Effective Toolbox Talks

A Toolbox Talk is an informal meeting with the aim to improve workplace health and safety by focusing on a specific topic relating to a particular job or activity.

What is a Toolbox Talk

A toolbox talk is an important safety meeting held before the start of a job or workday. These discussions cover topics such as workplace health and safety, rehash task requirements, operational matters and best practices. They are usually brief in nature and also provide workers with an opportunity to raise safety concerns and are an informal means of consultation.

Toolbox talks can also be referred to as “toolbox meetings,” “tailgate meetings,” “safety talk” or “safety briefings.”

Toolbox talks are important ways organisations can improve workplace safety, and develop a culture of safety. Not only do toolbox talks help identify workplace hazards and prevent injuries, but they also encourage workers to become better prepared for their tasks.

Toolbox Talk Best Practices

Safety talks should be short, concise, and easy to understand. They help keep employees alert to potential dangers, improve communications among coworkers, and demonstrate that the company cares about their safety and well-­being.

Combining Daily Safety Message with a Toolbox Talk

Employees who receive daily safety messages are much less likely to be involved in an incident or receive workplace injuries. This is because the daily safety messages reinforce what workers already know about safety rules, regulations, and best practices. In addition, the messages provide reminders of important information such as how to avoid hazards and how to respond during emergencies. Workers who receive daily safety messages also tend to follow safety procedures more closely, reducing the chance of injury.

When combined with other methods of conveying information about workplace hazards, the benefit of sending out daily reminders becomes even greater. For example, one study showed that combining a weekly safety newsletter with daily messages resulted in a significant increase in worker awareness of safety issues and ultimately a reduction in workplace incidents.

How to conduct a Toolbox Talk

Before giving a toolbox presentation, all employees should know about the upcoming safety presentation. This can be achieved by putting up posters, newsletters or placing notices. Communicating the safety presentation’s topic will get employees thinking about the topic prior to the meeting.

During the presentation, present some examples and ask questions. Outline any existing policies and/or procedures related to the safety topic.

Allow the employees to voice their concerns about any workplace safety issues or hazards. Document any hazards, safety concerns or issues so follow-up action can occur.

Inform the workers of issues that have previously been raised and what control measures are or have been implemented to rectify the issue.

Have a discussion of previous workplace incidents and discuss the findings. This will promote a safety culture and highlight common workplace hazards.

Finally, document who facilitated the toolbox talk, who attended the toolbox talk, the safety topic and what was discussed, and any safety concerns that were raised. The documentation needs to be accessible if required for future reference.

Toolbox Talk - DIGI CLIP

DIGI CLIP mobile forms provides safety and compliance checklists and other forms. Capture and document workplace toolbox talks with DIGI CLIP mobile forms.

Toolbox Talk Topics

Toolbox talks are one way to keep employees engaged and involved in safety programs. However, creating the perfect toolbox talk can be difficult. Online resources provided by industry groups provide a wealth of material for toolbox talk topics. One such resource is the National Road Safety Partnership Program which provides relevant toolbox talk material for the heavy vehicle industry. Materials covered include:

  • Are You OK To Drive
  • Distraction
  • Fatigue
  • Load Management
  • Pre-Start Checks.

Additional topics for other industries include:

  • Slips Trips and falls
  • Electrical safety
  • Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
  • Incident Reporting
  • Working at Height
  • Hazardous Chemicals
  • Noise
  • Manual Handing
  • First Aid
  • Plant
  • Accident and hazard reporting
  • Common Hazards (industry specific)
  • Excavation.

DIGI CLIP mobile forms – What We Do?

DIGI CLIP mobile forms is an easy-to-use inexpensive safety checklist app and cloud-based software. DIGI CLIP is used across different industries to capture safety data and other information to help improve safety, compliance and operational efficiencies.

DIGI CLIP will allow you to remove paper reporting from your business – no more lost, late missing or illegible checklists. The DIGI CLIP mobile app allows for images, comments and digital signatures to be added to checklists from a phone or tablet.

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