Choice of Toolbox topic:

Choose a topic that is relevant to your audience; there's little point in talking about office safety to a group of ground workers. You could choose a talk related to an incident from the news; something that happened on site recently; new work processes; hazards, or in the absence of any particular circumstances, pick a talk from the list.

Location:

The talk doesn't have to be given in an office or meeting room - a casual area such as canteen, coffee area or workshop area will suffice. Just remember, it does need to be somewhere quiet where you can hold a conversation easily.

Size of audience:

Between 4 and 10 workers will be the most effective.

Duration:

The duration should be limited to 10-15 minutes. Try not to become side-tracked on other issues; choose your topic and stick to it. If other issues are raised, consider them for the next talk.

Approach:

Use a questioning approach to interact with your audience, get the message across and listen to the responses. Toolbox talks are not lectures and are designed to get people to think and talk about Health, Safety and Environmental issues. Think of them as a refresher course, reminding the workforce of what they should already know.

- Try to generate interest in the topic with questions, such as

"What are the hazards from the incident described?" or

"What precautions should be taken in these circumstances?"

- Highlight some key words as a reminder to yourself

- Avoid just reading the notes on your topic.

Do not allow the group to get side tracked, if it is important and relevant, allow a short discussion off topic then bring the discussion back to the main issue.

Signatures:

Obtain signatures from all attendees to keep on file. A signature list is attached to the Toolbox Talk document.