What This Guide Covers
This guide shows you how to create and manage tags for categorising incidents and linking incidents to your risk register through risk groups.
What Are Incident Tags?
Tags are labels you can attach to incidents to help with:
Categorising and filtering incidents
Generating targeted reports
Identifying trends and patterns
Linking related incidents
Organising data for analysis
Think of tags like keywords or hashtags that help you find and group similar incidents.
How to Access Tags
Log into ComplyFlow
Navigate to Incident > Admin
Select Tags in the submenu
You'll see a list of all tags configured for your organisation.
Creating a New Tag
Follow these steps to create a new incident tag:
1. On the Tags list page, select Add located at the top right corner.
2. Enter Tag details
a. Name (Required) - enter a clear, descriptive name for your tag.
Examples of good tag names | Tips |
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b. Section to Skip - Select a section that will be skipped or hidden when this tag is applied.
Useful when certain scenarios make a section irrelevant.
Example:
Tag “no-witnesses” → Witness section is skipped.
c. Section Required - Select a section that becomes mandatory whenever this tag is used.
Prevents users from submitting the form without completing that section.
Example:
Tag “injury” → Injury Details section becomes required.
d. Display in New Tab - If enabled, all questions linked to this tag will appear in a separate tab instead of inside the main form. Useful for large categories or complex information groups.
Example:
Tag “corrective-action” → Displays corrective actions in their own tab.
e. Reporting Flag - Standard config: N.
Enabling this makes the tag available as a filter in reporting.
The tag will only appear in filters if an incident type using this tag already exists.
If this is ticked, the Priority setting becomes visible.
Example:
Tag “regulatory-required” → included in compliance reports.
f. Requires Sign Off - Standard config: N
If enabled, any incident using this tag must go through a sign-off process before closing.
Example:
Tag “notifiable-incident” → requires manager approval.
g. Restrict To - Standard config: N
Limits who can use or apply this tag. Used when only specific groups or roles should trigger a tag.
Example:
Restrict “investigation-lead” tag to investigators only.
h. Notification Group for Restrict - Standard config: N
If the tag is restricted and triggered, the assigned notification group will be alerted.
Example:
Tag “notifiable-incident” → sends notification to the Notifiable Incident Group.
i. Priority - Appears only when Reporting Flag is enabled. Used to mark the tag as a high-priority category in reporting.
3. Select Add to create your tag.
The tag will now be available when creating or editing incidents.
Editing an Existing Tag
To modify a tag:
1. Go to Incident > Admin > Tags
2. Find the tag you want to edit
3. Click the plus sign (+) button
4. Select Actions > Edit
5. Make your changes and select Edit to save.
Changing a tag name updates it everywhere, including existing incidents. Historical incidents will show the new tag name.
Deleting a Tag
Before You Delete
Consider:
Is this tag being used on existing incidents?
Will you lose important categorisation?
Are reports or dashboards using this tag?
How to Delete
1. Go to Incident > Admin > Tags
2. Find the tag you want to delete
3. Click the plus sign (+) button
4. Select Actions > Delete
5. Confirm the deletion
What happens:
The tag is removed from all incidents
Historical categorisation is lost
Reports using this tag may break
Better approach: If a tag is no longer relevant, consider:
Renaming it to something more appropriate
Keeping it but not using it for new incidents
Merging it with another similar tag
Using Tags as Triggered Questions
Tags can also be used to control when entire groups of questions appear.
How It Works
You can assign a tag to a specific answer option (e.g., "Yes").
When that answer is selected, all questions with the same tag will appear.
Example: Triggering a Witness Section
Create an Incident Section
Example: Witness DetailsCreate Questions Inside the Witness Details Section
These questions will be shown only when triggered.Create the Trigger Question
Example: “Are there any witnesses?”Answer options: Yes / No
Assign a Tag to the Triggering Answer
In the “Yes” option, click Edit
Assign the tag “witness-details”
Apply the Same Tag to the Witness Section Questions
All questions under “Witness Details” should also use the “witness-details” tag.
Result
If the user selects Yes
→ All “Witness Details” questions appearIf the user selects No
→ Those questions stay hidden
This allows you to display entire sections or groups of questions only when relevant, improving the user experience and keeping forms clean.
Best Practices for Tag Management
1. Plan Your Tag Structure
Before creating lots of tags, plan your structure:
What categories do you need?
How will you use tags for reporting?
What trends do you want to identify?
Create a tag taxonomy:
Hazard Types:
- slip-trip-fall
- manual-handling
- chemical-exposure
Equipment Types:
- forklift
- ladder
- power-tool
Locations:
- warehouse
- office
- production-floor
2. Use Consistent Naming
Good practices:
All lowercase
Hyphens instead of spaces
Descriptive but concise
Avoid abbreviations
Example:
✅ "slip-trip-fall"
❌ "SlipTripFall"
❌ "slip trip fall"
❌ "STF"
3. Don't Create Too Many Tags
Problems with too many tags:
Users don't know which to choose
Tags become inconsistent
Reporting becomes fragmented
Maintenance becomes difficult
Sweet spot: 15-40 tags total, grouped into 4-8 categories
4. Review and Consolidate Regularly
Periodically review your tags:
Are there duplicates? ("fall" and "falling" and "falls")
Are some never used?
Could similar tags be merged?
Example consolidation:
Before:
"hand-tool"
"hand-tools"
"manual-tool"
After:
"hand-tool" (consolidated)
5. Provide Clear Definitions
Document when each tag should be used:
Create a tag guide for users
Include examples
Explain edge cases
Keep it updated
6. Make Tags Required (Optional)
Consider making tags mandatory for incidents:
Ensures consistent categorisation
Improves reporting quality
Forces users to think about categorisation
This is a system-level setting. Check with your administrator.
Linking Tags to Questions
Making Tags Easier to Apply
Instead of users manually selecting tags, you can link tags to question answers.
Example:
Question | Answers | Benefits |
What type of equipment was involved? |
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This configuration may require administrator assistance. Check Guide 3 (Question Values) for more information.
Troubleshooting
Problem | Possible causes | Solution |
Tag doesn't appear in incident form |
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Too many tags to choose from |
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Inconsistent tagging |
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Can't link tags to risk register |
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Common Questions
How many tags should I use per incident?
Typically 2-5 tags per incident is reasonable. More than 10 suggests tags are too granular or overlapping.
Can I make certain tags mandatory?
This depends on your system configuration. Contact your administrator about required tags.
Can I create hierarchical tags (parent-child)?
Some systems support tag hierarchies. Check with your administrator about this feature.
What's the difference between tags and categories?
Tags are flexible labels you apply. Categories are usually fixed groupings defined in the system. Both help organise incidents.
Should I tag historical incidents?
If you're introducing new tags, you may want to retrospectively tag important historical incidents to improve trend analysis.