Spreadsheets and paper vs F&H STAC

Most small companies in the basin run safety on some mix of paper forms, a spreadsheet or two, and somebody's memory. It works until it doesn't, and the day it stops working is usually the day a hiring client (the oil company you work for) or an auditor asks for something.

This is an honest look at the difference, including when a spreadsheet is good enough.

Side by side

• Knowing what's dueSpreadsheets and paper: someone has to remember to open the file and check the dates.F&H STAC: training, certificates, inspections and corrective actions with a due date land in one list, with whatever is late at the top.
• An injury on locationSpreadsheets and paper: a form gets filled out in the truck, brought back to the office, and somebody decides later whether it goes on the OSHA log.F&H STAC: the hand reports it from his phone, and the report works out whether it goes on the 300 log and fills in the 300 and 300A.
• A failed inspectionSpreadsheets and paper: the box gets checked, and the fix depends on someone reading the sheet.F&H STAC: the failed item flags the unit and opens a corrective action with the person responsible and a date.
• No cell serviceSpreadsheets and paper: paper works anywhere, and that is its one real advantage.F&H STAC: it works without signal too, and catches up when the phone gets back in service.
• A hiring client asks for recordsSpreadsheets and paper: somebody spends a day or two pulling files from email, cabinets and laptops.F&H STAC: the records are already in one place, and Evidence Readiness shows which programs have the records to back them up.
• CostSpreadsheets and paper: close to free in dollars, and expensive in hours.F&H STAC: plans start at $1,000 a month with no long-term contract.

When a spreadsheet is enough

If you have a handful of people, one or two locations, no hiring client asking for a network grade, and somebody who actually keeps the spreadsheet up to date, you may not need software yet. A clean spreadsheet with expiry dates in it beats a system nobody opens.

It usually stops being enough when the crew grows past what one person can track in their head, when a hiring client puts you in ISNetworld or a similar network, or when the person who kept the spreadsheet leaves.

What switching looks like

You don't have to re-enter everything by hand. Your existing rosters, training dates and other records can be brought in straight from the spreadsheets you already keep, Excel or CSV. Setup is a one-time fee, and after that it is month to month.