Toolbox Talks – What is Toolbox Talk?

Our Today’s Toolbox Talk topic is what is toolbox talk?

Introduction of Toolbox Talk: It is important that the workforce has the required skills and training to competently perform their tasks in a healthy, safe and environmentally sound manner.
Toolbox talks are an effective means of increasing the knowledge of workers on the HSE risks they face, and the precautions required, when carrying out their jobs. They also encourage and reinforce safe, healthy and environmentally sound behaviors.

The objective of Toolbox Talk
The immediate supervisor of a small team of workers briefs them on:

• Desctrioption of task work
• the hazards associated with that work
• precautions needed to do the job correctly and safely associated with that work.

Features of a Successful Toolbox Talk

• Given before the starting of a task.
• Given by the immediate supervisor of the people who will do the work.
• Face to face.
• Outlines the job or task to be done.
• Breaks it down into steps.
• Highlights key steps.
• Emphasizes critical safety precautions.
• Checks and ensures understanding by the people who will do the work by questioning and correcting.
• Summarizes the points made and asks for any questions before sending the workers to do the job.

Preparation by the Supervisor

• Decide on the topic.  Choose something that involves the current job, an accident that has occurred, or something relevant to the audience.
• Write down the key points you need to cover in the talk, which should be about ten minutes long.
• Write down why these key points are important to the people you are talking to.  Do they make the job easier, safer, quicker?
• Put the points in a logical order.
• Gather any visual aids with which to illustrate the talk.  These could be booklets, tools, examples of good and bad practices.
• Check that the place is suitable so that everybody can see and hear.
• Tell the audience the time and the place of the talk.
• Check out the venue and the visual aids.

Records of Toolbox Talk

Keep a record of the people who attended, and the topic discussed.
Follow up questions that could not be answered at the meeting.