Toolbox talks are excellent for any company that wants to improve safety in the workplace.
These talks are short and simple, limit themselves to only one or two topics at a time, and can play a major role in keeping employees safer than they would be without them. If you’re discovering it’s difficult to find toolbox talks free to use for your own company, the following list can help you in time for your next safety meeting.
Free Toolbox Talk 1: Lifting and Carrying
Employees routinely find themselves having to lift and carry objects. If you have workers that do this often, you should plan a toolbox talk that focuses on the dangers of incorrectly lifting and carrying heavy loads. Provide information to your workers on lifting loads safely without risking injury, such as lifting with your back straight and relying on your legs, and this will serve as an important reminder for employees that might otherwise injure themselves accidentally.
Free Toolbox Talk 2: Slips and Falls
Related to lift-and-carry injuries, those that stem from slips and falls are also quite prevalent. It doesn’t matter what line of work you’re in – anyone can slip and hurt themselves in the wrong conditions. With these injuries being so common, it’s crucial to hold regular toolbox talks on how to avoid the most common types of slips and falls. Focus on subjects like keeping thoroughfares and stairwells free of clutter, wearing proper footgear, and cleaning up spills promptly, as neglecting these can be responsible for many slips and falls.
Free Toolbox Talk 3: Avoiding Illness at Work
Lessons learned from the coronavirus pandemic are clear: an entire company can end up temporarily shut down if an illness is allowed to spread unchecked. Workers that come down with a cold, the flu, or anything else shouldn’t be at work, as if they do they run the risk of spreading that infection to otherwise healthy workers. Toolbox talks stressing the importance of staying home if you’re sick, as well as those that provide information on keeping workplaces clean through regular hand washing or the use of hand sanitizer, go far to minimize illness outbreaks.
Free Toolbox Talk 4: General Work Safety Information
Finally, we would be remiss if we didn’t talk about general workplace safety as a toolbox talk topic. It doesn’t matter how well-worded and carefully constructed your health and safety policies are if they’re not enforced effectively. Part of that is reminding your workers regularly to ensure they know the most “common sense” rules they need to follow on an everyday basis. Keeping general awareness levels high, how to use and store tools safety, and using personal protective equipment responsibly are all topics that could and should be part of a general work safety toolbox talk.
