Home Incident Reports 2. Creating an incident report

2. Creating an incident report

Last updated on Jun 30, 2026

Anyone with Track IRs permission can create an incident report. Reports start in Draft status — you can save and come back to it before submitting.

Where to start

On the web

  1. Sign in at app.behca.com (US) or au.behca.com (Australia).
  2. Pick the right profile in the profile switcher (top bar).
  3. Click Incident Reports in the top menu (same area as Track and Analyze). You'll be on /ir/{profile-id} — the heading reads Incident Reporting.
  4. Click Create New IR (opens the editor).

On mobile

  1. Open the IR tab.
  2. Go to the New Report subtab to start a new incident report.

Filling in the report

The fields you'll see depend on the incident types your organization has configured. The most common ones:

Basics

  • Type of Incident (web) — open the multiselect (placeholder Select incident types…) and tick at least one category that applies. Choices come from incidents your Managers have linked to this profile; labels vary by organization (behavioral, injury, accident, etc.). Selecting injury may show a reminder on Health tracking afterward. Managers manage the master list — see Configuring incident types. On mobile, you pick incident types using the app's IR flow (wording may differ slightly).
  • Date and time of incident — when it actually happened, not when you're writing it now. Backdating is normal here.
  • Location — where the incident occurred (room, area, address).

Description

  • What happened — narrative of the event in plain language. Be factual, not interpretive. ("She yelled and pushed the chair over" rather than "She had a meltdown".)
  • What was happening immediately before — context that may have triggered the event.
  • What was done in response — staff actions, interventions, first aid.
  • Outcome — how it ended, current state.

Witnesses

Add the names of people present. Some configurations let you tag staff users from your team list (so the IR is linked to their record).

Injuries

If anyone was injured:

  • Body diagram — click on a body diagram to mark injury locations.
  • Injury type — bruise, cut, scratch, etc.
  • Severity — typically a scale (none / minor / moderate / serious / severe).
  • Treatment given — first aid, GP visit, A&E, etc.
  • Photos — see Adding photos and videos.

Follow-up actions

  • Immediate actions — what was done right away.
  • Planned actions — what's planned to prevent recurrence.
  • Review date — when the IR will be revisited.

Saving as a draft

You don't have to finish everything in one sitting. On the web, most fields save automatically as you edit — keep the tab open while working. Finish critical sections before you submit; once you submit, corrections usually go through review again.

Drafts appear on Incident Reporting with a Draft status until you submit.

Submitting

When the IR is complete:

  1. Ensure Type of Incident has at least one selection (otherwise the web form will stop you when you try to submit).
  2. On the web, scroll to Signature, type your name in the Sign field, and tick I agree to electronically sign this form. Until both are done, Submit For Review stays disabled.
  3. Click Submit For Review.
  4. If you didn’t choose any Responsible Parties (reviewers), BEHCA will warn you — you may confirm anyway or go back and add reviewers.
  5. A confirmation popup may appear; confirm when you’re sure.

Managers and Supervisors receive notice that the IR was filed; Responsible Parties drive who must finish review tasks. See Submitting and the review workflow for the full lifecycle.

If the button stays gray or submitting fails unexpectedly, see Incident report won’t submit (Submit For Review).

Tips for good IRs

  • Write quickly while events are fresh. A draft started during your shift, finished afterwards, is much more accurate than a full report written days later.
  • Stick to facts. Save interpretations for the Outcome or follow-up sections. Most regulators want a clear factual account.
  • Quote, don't paraphrase. If someone said something significant, put it in quotes.
  • Use the body diagram. A picture really does say a thousand words for injury location and severity.
  • Don't blame. Frame staff actions in terms of what was done, not who was at fault. The review workflow is for that.

Common questions

  • The incident type I need isn't in the list. — Ask a Manager to add it. See Configuring incident types.
  • Can I copy details from a previous IR? — No, each IR is its own record.
  • What if I'm not sure the event warrants an IR? — File one. If you don't need it, you can archive the draft.
  • Can a Guest file an IR? — Guests are view-only by default. They can only file one if your organization turns on their Track IRs permission.
  • Submit For Review is disabled or submitting says I need an incident type. — On the web, enable submit with Sign + I agree. You must also pick at least one Type of Incident before submission succeeds — see Incident report won’t submit (Submit For Review).

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