Toolbox talks work when they are short, specific and based on something real. Here is a format that fits into five minutes at the start of a shift, with a topic bank to draw from.
The format
- One incident (1 minute). Read out a real case. Our safety news section has a new one most months. Say what happened and who was hurt.
- One rule (1 minute). Name the single rule that would have prevented it.
- Our site (2 minutes). Ask: where could that happen here? Let the operators answer. They know where the near misses are.
- One action (1 minute). Agree one thing that will change today, and who will do it. Write it down and follow up next week.
Topic bank
- Seat belts, using the seat belt article and the warehouse rollover case
- Delivery drivers near their vehicles, using the delivery driver fatality
- Lifting people on forks, using the telehandler bucket prosecution
- Pre-use checks and defect reporting, using the checklist guide
- Load centres and capacity, using the stability guide
- Speed and cornering, using the speed limits article
- Reversing and blind spots
- Battery charging or LPG cylinder changes, depending on your fleet
- Winter conditions, in October
- New starters and agency staff, whenever they arrive
Keep a record
Date, topic, who attended, the action agreed. A folder of toolbox talk records is evidence of a functioning safety culture, and it is the kind of evidence that an inspector or a court gives weight to.