> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.breakpointcrm.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Configure BreakPoint Alerts and Notification Channels

> Understand BreakPoint's alert types, configure notification channels, set escalation rules, and learn how to acknowledge and resolve safety incidents.

BreakPoint's alert system is designed so that nothing critical slips through unnoticed. When PulseGuard detects a worker near a hazard, when a heart rate reading spikes outside safe bounds, or when a wearable goes dark mid-shift, the Console immediately notifies the right people through the right channels. Understanding how alert types and severity levels work — and knowing exactly what to do when one fires — is essential for every supervisor and safety manager using BreakPoint. This page walks you through every alert type, shows you how to route and configure notifications, and explains the full lifecycle from an alert firing to its documented resolution.

## Alert Types, Severity, and Default Channels

BreakPoint generates five categories of alerts. Each has a default severity level assigned by the system, though you can adjust severity thresholds for some alert types in **Settings → Alerts → Thresholds**.

| Alert Type           | Default Severity | Description                                                                                               | Default Channels         |
| -------------------- | ---------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------ |
| **Proximity Alert**  | Critical         | Worker's wearable entered a hazard zone within the configured proximity threshold                         | Console tray, Email, SMS |
| **Heart Rate Alert** | Critical         | Worker's heart rate exceeded the high threshold or dropped below the low threshold for a sustained period | Console tray, Email, SMS |
| **Offline Alert**    | Warning          | A wearable device lost connection and has not reported in for more than 5 minutes                         | Console tray, Email      |
| **Break Violation**  | Warning          | Worker missed a scheduled break, or a break exceeded the allowed duration                                 | Console tray, Email      |
| **Overtime Alert**   | Info             | Worker has crossed the daily or weekly overtime threshold for their assigned shift                        | Console tray             |

**Severity levels** determine how alerts are displayed and whether they require explicit action before clearing:

* **Critical** — displayed in red in the Alerts Tray and the Console header badge; require explicit acknowledgment
* **Warning** — displayed in amber; will auto-clear if the underlying condition resolves, but can also be manually acknowledged
* **Info** — displayed in blue; informational only; auto-clear once the condition resolves

<Note>
  Critical alerts require explicit acknowledgment from a supervisor before they can be marked resolved. A Critical alert will not auto-clear even if the underlying condition resolves on its own — for example, if a worker moves out of a hazard zone, the Proximity Alert remains open and visible until a supervisor acknowledges it and records a resolution note.
</Note>

## Notification Channels

BreakPoint can deliver alert notifications through four channels. Each channel must be configured before it can receive alerts.

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="In-Console Tray">
    The in-Console tray is always active for all alert types and requires no additional configuration. Alerts appear in the **Alerts Tray** panel on the dashboard and in the dedicated **Alerts** section in the sidebar. A numbered badge on the Console header shows the count of open unacknowledged alerts.

    To adjust which alert types appear in the tray, go to **Settings → Alerts → Tray Preferences** and toggle individual alert types on or off. Note that Critical alerts cannot be hidden from the tray.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Email Notifications">
    Email notifications send an alert summary to one or more email addresses when an alert fires. To configure email notifications:

    1. Go to **Settings → Alerts → Notification Channels**.
    2. Click **Configure** next to **Email**.
    3. Enter the email addresses that should receive alerts. You can enter individual addresses or a shared distribution list.
    4. Choose which alert types and severity levels trigger an email.
    5. Optionally set a **Digest Mode** to bundle Info-level alerts into a single hourly or daily email rather than sending one email per event.
    6. Click **Save**.

    Alert emails include the alert type, the worker's name, the time of the event, and a deep link back to the full alert record in the Console.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="SMS Notifications">
    SMS notifications deliver a short text message to one or more phone numbers for high-urgency alerts. SMS must be enabled on your BreakPoint subscription plan before it becomes available.

    To configure SMS notifications:

    1. Go to **Settings → Alerts → Notification Channels**.
    2. Click **Configure** next to **SMS**.
    3. Verify that SMS is enabled on your plan. If not, a link to your billing page appears.
    4. Enter the mobile phone numbers that should receive SMS alerts (include country code).
    5. Select which alert types trigger an SMS. Because SMS carries a per-message cost, most organizations restrict SMS to Critical alerts only.
    6. Click **Save** and then click **Send Test Message** to confirm delivery.

    SMS messages are intentionally brief: they include the alert type, the worker's name, and a short URL to the Console alert record.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Mobile Push Notifications">
    If your organization uses the BreakPoint Supervisor mobile app, supervisors can receive push notifications on their iOS or Android device when alerts fire.

