Tailgate Safety Meeting Toolbox Topics (For Free)

What is a toolbox talk?

Also known as a tailgate safety meeting, toolbox talks are simply a short safety meeting held at a work site. They are usually held at the start of a work shift before work begins. Their purpose is to inform and remind workers about safety rules, best practices, and the hazards of the job. Toolbox talks are usually short- normally just a few minutes. Some of these meetings can be longer though. It just depends on what the goal of the meeting is. Some toolbox talks cover a single topic, while others may cover a variety of topics.

Why are tailgate safety meetings important?

Unfortunately, many lines of work involve hazards that can cause severe injury or death. Even relatively benign jobs, like office work, can result in injuries. A good safety culture is critical to keeping workers safe. Training is a critical part of developing a strong safety culture at a company. Safety meetings are a small, but very important, part of any company’s training program. At the cost of just a few minutes of productivity, employers can reap great benefits from holding frequent safety meetings. Employees are reminded of important safety rules and the hazards of their job. Holding meetings also shows employees that the company cares about their safety, which improves morale and performance. Safety meetings can help employers meet regulatory requirements as well. Finally, the meetings give workers an opportunity to share safety concerns or give suggestions on how to make their job safer.

How often should safety meetings be held?

The answer to this question depends on many things. In general, the higher the hazard level of the work, the more frequent meetings should be. For example, office workers may just hold safety meetings quarterly, while heavy construction workers often hold toolbox talks weekly, or even daily. When more hazards are present, a wider variety of topics should be covered throughout the year. This means safety meetings should be held more frequently.

High-hazard industries like construction, refineries, and heavy manufacturing will usually find that daily safety meetings are the best choice. It is important to review job hazards and safe practices frequently in dangerous environments. It may seem like this would take too much time away from work, but these meetings do not need to be very long at all. In the long run, frequent safety meetings will actually save time. Just imagine how much time will be saved if just one major injury is prevented.

What tailgate safety meeting topics should I use?

Once again, this depends on the nature of the work and the hazards present in the workplace. All employers should conduct a hazard analysis of each task. Your training and safety meeting topics will be determined based on the hazard analysis.

After your initial training needs have been met, ongoing training through refreshers and toolbox safety talks should be conducted. These topics should be selected by asking yourself:

• What topics do you think need to be reinforced?
• Have there been any recent injuries or accident trends?
• What problems have been cropping up lately?
• Have there been any near misses recently? What caused them?
• Have you noticed any industry trends? What are other safety pros in your industry doing?

Always remember to evaluate the needs of your employees to make sure your training topics are useful and relevant.

Who should present the safety meeting topic?

Ideally, it is the direct supervisor of the work crew who should be presenting the tailgate safety meeting. Having the direct supervisor present the safety talk tells employees that their supervisor supports the safety program and the topic being discussed. This makes it more likely for the employees to “buy-in” to the safety culture.

Oftentimes, however, presentation of safety topics will fall to the safety officer or some other management employee. While this can still be effective, it sends the appearance that the direct supervisors are not a part of the safety effort. If the employee’s supervisor is not participating in safety, why should they? A better arrangement would be to have the safety office coordinate safety meetings and determine topics to be discussed while the supervisor delivers the actual message.

Sometimes it may be beneficial to allow the employees themselves to present at safety meetings. One of the best ways to learn a subject is to teach it. Having employees participate in safety meetings on occasion will help them learn more about safety and will help improve “buy-in” from the rest of the crew.

Where should I hold safety meetings?

Toolbox talks should be held in an environment that allows employees to be comfortable and focus on what is being discussed. The location should be quiet and free of distractions. It should also be free of excessive heat and other factors that could make the employees uncomfortable. A meeting room or break room would be ideal. If employees are able to sit down during the meeting it is even better. Holding meetings in this environment can allow for more visual aides to be used as well, such as photos, videos, and PowerPoint presentations.

Safety meetings are often held in the actual work environment as well, although this is not as ideal. This should only be done if the work area is not noisy, too hot, too cold, or distracting. One advantage of holding tailgate meetings in the work area is it can help employees visualize the topics being discussed, which can help with learning. The instructor can also point to specific examples related to the topic in the work environment. Safety is also an important factor when holding tailgate meetings in the work area. The meeting should be held in a safe location away from hazardous machinery, moving vehicles, or chemicals.

Am I required to hold safety meetings at work?

OSHA does not specifically require companies to hold safety meetings, but safety meetings are often a vital part of compliance with certain standards. For example, OSHA requires that employers inform employees of the hazards of the job and how to address them. Toolbox talks are often an effective way of complying with this standard. Since work environments can change over time, initial training alone would not be enough to satisfy this standard. Tailgate safety meetings are perfect for this because they can be held as frequently as needed to address new or changing hazards day to day, or even hour to hour.

Employers will never be cited by OSHA just for lack of safety meetings. However, they are often cited for failure to train workers on the hazards of their job or how to perform their work safely. This makes safety meetings a vital part of any safety program.

Here is what OSHA requires regarding safety training.

Is documentation required for tailgate safety meetings?

A general rule of thumb for anything safety-related is if it is not on paper, it never happened. If an employer does not have documentation proving that safety training has been done, it is as if the training never happened in the eyes of OSHA. This applies to the courtroom as well. Failure to document your safety training can cause your company major problems.

OSHA very often will request certain training documentation during its investigations. If you are unable to provide any proof of training, you may be subject to citations and significant fines.

So how should you document your tailgate safety meeting? Every time you hold a toolbox talk, a sign-in sheet should be used. The sign-in sheet can either be on paper or it can be electronic. It should include the following information as a guideline:

• The topic(s) being discussed
• Some details of what was discussed (attaching handouts used or writing a summary are good ideas)
• The date and time of the meeting
• The printed name and signature of all attendees
• The name and signature of the presenter
• The location of the job where the safety meeting is held. If listing the work department is more applicable, you may use that instead.

We cannot emphasize enough how important this documentation is. CYA!!!

Safety meeting documentation should be stored on file where it can be easily retrieved if needed.

What are some tips on holding a better tailgate safety meeting?

Safety meetings that are poorly conducted can be detrimental to your safety efforts. It is important to be as effective as possible so that the effort and time spent are not wasted. Here are some final tips for holding better safety meetings:

• Prepare before the meeting and make sure you are familiar with the topic.
• Practice presenting if you are uncomfortable with public speaking. The audience will know if you are uncomfortable. Practice in front of a mirror or family member.
• Speak clearly and project your voice. Avoid saying “um” or “uh” as much as possible.
• Make sure your topic is relevant to your audience. You should start your presentations by explaining why this topic is important to them. “What’s in it for me?”
• Keep the meetings interesting. Avoid just reading from a handout. Employees will not learn if the meeting is not engaging.
• Don’t waste people’s time. Only spend the time that is necessary to cover the topic. Do not drag it out and make people bored.
• Pictures, video, and other visual aids can help the audience retain the information.
• Adults learn best when they can participate. Try to get the workers involved as much as possible.
• Relax and have fun. Learn to relate with your audience. They are more likely to listen to you this way.