Toolbox Talk Templates

This article briefly discusses the following: 

• the importance of performing toolbox talks before work; 
• common topics discussed in a toolbox talk;
• how to create a toolbox talk; and 
• tool that can help in conducting and documenting toolbox talks.

Why Perform Toolbox Talks Before Commencing Work

Toolbox talks can make a great difference when conducted before employees start to work on site. These simple meetings are a vital safety measure for preventing bigger and complex risks. Managers and safety officers should invest their time and efforts in using tools or apps to administer these safety meetings regularly. Aside from assuring proper safety orientation during pre-work, here are some benefits of performing toolbox talks:

1. Boost worker knowledge on hazards and risks.
2. Strengthens leaders’ and workers’ sense of responsibility.
3. Improves team coordination and productivity.
4. Establish a good communication system within teams.
5. Documents and organizes safety meetings.
6. Creates a secure working space and safety culture.

What is Discussed in a Toolbox Talk?

A toolbox talk covers health and safety topics. Often, relevant safety issues identified before or during work are set as the topic. Depending on the needs of the workers and the scope of the work to be done, a toolbox talk may cover more than one topic. But keep in mind that a toolbox talk isn’t a replacement for proper training. Thus, it serves as an orientation for workers to be mindful of their safety. So it should be short, efficient, and easy to comprehend. Common topics discussed in a toolbox talk are some of the following:

• Slips, trips, and falls
• Electrical safety
• PPE safety
• Working at heights
• Confined space safety
• Accident reporting
• Manual handling

How to Create a Toolbox Talk

Even though toolbox talks are short and simple meetings to perform, there are certain points that the manager or safety officer must consider to ensure a more effective toolbox talk for the workers. Here are the seven steps on how to create and write a good toolbox talk:

#1 Determine a topic of focus

Choosing a topic for toolbox talks should be based on the type of work that employees are performing every day, of course. This highlights the relevance of the job and all the related matters that should be reminded to them every now and then. Also, create a list of these toolbox topics and organize them in a calendar so that workers can follow through with the next meetings. In addition, select topics that would help refresh their knowledge of safety and quality.

#2 Conduct research

How do you know if the content that you are using is up to date and reliable? Simply get your resources to the most reliable associations and government bodies that release relevant and timely updates about safety like OSHA toolbox topics, HSE website, and more health and safety sources. Gather the most important chunks during your research and associate them with the current work that your organization has. Remember not to provide too much information that would cause information overload. Things like importance and best practices are already enough for these toolbox meetings. In addition, performing a survey to workers can also provide more insights into what they want to learn during these short meetings.

#3 Use online tools to prepare and discuss the toolbox topics

Paper-based toolbox talks can be time-consuming and cumbersome. Using digital tools and applications can help ease the preparation and actual demonstration of the toolbox topics. Doing so may also help standardize how toolbox talks are formatted. During the discussion, the toolbox talks can be sent individually so that all workers have their own copy as a guide, meaning it can be distributed to all affected and involved individuals. Remember to keep the toolbox talks short but meaty.

#4 Evaluate learnings and get feedback

Assessing the workers’ learnings can be in the form of questions or simple teach-back after the meeting. With this, leaders can gauge how deep do the workers understand the toolbox topics. Conduct a post-meeting survey to learn what the employees say about toolbox meetings. And then, from all of these insights leaders can now further improve how they can make the content simpler, clearer, and easier to digest. 

#5 Keep the records of all toolbox meetings

All toolbox talk meetings must be kept in a safe place as these records serve as proof for complying with legal requirements that regulate the maintenance of health and safety training, information, and initiatives. These can be potential documents that can be used for accreditations.

iAuditor as a Toolbox Talk App

iAuditor by SafetyCulture is a digital operations management platform that helps teams streamline and automate their toolbox talks with documentation using smartphones or tablets. Take advantage of iAuditor by utilizing the following features below:

• Look up reference information
  Use iAuditor as a visual aid or training guide by adding relevant information while inspecting. You can look up references in plain text, image, or external link format.
• Easily document toolbox meetings
  Record the takeaways, concerns, corrective actions, and recommendations from your toolbox talk meeting using iAuditor. Records are automatically saved in the cloud.
• Enable active discussions with Heads Up
  Get instant feedback on each toolbox talk by allowing workers to comment and ask questions via Heads Up. You can even require acknowledgement of important toolbox topics to ensure that everyone is up to speed.
• Take or attach photos
  Take pictures, annotate, and attach them to your template for a more comprehensive report.
• Capture digital signatures
  Sign off your toolbox talk documentation by capturing digital signatures. These include time and date stamps to provide accountability and confirmation on the information recorded.

To help you get started, we have compiled 15 of the best toolbox talk templates with OSHA toolbox topics that you can download and customize for free.