A guide to toolbox talks

Toolbox talks are a series of safety lectures that were created and selected by BLR. BLR was founded by Robert L Brady in 1977. The mission of the company was to "provide executives and decision makers with reliable, easy-to-understand analysis of the ever-increasing and complex state and federal laws." This mission expanded with the popular toolbox talks, OSHA-approved safety talks, that began in the 2000s. Read this article which is a guide to toolbox talk.

Choose the format of the talk

The first step in choosing a toolbox talk is picking out the format in which you wish to have the talk conducted. The formats consist of audio presentations, certificates, handouts, meetings, powerpoints, quizzes, speaker's notes, talks, trainer's guides and outlines, training resources, tips, and exercises. According to BLR, this is just the first step in having a successful talk is planning. Make sure you know what you wish to address and make notes if necessary.

Choose the category

The next step is choosing the category for the toolbox talk. The category refers to the type business for which the talk is aimed. These categories are construction, emergency planning and rescue, equipment of process safety, hazardous and toxic substances, health, personal safety, safety administration and transportation. By choosing a selection from the first two selections, you will begin to narrow the topic of the safety talk, helping you to focus it for your individual business.

Choose the topic

The last step of toolbox talks is to choose the safety topic you wish to address. These topics include all equipment and process safety, conveyors, cranes and slings, electrical safety, forklifts, hand and portable power tools, health care safety, loading and unloading, lockout/tagout, machine guarding and safety, material handling (general) and specific industries. By making selections from all of the categories, you will be able to narrow further the focus of the talks. In order to make the talks even more effective, BLR recommends conducting the talks near the area of concern, so that the proper methods of doing things can be demonstrated. By encouraging the workers to take part in the tool talks, you will be able to make the message of the talks have more resonance with the workers who will have a higher likelihood of remembering the topics' lessons.