Safety In Construction – Toolbox Talks Defined
Safety in construction begins with toolbox talks. Construction toolbox talks are short health and safety refresher discussions. If you are a designated toolbox leader, don’t get carried away with excessive drilling down into the details. The process is all about:
- Delivering new safety-focused knowledge
- Refreshing existing safety-focused knowledge
- Ensuring compliance with specific legal requirements
- AND making certain that when the day ends, every employee goes home healthy and safe.
Construction toolbox talks set focus on specific safety issues pertinent to activities currently taking place or soon to get started at a construction jobsite. Typically the general contractor or an authorized site superintendent initiates the discussion. Initial discussion materials may come from a downloaded OSHA toolbox package, a specified labor union criteria package, or even from toolbox material generated from an internal toolbox software kit.
Aside from focus on anticipated daily tasks, there is no precise rule concerning the order, the depth or the key discussion focus of construction toolbox talks. Labor unions tend to craft specific safety talk formats based upon precise criteria. But even in that there is flexibility that enables employee feedback and discussion. In general, expect to some extent a beginning that incorporates pre-developed toolbox talks materials.
Normally, the authorized leader of the safety discussion will begin by circulating an attendance form. This ensures formal acknowledgement of employee participation. By nature, construction toolbox talks focus on safety matters specific to the construction industry – And they are not a rehash of insurance problems, profit margins or daily scheduling.
Productive and beneficial construction toolbox talks aim to help workers develop and retain a serious attitude about workplace and joint responsibility. There is nothing random about the focus. If sheetrock and scaffolding is the established activity of the day, don’t expect a safety discussion that focuses on trenching and excavation. All points of concern will involve safe use of scaffolding, ladders and sheetrock lifting devices.
Can Assignar Workforce Software Help Me Better Manage Toolbox Talks In Construction?
From the boardroom to the temp labor department and from the home office to the immediate construction sites, health and safety is always the personal business of every investor, owner, and employee. Toolbox talks help ensure a safe workplace. The right tools help ensure an effective and successful toolbox talk format.
The Assignar cloud-based workforce and asset allocation and planning construction software management system provides contractors with the tools they need for operations management, quality control and on-the-job safety assurance.
- Download or read online various OSHA-prepared construction industry topics, training and other compliance resources from OSHA Construction Industry Topics.
- Download a year’s worth of weekly safety meeting subjects from Washington State Department of Labor & Industries, “Construction Tool Box Talks.”
- Or learn more about construction toolbox talks at “Safety Toolbox Talks Can Help You Set Workplace Expectations.”
No matter where you get the templates, every construction toolbox talk ends up specific to current tasks at a specific site. This means that even labor union toolbox talk formats may require site-specific customization. But don’t worry. The Assignar mobile workforce and asset allocation and planning form builder modular can help you simplify the task of form customization. It’s as simple as merging an existing document into the Assignar form builder and then churning out customized construction toolbox talks according to your jobsite specifics.
Stay compliant. Stay safe. And stay up to date with Assignar construction operations software.
