Toolbox talk topics

How to choose a topic

A list like this one is a place to start. The talks people remember are the ones about their own job, so look in these places first.

• This week's work. The task that starts on Monday, the delivery that is coming, the plant arriving on hire.
• What went wrong. Any accident, and any near miss, is a ready-made talk while people still remember it.
• What your checks keep finding. If the same fault turns up on two inspections, talk about it.
• Your risk assessments. Each significant risk on them deserves a talk at least once a year.
• The season. Ice, heat, dark mornings and wind change the risks without anyone changing the job.
• What the team asks. Questions raised in one talk are subjects for the next.

For each topic below, the line after the name is the point to get across. Make that point, show it on your own site with your own kit, and ask the team what they would add. Leave out the topics that have nothing to do with your work.

Site basics and working at height

• Site rules and who is in charge. Who to report to, where you may and may not go, and that the rules apply to everyone, visitors and managers included.
• Reporting near misses. The thing that nearly happened is a free warning. Say how to report one, and that nobody is blamed for doing it.
• Ladders and stepladders. Check it before you climb, set a leaning ladder one out for every four up, and keep three points of contact. There is a full working at height toolbox talk to read out.
• Fragile roofs and rooflights. Treat every roof as fragile until a competent person has confirmed it is not. Nobody steps on a rooflight or a fibre-cement sheet.
• Scaffolds and towers. Do not remove a guardrail, a board or a tie. If something is missing, come down and report it.
• Excavations. No ground can be relied on to stand unsupported. Nobody goes into a trench until the person in charge has checked it that shift.
• Underground services. Before breaking ground: the plans, the cable locator and safe digging. All three, every time.
• Overhead power lines. You do not have to touch a line to be killed, because electricity can jump the gap. Know where the lines are before you raise a tipper body, a ladder or a scaffold pole.

Plant, vehicles and equipment

• Vehicles and pedestrians. Keep to the walkways and crossing points. Never assume a driver has seen you.
• Reversing. HSE calls reversing a major cause of fatal accidents. Stay out of the area behind a vehicle, and drivers stop when they lose sight of the person guiding them.
• Forklift pre-use checks. A truck with a fault is parked and reported, not driven for one more load. Our forklift daily checklist has the check itself.
• Cherry pickers and scissor lifts. Trained operators only, and someone on the ground who knows how to bring the platform down with the ground controls.
• Hand-held power tools. Check the tool, the lead and the guard before use. A damaged tool goes out of use with a label on it.
• Cutting discs and abrasive wheels. The right disc for the tool and the material, the guard on, and nobody standing in the line of the sparks.
• Lifting equipment and slings. Check the sling and the hook before the lift, know what the load weighs, and never stand or walk under it.
• Machine guards and isolation. A guard is never removed or bypassed to save time. Switch off and isolate before clearing a blockage.

Health

Health topics are the easiest to skip, because nothing happens on the day. The harm shows up years later, and by then it cannot be undone.

• Manual handling. Use the trolley or the hoist first. If it has to be lifted, keep the load close and do not twist. There is a full manual handling toolbox talk to read out.
• Dust. HSE says regularly breathing construction dust can cause lung cancer, asthma and silicosis. Use the on-tool extraction every time, and wear the mask as well when the job calls for it.
• Asbestos. If you find or damage something that could be asbestos, stop work straight away and report it. You cannot see or smell the fibres.
• Noise. If you have to raise your voice to talk to someone about two metres away, your hearing is at risk. Hearing that is lost does not come back.
• Hand-arm vibration. Tingling or numb fingers after using power tools is an early sign. Report it, because the damage is permanent once it is done.
• Hazardous substances. Read the label before you open the container, use the precautions on the assessment, and wash before you eat.
• Cement and wet concrete. It burns skin and causes dermatitis. Wear waterproof gloves, keep it out of your boots and wash it off as soon as you can.
• Stress and mental health. The earlier a problem is tackled, the less harm it does. Say who people can talk to, and that asking for help is expected.

Housekeeping, fire and emergencies

• Slips and trips. Clean up a spill when it happens, keep leads and hoses off the walkways, and report damaged flooring.
• Storage and stacking. Heavy items at waist height, nothing stacked where it can fall, and exits kept clear.
• Fire prevention and hot work. Know what could catch fire near your work. After welding, cutting or grinding, check the area again before you leave it.
• Fire evacuation. What the alarm sounds like, the way out, where the assembly point is, and that nobody goes back in for belongings.
• Fire doors. A fire door wedged open does nothing. Keep them shut and report any that will not close.
• First aid. Who the first-aiders are, where the kit is, and how to call for help from this site.
• Electrical safety. Check plugs and leads before use, keep leads out of water and out of doorways where they get crushed, and report anything damaged.
• Protective equipment. It protects only when it is worn and it fits. Report anything damaged or missing on the day.

Seasonal and people topics

• Winter: ice and dark mornings. Which routes get gritted, where the lighting is poor, and slowing down on foot and at the wheel.
• Cold weather working. Warm, dry layers and regular breaks somewhere warm. Cold hands drop things and miss handholds.
• Hot weather. Drink water through the day, take breaks in the shade and watch each other for the early signs of heat stress.
• Sun protection. HSE's advice for outdoor workers: keep your top on, wear a hat that covers the ears and neck, and use sunscreen of at least SPF30 on exposed skin.
• Wind and weather at height. The law says work at height is done only when the weather does not put people's safety at risk. Say who makes that call on your job.
• New starters and young workers. HSE says people are as likely to have an accident in their first six months at work as in the rest of their working life. Ask the team to look out for the new person.
• Lone working. Who knows where you are, how you call for help, and when someone will check on you.
• Back to work after a shutdown. Check plant and equipment before it is used again, and take the first day steadily.

A twelve-month programme

This is one planned talk a month. The seasonal ones sit where the season puts them and the rest are spread out. The third column is what to have in your hand, because a talk with something to look at is remembered.

Change the order to suit your work, and move a planned talk aside when something happens that needs talking about now. If you hold a talk every week, fill the other weeks from the lists above. Whichever you do, record each one. Our free toolbox talk record sheet has room for the key points and the names.

Free toolbox talks from HSE

HSE publishes ready-made talks for construction on its toolbox talks page, as slides, documents or video. At the time of checking it offers:

• falls from vehicles
• safe use of ladders and stepladders
• four "Busy builder" talks: welfare, roof work, manual handling and running a small construction site
• a health and safety induction pack for smaller construction companies

They are written for building sites. Much of the ladder and manual handling material applies to any workplace.

Recording talks in SafetyPro360

In SafetyPro360 each toolbox talk is recorded with its title, topic, date, duration and key points. You choose who was required to attend and mark who did, and anyone who missed it stays on an outstanding list until they have had the talk. Looking back over the recorded talks shows which topics you have covered and when. The product does not supply the talks or schedule them. You plan the programme and it keeps the record of what was said and who heard it.

Questions people ask