Template

Safety meeting (toolbox talk) template

Ten or fifteen minutes before work starts: one hazard, what happened lately, and what everybody does differently today.

15 minutesFor Site supervisors, forepersons and crew leadsAgenda room
Change the agenda first

The agenda, with a time for each part

  1. Today's work and where the risk is3 min
    • What is different about today's job?
  2. One topic, in depth5 min
    • What can hurt somebody here, and how do we stop it?
    • Who has seen this go wrong?
  3. Near misses since last time3 min
    • What nearly happened, and what did we change?
  4. Questions and concerns2 min
    • Is anybody unsure about anything they have been asked to do?
  5. Who was here2 min
    • Has everybody signed the sheet?

How the notes read afterwards

A made-up example, so you can see the shape. In a real call each line carries the words that were said and who said them.

Today. Roof work on the east side; wind forecast to pick up after two.

Topic. Ladders: tied off at the top, three points of contact, nothing carried in the hands.

Near miss. A pallet slipped from the forks on Tuesday. Loads are strapped from now on.

Running it well

Ways to change it

Weekly instead of dailyTwenty minutes, with the week's near misses and one inspection finding.
After an incidentThe whole talk is what happened and what changes today. Nothing else.

When to skip it. Never on a day the work has changed. On a day when nothing has, keep it to five minutes — but hold it.

Questions

What is a toolbox talk?

A short safety meeting held where the work happens, before it starts, about one hazard the crew will meet that day.

How long should a toolbox talk be?

Ten to fifteen minutes: long enough for one topic and people's questions.

What happens in the room

Everybody joins from the link, with no account. The agenda sits beside the call and each item fills in with what was said about it, under the name of the person who said it.

More templates

Handover meetingWhen work changes hands: what is in progress, what is promised to whom, and what only the person leaving knows.Strategy offsite (half day)Half a day away from the daily work: where the company is, the few choices that matter, and three priorities for the year.Budget review meetingSpending against the plan, line by line where it matters, and the decisions that follow.Decision meetingOne decision, the choices on the table, and a written record of what was chosen and why.Quarterly planning meetingOnce a quarter: look honestly at the last three months, choose a few things for the next three, and check there are enough people to do them.Daily standupFifteen minutes, three questions, everybody once.Weekly team meetingThe numbers, everybody's one priority, and the decisions that cannot wait.All-hands meetingThe whole company in one call: where things stand, what is next, and any question people want to ask.

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