Observation is recorded, as well as separate notifications when an associated action is assigned, updated or closed.

Updated on: 03/08/2026