Comparison · Spreadsheet vs Subilu
Why Your Incident Log Spreadsheet Fails Audits
You keep one spreadsheet for violent incidents. Names, dates, what happened, who was hurt. It feels complete. Then someone asks to see it.
SB 553 requires a violent incident log that employees can review. It also requires that the log omits information that would identify the victim. One file cannot do both at once. This is where a single spreadsheet turns into two violations. It either withholds the log and fails the access requirement, or it shares the file and leaks PII.
The fix is not a better column. It is a second version of the same record. One that holds the full detail for your files, and one scrubbed for review. They stay linked. They export separately. That separation is the whole point.
Without and with: what changes when you get asked for the log
Most teams store everything in rows. Victim name in column B, witness in column C, description in column F. Access is the problem. If the file lives on a drive, sharing it means sharing names. If it stays private, you cannot show it when requested. Either choice breaks a requirement.
| When asked | With one spreadsheet | With a scrubbed log |
|---|---|---|
| Share the log with staff | You share PII or you refuse to share | You share the scrubbed copy, names omitted |
| Keep a full record for you | You keep one copy and edit it before each share | Internal log keeps full detail unchanged |
| Show dates, location, type, outcome | Fields exist but you redact by hand each time | Both logs hold the required fields, scrubbed version hides identifiers |
| Avoid editing mistakes | Manual find and replace, easy to miss a name | Scrubbing is built in, not done by hand |
| Keep history intact | Edits overwrite the original row | Each incident keeps both versions over time |
See the exact fields the log needs in violent incident log required fields. If your sheet is missing a field now, every past row is missing it too. That is harder to fix later than to capture at entry.
Spreadsheet vs template vs Subilu
A template is better than a blank sheet. It gives you the correct columns from the start. But a static file still lives on a drive, still needs hand editing before you share it, and still stores all worksites together. Software changes three things: it separates the two logs at write time, it keeps each worksite distinct, and it exports them as separate files.
| Capability | Spreadsheet | Fillable template | Subilu |
|---|---|---|---|
| Captures SB 553 log fields | You build the columns | Columns provided, you fill them | Fields provided at entry |
| Two logs from one incident | No, you duplicate the row | No, you duplicate the row | Yes, internal and scrubbed together |
| Omits identifiers for review | Manual redaction | Manual redaction | Scrubbed export omits names by design |
| Access without leaking PII | No, one file is all or nothing | No, same file problem | Internal stays private, scrubbed is shareable |
| Per worksite separation | One tab for all sites or many files | One file per site | Per worksite, kept distinct |
| History and retrieval | Search and filters you build | Same | Stored, searchable, retained |
| Export for audit | Export the same sheet you shared | Same | Export suite: separate CSV and PDF per log |
Subilu today includes five live pieces that matter here: a WVPP that covers 21 items plus 4 additions, a dual violent incident log that keeps internal and scrubbed versions linked, verified hazard tasks, mobile training in 5 minute blocks with Q and A, and an export suite that gives you separate CSV and PDF files. Nothing extra is claimed here. No fake sample data.
What software actually means: three separate exports
When we say export suite, we mean three distinct outputs. Not one PDF with three sections. Not a zip that bundles everything. Three files you produce on demand.
- Violent incident log, internal. Full detail for your records. Kept private. Includes identifiers you need for follow up and investigation.
- Violent incident log, scrubbed. Same incidents, identifiers removed. This is the copy you can make available for review and bring to an inspection.
- Training and hazard records, separate. Training completions from the 5 minute mobile modules and verified hazard tasks export on their own. They do not mix with the incident log.
Each exports as CSV and as PDF. CSV for your systems. PDF for a request on the day. You do not copy rows between files. You log once, and the two log versions stay in sync. That is the difference between a file and a system.
This also keeps your other compliance pieces out of the log. Your WVPP, your hazard corrections, your training records. They each have their place. When an inspector asks for the incident log, you hand over the scrubbed log. Not a folder that happens to contain names.
If you want to compare cost, see pricing is per worksite and includes the five live features above. No add on for the second log, no add on for exports. What SB 553 requires for the log is included.
Still using a sheet? Keep it for now, but stop sharing it. Start logging new incidents with a scrubbed copy from day one. That one habit removes the PII leak without a rebuild of old rows.