Toolbox Talks
Toolbox talks are a great way to refresh your site team on important safety matters. A toolbox talk is a short presentation, usually on a project, where a member of the management team gathers the site workers together and delivers a talk on a safety matter that's relevant to the project.
It should only take a short time to conduct, but if well planned and well delivered, a toolbox talk will do the following:
1. Remind your team of certain dangers
In general, each toolbox talk will have a specific subject that is discussed. Subjects can include:
- Trailing Leads
- Scaffolding
- Fire Safety
- First Aid Slips
- Trips and Falls
There are plenty of online sources where toolbox talks can be purchased and it's good practise to deliver at least one per week.
2. Maintain a culture of safe working
Building and maintaining a safety culture on each project is extremely important for ensuring everyone makes it home safely every evening.
By holding regular toolbox talks on your project, you'll keep safety in the minds of your workers. This should get them looking out for hazards and flagging them before somebody gets hurt.
As with everything in construction, planning is key. So a well-planned series of toolbox talks covering issues that are specific to your site will make all the difference in building and maintaining a safety culture.
3. Ensure that everyone is taking responsibility for safety
Safety is everyone's responsibility. So it's important to get everyone involved in discussions regarding health and safety matters.
During your toolbox talk, encourage attendees to get involved by adding to certain key points and asking questions. If one of the attendees has a question, it's likely that someone else in the team will do too.
Also, this is a good time for the attendees to flag any potential issues on the site that they've come across and would like to discuss.
4. Show you leading by example
If workers on your project see that the management team are being proactive with safety, they're more likely to do the same. Leading by example is an effective management tool and ensures that the people working on your site have no excuses when it comes to safety.
And there you have it, four simple reasons why you should regularly conduct toolbox talks on your project.
