Using Toolbox Talks to enhance safety

A toolbox talk is also known as a safety moment, health and safety brief, safety talk, safety minute, or safety meeting. A toolbox talk is a short health and safety talk. Usually about a specific health and safety subject.

The term Toolbox Talk was originally used to encourage building workers to have a regular documented safety meeting. The best time to do this was considered to be when they stood around the toolbox in the morning before starting work, so the term Toolbox Talk was born.

Today the Toolbox Talk is widely accepted as a common way of ensuring consultation occurs between workers, and is a practical way to raise workers’ awareness of specific problems on site. It also helps to remind workers that health and safety are an important part of the working day. Unlike classroom-based training, toolbox talks happen where the work happens.

A toolbox talk is not a full training course or an in-depth look at a subject. It’s more like a quick overview of the important facts and considerations. The talk should usually be 5–10 minutes in length and only focus on one subject for each talk.

Toolbox Talks should be scheduled as needed, depending on the level of risks faced on the job, or the levels of experience of the workers. Management should assess how often and for how long Toolbox Talks should be held in your company.

The Toolbox Talk should generally, but not necessarily, be conducted by an employee of supervisory level or with basic OHS awareness. Any issues raised that cannot be resolved should be addressed by senior management. The supervisor or a safety representative usually conducts Toolbox Talks. At many companies, the responsibility falls onto the Safety Officer or Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) Manager instead.

The following information should be included when completing a Toolbox Talk Form:

• Names and signatures of all persons present — this is important to show who has participated in the meeting.
• Topics discussed — this shows what topics were covered during the meeting.
• Any job-specific training or instructions that have been given in the meeting, and
• Who raised the issue or added to the discussion, to show that there has been active consultation with all persons attending the meeting, and that all parties have had a chance to raise issues rather than the Toolbox Talk just being a lecture conducted by the supervisor.

These sessions help ensure that everyone is up-to-date on best practices and procedures and that any new hazards are quickly addressed.

Toolbox Talks are an excellent way of allowing open consultation within any business structure and should always be documented and reviewed as per the forms in the boxes below.