A Guide to Toolbox Talks

Where the Rubber Meets The Road !

Slides developed by John Kerrigan Managing Director of Kalsafe Ltd www.kalsafe.com

What is a Toolbox Talk?

Toolbox Talks are short discussions or presentations by Supervisors to their employees at the Worksite. They Toolbox Talk generally last no longer than 15 minutes or so. Often participants gather around the project tool box, hence the name.

A Toolbox Talk or TBT focuses on one specific Operation & provides an opportunity for a Supervisor to emphasize the importance of a particular issue or procedure, and for others in the Team to ask questions for clarification.

When to Carry Out a Toolbox Talk ?

A Toolbox Talk is carried out immediately prior to the work commencing, at the Worksite , or a nearby in a safe location
It should be noted the specific requirements for Toolbox Talks should be specified within individual companies procedures & often will be done in association with the PTW System & or Task Risk Assessments

What to Discuss ?
General task related information Work Activity / Task (specific) Simultaneous Operations (SIMOPS) Hazard categories Biggest risks to people Stop the Job triggers Who is Doing What

Work Activity or Task

The Talk Leader shall provide a brief description of the task being discussed during the TBT The Talk Leader should make clear to the TBT team the boundaries of the task being discussed, physical boundaries, process boundaries and also boundaries of authorisation should be considered here

SIMOPS
SIMOPS may occur above, below, or adjacent to the task being undertaken or even out of view (e.g. other end of a pipeline). Simultaneous activities may include lifting activities within a congested construction site or hot work in close proximity to live plant e.t.c. It is important for the Talk leader to ensure that the people conducting the SIMOPS are made aware his/her own work scope and any agreed limitations/boundaries.

Hazard Categories
The Talk Leader is required to discuss the content of the associated risk assessment being used to cover the task The hazard categories section of the following Toolbox Card Prompt Card is designed to act as a prompt in discussing the hazards and associated control measures, which may have or may not have been identified on the applicable risk assessments

The Biggest Risk to People

To identify the greatest risk to people the Talk Leader should consider the following Questions:
Which hazards are most likely to have an impact? Which hazard is the least controlled? What is the least understood hazard? What hazard could cause the most significant injury or loss? How many people could get hurt? Which hazardous occurrence has the biggest potential to escalate?

Stop the Job Triggers

Examples may include: It starts raining / the weather changes significantly A radio battery goes dead A key member of the team has to leave or takes a break A piece of equipment fails The work plan changes significantly The effort required to do the job is much more / less than expected, A member of the team does not feel comfortable with the task

Who is Doing What?

The Talk Leader should discuss: Who is in control / in charge of what (i.e. equipment/communications/supervision etc.) Which individuals are reporting to / taking direction from who What nominated personnel will be doing

The Toolbox Talk Prompt Card

Toolbox Talks Road to a Safer Worksite

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