Toolbox Talks - The 5 Golden Rules

Toolbox Talks also go by many other names including Safety Minutes and Safety Moments. Here at Work Wallet, we call them Safety Briefings.

Discover the 5 Golden Rules of Toolbox Talks

Giving good Toolbox Talks is very important to your business’ health and safety. It instantly notifies your team of important, current health and safety issues and changes they need to be aware of. Different companies run theirs in many ways. Here are our guidelines based on best practice advice from construction firms, rail organisations and other building companies.

Toolbox Talks Rule #1 – Make it relevant

Make sure it is relevant to your company, site or employees’ experiences.

If your team can relate to it, they are more likely to take notice and act upon it. Safety Briefings allows you to tailor messages to the people who need to see it. For instance, to individual sites and roles within your organisation. Alternatively, you can send it to everyone in your business.

Rule #2 – Do not overcomplicate

Do not overcomplicate your messages.

Use limited jargon and, most importantly, keep them short. Also, Toolbox Talks do not need to be all text. Safety Briefings allows you to create content using videos, PDFs and photos. For example: include photos of your sites or record a video of the site manager giving the update.

Rule #3 – Repetition

Repeat the important messages of your Toolbox Talks.

Referring back to previous briefings is easy with Work Wallet's health and safety software, as they are all accessible from your app.

Rule #4 – Get confirmation

When your team members receive a Safety Briefing, ask them to confirm that they have read and understood it, as well as provide a digital signature.

This gives management the confidence that their messages are being understood and acted upon.

Rule #5 – Get feedback

In addition to confirmation and digital signatures, it is also helpful to get feedback.

This is an opportunity for management to understand any issues their teams are facing and respond to them quickly and efficiently.

If you need any further guidance or information on Toolbox Talks - the Health and Safety Executive have some great resources.

For more information about Work Wallet's Safety Briefings module, please book a free demo.

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