There are many benefits to conducting toolbox talks. SafetyCulture cites one report that found companies that conduct toolbox talks daily saw a 64% reduction in total incident rates as opposed to those who held them monthly, according to ehsdailyadvisor.blr.com.
Toolbox talks are not meant to replace safety training but can reinforce the values learned in training and keep them fresh in an employee’s mind. Therefore, companies want to be sure the toolbox talks are as effective as possible.
Safestart offers the following tips to help give an effective toolbox talk.
- Talk directly to the audience. The topic should be relevant to the job and apply directly to the employees.
- Keep it brief. Make only the necessary points to keep employees’ attention and use a handout or an additional meeting for more information.
- Stay positive. Toolbox talks should be proactive and encouraging, focusing on what can be done in the future rather than incidents that have happened before.
- Demonstrate the point. Make the talk more interactive by engaging in discussion, demonstrations and hands-on examples of the topic.
- Tell a story—not a statistic. Although statistics can be useful, stories can help employees identify with the topic personally and will resonate with them the most.
