Toolbox Talks

Let the team know where and when the meeting is. At the start of the day works best with most workplaces.

Encourage everyone to join in and provide their own feedback, knowledge and experiences. Use simple language for everyone to understand to convey the key health and safety messages.

Toolbox meetings are an opportunity to provide positive feedback for safe actions, hard work and initiatives. It’s also important to avoid criticism and acknowledge everyone for their contributions. The meeting shouldn’t be a lecture, but a chance for engagement with the team.

Ensure that running and attending toolbox safety meetings is recognised as an important part of a person’s role. If the worker regards health and safety as an add-on, it will often be neglected.

Follow an agenda to make sure you cover everything off:

• Inform workers of changes to company procedures
• Identify new hazards and review existing hazards
• Develop/review hazard controls
• Discuss/review accident and incident data
• Discuss the work programme for the day/week ahead
• Have company leaders talk about the business direction or a particular topic
• Discuss any new equipment on site
• Provide a short training session (Site Safe provides exclusive toolbox talk topics to its members for upskilling and informing workers).

Thank the team for their time and let them get to work.

Details of meetings should be recorded and kept on file.

Record meeting dates, attendees and discussion items. Show follow-up items from previous hazards, accidents and incidents.

Discussion points at safety meetings should be topical and relevant to current or upcoming activities in the workplace. Topical items for discussion can be identified by asking workers for input, changes in the plant or work process or work environment, or as a response to accidents/incidents in the workplace.

Listed below are some suggested topics for discussion:

• What items would workers like to discuss?
• Introduction of new plant or processes
• Development of task analysis or methodologies
• Changes in season e.g. sun smart, dehydration
• Use of plant
• Handling of materials
• Identifying training requirements.

Site Safe Members can access toolbox talk material to help guide you through relevant and beneficial health and safety discussions. You can access these via the 'My Site Safe' tab.