Contractors should hold toolbox safety talks with their employees on a weekly or bi- weekly basis. Toolbox talks should reinforce the company safety rules, warn of dangerous conditions, and describe safe procedures. One of the best ways to communicate safety information to employees and to prevent accidents at construction sites is through toolbox talks.

Toolbox talks are not a substitute for training. These toolbox talks are not designed to provide all the information available on the subject. However, they are designed to reinforce training and to remind workers of hazards and of ways they can protect themselves on the jobsite.

You don’t have to be a professional instructor to give a good toolbox talk. However, there are ways you can make your toolbox talks more effective. Use the following tips to help you lead the discussion:

• Read the toolbox talks to make sure you understand the topic. If you are not familiar with the topic or you don’t understand the content, contact your safety director for assistance.

• Use your own words. Try to put the information into your own words because adults don’t like it when you read to them. It is boring and impersonal.

• Talks should be applicable to the type of work at hand. Select a toolbox talk related to what employees will be doing in the coming week. This way they will be able to apply what they learned, and you can follow up with observations and reinforcement. Their retention of the information will be better if they hear, see, and apply the information.

• Give each worker a copy of the written toolbox talk.

• Provide examples related to the subject. Talk about a personal experience or something you have heard about. Also, encourage workers to tell their personal experiences related to the subject.

• Use visual aids related to the subject matter because everyone remembers more of what they see than what they hear. Visual aids could be pictures, charts, diagrams, or physical objects. You also could demonstrate a tool or procedure, or show a defective tool. For example, if you are talking about hearing protection, demonstrate how to insert ear plugs properly. Or, if you are talking about defective tools, gather up some tools and show them what to look for.

• Encourage workers to participate. Ask them questions but avoid questions that can be answered with a simple yes or no. Ask workers about what they have just learned or how they would handle a particular situation, preferably related to the work in progress.

• Document the training session. Include the date, jobsite, subject, instructor’s name, and the names of the employees.