    To enable push notifications:

    1. Download the **BreakPoint Supervisor** app from the App Store or Google Play and log in with your Console credentials.
    2. When prompted, allow notifications for the app.
    3. In the Console, go to **Settings → Alerts → Notification Channels** and click **Configure** next to **Mobile Push**.
    4. Verify that your mobile device appears in the **Registered Devices** list. If it does not appear, log out of the mobile app and back in to trigger device registration.
    5. Select which alert types deliver push notifications to mobile.
    6. Click **Save**.

    Push notifications work even when the supervisor app is in the background. Tapping a push notification opens the app directly to the alert detail screen.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Configuring Alert Routing by Zone or Department

By default, all alerts go to all supervisors in your organization. For larger teams, you'll want to route alerts only to the supervisors responsible for the area or team where the alert originated.

To configure routing rules:

1. Go to **Alerts** in the sidebar and click **Routing Rules** at the top of the page.
2. Click **+ Add Routing Rule**.
3. Choose a **Scope**: either **Zone** (alerts from a specific zone route to specific supervisors) or **Department** (alerts involving workers from a specific department route to assigned supervisors).
4. Select the zone or department from the dropdown.
5. Add the supervisor names or email addresses who should receive alerts matching this scope.
6. Choose which alert types this rule applies to.
7. Click **Save Rule**.

Routing rules stack — a single alert can match multiple rules and be delivered to multiple recipients. If no rule matches an alert, it falls back to the default recipients configured under **Settings → Alerts → Default Recipients**.

## Escalation Rules

Escalation rules ensure that if an alert goes unacknowledged for a set period, a second tier of recipients is notified automatically.

To add an escalation rule:

1. Go to **Alerts → Routing Rules** and click the **Escalations** tab.
2. Click **+ Add Escalation**.
3. Select the **Alert Type** and **Severity** this escalation applies to.
4. Set the **Escalation Delay** — the number of minutes an alert can remain unacknowledged before the escalation triggers (e.g., 5 minutes for Critical alerts).
5. Add the escalation recipients — typically a safety manager, site director, or on-call supervisor.
6. Click **Save Escalation**.

## Acknowledging and Resolving an Alert

Acknowledging an alert signals that a supervisor has seen it and is actively responding. Resolving it closes the incident and records what happened. Both steps are part of the audit trail that appears in your Reports.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Locate the alert">
    Find the alert in the **Alerts Tray** on the dashboard or navigate to **Alerts** in the sidebar. Open the alert by clicking its row to expand the full detail view. You'll see the alert type, severity, the affected worker, the time it fired, the sensor data that triggered it, and the worker's position on the map at the moment of the event.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Acknowledge the alert">
    Click the **Acknowledge** button in the alert detail panel. A confirmation dialog appears. You may optionally add a brief **Acknowledgment Note** (e.g., "Responding — heading to the floor now"). Click **Confirm Acknowledgment**. The alert status changes from **Active** to **Acknowledged** and your name and timestamp are recorded. Other supervisors can see that someone is already responding.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Take action in the field">
    After acknowledging, address the underlying situation in the real world — check on the worker, confirm the hazard is clear, review the heart rate trend, or verify the device is back online. The Console keeps the alert open in Acknowledged state while you respond.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Resolve the alert">
    Once the situation is addressed, return to the alert detail panel and click **Resolve**. In the **Resolution Note** field, describe what happened and what action you took (e.g., "Worker re-routed away from forklift lane. No injury. Reminded worker of zone markings."). Resolution notes are required for all Critical alerts and optional for Warning and Info alerts. Click **Confirm Resolution**. The alert status changes to **Resolved** and moves out of the active alerts list.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Alert History and Audit Trail

Every alert BreakPoint has ever generated — active, acknowledged, or resolved — is stored permanently in your alert history. To access it:

1. Navigate to **Reports** in the sidebar.
2. Click **Alert History**.
3. Use the filters to narrow by date range, alert type, severity, zone, department, or worker.
4. Click any alert row to see the full detail record, including the original trigger data, every acknowledgment and resolution action taken, and the names and timestamps of everyone who interacted with the alert.

The alert history is your primary audit trail for regulatory and insurance purposes. You can export any filtered view to CSV or PDF using the **Export** button in the top-right corner of the Alert History page.


## Related topics

- [Configure Locations and Safety Zones in BreakPoint](/console/zones-and-locations.md)
- [BreakPoint Console: Dashboard Overview and Navigation](/console/dashboard-overview.md)
- [BreakPoint FAQ: Wearables, Console, and Safety Monitoring](/best-practices/faq.md)