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Industrial Safety Management >Chapter 3 > Topic –Employee Participation in Safety > Subtopic-Tool Box Talks

What is Toolbox Talks ?  

What is Toolbox Talks ? 

What are the benefits of Toolbox Talks? 

Can we learn Toolbox Talks with its example ?  


Today is 4th March 2023 is the 52nd National Safety Day. "NI.RA EHS Blog" would like to extend heartiest wishes and congratulations to all the Safety professionals across the India and spread across the world.  

This year's theme is “Our Aim - Zero Harm”. The theme emphasizes the significance of protecting society as a whole. The goal of the event is to cause as little harm as possible.


As a part of employee participation in safety , there are various ways to get  involvement of the employees for better safety culture at work place. For example ,Safety Kaizen , Toolbox Talks , Safety awards & suggestion scheme , safety competition , Safety Incentive publicity schemes , Audio visual publicity  and other promotional methods. 

Toolbox Talk is one of the widely accepted and effective way for enhancing Safety Culture in the company. Let us see in detail.

What is Toolbox Talk (TBT) ? 

A toolbox talk is a brief, informal safety meeting held before the start of a work shift. They are meant to be simple and easy to understand, typically acting as a refresher for a topic that has been covered in greater depth during training or onboarding sessions. 

A toolbox talk will generally cover a topic that is immediately relevant to the workers in attendance. It could be a hazard specific to the jobsite, a safety procedure that may come up over the course of the work day, or a recent incident or near miss.

TBTs allow workers to explore risks of specific HSE issues on-site and think of ways to deal with them.

Toolbox talks go by several names, including toolbox meetings, tailgate meetings, safety briefings, pre-start safety talks, and “take five” talks. 

What are the benefits of Toolbox Talks? 

  • Encourages retention of safety concepts - toolbox talks have been shown to improve the safety knowledge of participants
  • Helps foster a culture of safety - starting the work day with a safety refresher reminds employees that safety is a priority
  • Provides an open communication channel - a toolbox talk is an opportunity for workers to raise concerns, ask questions, and highlight safety issues
  • Is a cost-effective safety initiative - toolbox talks are brief and essentially free of cost, yet are effective at increasing safe behavior and reducing safety incident 

Who can conduct a Safety Toolbox Talk (TBT) ?

Anyone from the team can conduct a Toolbox Talk. However, it is a good idea to select individuals who have good knowledge of the given topics. In Some industries, persons are nominated for toolbox talk by the EHS team. EHS team trained the nominated person on different safety topics, they also trained them on how to deliver Safety toolbox with their teams. 

How long and often safety Toolbox Talk conducted?

Safety Toolbox Talk (TBT) can be conducted on a daily morning or before starting the shift. In some industries work specific TBT (Permit TBT) is carried out before starting nonroutine work. It should be conducted for at least 10-15 minutes. To improve safety culture in the workplace TBT should be conducted in a regular manner for years. 

How Can I Communicate TBT Effectively? 

  • Deliver a clear message about the importance of HSE Standards.
  • Know audience, Use the language which is known to audience.
  • keep in mind first impressions is last impression.
  • Keep it simple and be consistent with your messages! Use short, straightforward, simple words and phrases, avoid slang words/jargon.
  • Demonstrate respect, listen to what your workers have to say, and show you are listening through your body language.
  • Keep voice and speech clear to understand.
  • Think about the pace of your delivery.
  • Use open questions to check understanding.
  • Keep session positive!
  • Explain how a TBT topic will help to workers.
  • Prepare points which you are going to share.
  • Most peoples’ attention span is limited. TBT should be exactly. To the point and in BRIEF.
  • Repeat the main points so worker can understand easily. 

Can I learn Toolbox Talks with its example ?  

Yes Sure ! 

In India there are many MSMEs are willing to build  safety culture in their companies . Some companies or safety professionals  may have achieved it fully / partially or some may yet to start or achieve. This TBT example will help  both , who have already achieved it fully or partially to reiterate their goal of safety and for those who are willing to build safety culture from scratch. 

Today's Topic of Toolbox Talk is -

National Safety Day/National Safety Week Campaign - Commencing from 4th March 2023. 
National Safety Week from -4th March 2023- 10th March 2023.  


What is National Safety Day/ National Safety Week ? 

  • National Safety Day /Week celebration is widely celebrated since 1972 declared by National Safety Council (NSC) . 
  • 4th March 1965 is Foundation day of the "National Safety Council" is non profit , autonomous Institution working in the field of Industrial Safety ,Health , Environment in various sectors in India... 

Significance of National Safety Day / National Safety Week ? 

  • Aim of the celebration National Safety Day / Week 4th March - 10th March - It is aimed at renewing the commitment of employees and the general public to work safely throughout the year. 
  • Occupational safety is critical in India because it protects workers from harm, increases productivity, lowers healthcare costs, increases regulatory compliance, and boosts employee morale. Employers must implement effective safety measures in order to reap these benefits. 
  • Celebration of National Safety Day/ Week is to appreciate , motivate the enhancement Employees participation in building safety culture.

    • How Can you celebrate National Safety Day/ Week ? 

    • You can pledge to commit yourself to work safely.
    • Unfurling of the NSD/W Flag.
    • Pinning of the NSD/W Badge on employees.
    • Displaying Safety Day/Week Banners at strategic locations in the units.
    • Safety message by Managing Director or Chief Executive Officer to all employees.
    • Safety competitions – Essay, Slogans, Posters, Housekeeping, Safety performance etc.
    • Safety suggestion schemes.
    • Safety exhibitions.
    • One-act play/drama, songs, poems, essays, street plays etc.
    • Training Programmes/Workshops/Seminars etc.
    • Screening of Safety films in unit/employee colonies.
    • Practical demonstrations on use of PPEs, Fire Fighting, rescue etc.
    • Organising emergency drills.
    • Displaying of Safety Posters at prominent locations in the unit.
    • Holding award functions Safety suggestions, performance etc.
    • Lecture sessions by eminent guest speakers in the field.
    • Community Awareness Programmes.
    • Printing safety slogans on company stationary, say, pay packets.
    • Holding meetings to analyse past accidents and suggested actions.
    • Safety slogan on dial tone of telephone and intercom.
    • Safety Procession within the unit.
    • Art competitions by families of employees such as Rangoli Competition. 

    Theme of 52nd National Safety Day /Week 4th March-10th March 2023 - 

    Every year National Safety Council declares the theme for National Safety Day/Week. This theme shall be displayed in the factory premises at visible locations. 


    Safety Pledge 

    On the occasion of the 52nd National Safety Day/ Week. You can take following pledge for making urge to ourselves for for commitment towards safety.. Every person the factory to take this pledge in the their respective language. For the understanding purpose following image is with English and Hindi. 


     

    Concluding the toolbox talk-

    It is time to conclude the Toolbox Talk in 15 minutes. Once again repeat the Toolbox talk points. Mark the attendance sheet and record each toolbox talk. Frequency of the toolbox talk can be decided by Safety committee.  

    Ni.Ra EHS blog will be posting various topics for toolbox talk in the near future. I can share the list of topics for daily toolbox talks. If anyone is interested please message me in the comments box. 

    Reference: 

    https://safetytoolbox.in/safety-toolbox-talk-tbt/
    https://www.safeopedia.com/definition/526/toolbox-talk
    https://safetyculture.com/topics/toolbox-topics/
    https://weeklysafety.com/blog/toolbox-talks
    EHS Today YouTube channel 
    Google.com 
    National Safety Council Website


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