Toolbox Talk Topics | Safety Discussion Guides
Toolbox Talks are short group discussions that teach workers about a safety topic.
Use these ready-to-use talks in daily meetings to remind employees about risks on the job and safe work procedures. Follow the simple discussion guides to engage your team in health and safety discussions on the job site.
Safety Toolbox Talk topics:
Arc Flash
Arc flash is described by the National Fire Protection Association as “a dangerous condition associated with the release of energy caused by an electric arc.” Arc flash is an accidental electrical explosion usually caused by a short circuit. It happens at higher-voltages (around 300 volts and above). It causes electrical conductors to melt creating an […]
Bench and Pedestal Grinder Safety
Bench mounted and pedestal grinders equipped with abrasive stones, wire brushes and buffing brushes are used to sharpen, grind, strip and polish metal. They can be found in most industrial settings and in any facility maintenance shop. They are extremely useful tools but are also extremely dangerous tools if not used properly and in accordance […]
Chemical Safety at Home
WHMIS (Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System) was created to protect workers from chemical exposure in the workplace however many of the same chemicals used in the workplace are also found in our homes.
Combustible Dust
Combustible dust is a solid material composed of distinct particles or pieces which present a fire hazard when suspended in air or some other oxidizing medium over a range of concentrations.
Confined Space Safety
Recent fatalities involving confined spaces demand that these areas be given more attention to reduce risk of injury or loss of life. The three men died after entering a structure in an Abbotsford mushroom farm in September, 2008. Two were “rescuers”. They inhaled fatal doses of toxic fumes. Two other workers / “rescuers” were left […]
Electrical Safety
The majority of Canadians use electricity every day, both in the workplace and at home. There are very few places left in Canada that are not connected to a utility power grid or an onsite generator. However, we don’t often consider the hazards in our day to day activities associated with electricity or electrically powered […]
Emergency Preparedness
Fires, earthquakes, tornadoes, floods, and power outages — whatever the emergency is — it can happen without warning. Emergency preparedness ensures that when an emergency strikes, you have a plan ready to go, and are not scrambling last minute to get all your resources in order. An emergency preparedness and response plan is a document […]
Eye and Face Protection
Safety eyewear and face shields are the most common method used in industry to protect the eyes and face from injury. Safety eyewear is an essential piece of personal protective equipment (PPE), but all too often workers wear the wrong kind or even worse don’t wear it at all.
Fall Protection – Types
A fall protection system is components to support or suspend a worker at a worker point: A fall restraint system A fall arrest system Work procedures that minimize the risk of injury to a worker from a fall These include guardrail systems, travel-restraint systems, safety net systems, and fall-arrest systems.
Fall Protection Equipment – Care and Use Of
Fall protection is your lifeline to protect you from serious injury or death in the event of a fall. Damage to any of the equipment will reduce its effectiveness and increase the chance of failure which can lead to serious injury or death.
Fatigue in the Workplace
Fatigue is feeling tired weary from sleep, mental or physical work, or stress. Boring repetitive tasks can increase feelings of fatigue. Fatigue is either acute or chronic.
Fire Extinguisher Basics
Fire extinguishers are everywhere, in public buildings, apartment blocks, and in all of our workplaces. Fire extinguishers have become part of the general backdrop of modern society. The BC Fire Code indicates specific requirements for the number and placements of extinguishers. In the workplace, fire extinguishers are tools and every worker who might be required […]
First Aid Reporting
First aid is defined as “in cases in which a person will need medical treatment, treatment for the purpose of preserving life and minimizing the consequences of injury until medical treatment is obtained”, and “treatment of minor injuries that would otherwise receive no medical treatment or that do not need medical treatment”.
Forklift Operation
Forklifts are an underrated hazard that exists in most food processing and manufacturing companies. The reason that we have specific regulations for forklift training and certification is that forklifts have caused more fatalities than all other mobile equipment combined. The reason for the complacency around forklifts is that they are compact and their rear-wheel steering […]
Hand Protection
Hands are essential for work, yet hand injuries are one of the most common injuries in the workplace. Hands are injured by dull cutting tools, jagged edges, and sharp objects. Most hand injuries are preventable. Injuries happen when workers are rushed, not wearing PPE, using equipment without guarding, or poor supervision and training.
Hazard Identification
Every day we encounter hazards. Some are easily identified but others may be difficult to identify. A hazard is something that puts a worker at risk of injury or occupational disease. Hazards can also damage equipment and property, increase insurance premiums and lead to serious injury or death.
Hearing Conservation
“Noise” is unwanted sound. The psychological effects of noise is that it can startle you, annoy you, and disrupt your concentration. Physiological effects include loss of hearing. Severe exposure to noise can cause pain and even nausea. Noise can also affect communications which interferes with both job performance and your safety.
Hot Work
Hot work is work that creates sparks or a flame (i.e. tiger torch), or a fire that must be monitored after being extinguished.
Incident Investigation
An incident investigation is a process that analyses an incident to identify the unsafe acts and conditions that lead to the incident in order to develop control measures to prevent the recurrence of the incident.
Industrial Storage Racking
Storage racks are common in industry. Racks used to store materials have inherent risks. Poor maintenance can result in serious injuries and death. Ensure your storage racks are correctly designed, installed, used, and maintained. Understand the hazards of racking to prevent incidents, injuries, lost time, and costs.
Knife Safety
Cut injuries in the Manufacturing, food processing, wine making, brewing and distillery industries occur primarily through the use of knives, cleavers and slicing equipment. Cut injuries are one of the leading causes of injuries in abattoirs, fish, poultry and meat processing operations, as well as hospitality tasting rooms associated with the beverage industries.
Ladder Safety
Fall injuries are a major source of injury in BC both at home and at work. Most of these falls could be avoided with the application of some simple ladder safety work procedures.
Leadership and Commitment
Leadership allows leaders to influence to achieve a quality that inspires and attracts people to follow and demonstrates that a leader acts on the cause. A strong and visible leadership can help prevent accidents, injuries, and other risks. It also helps create a high standard of safety management and health.
Lockout Tagout
Lockout/tagout is a safety practice. Dangerous machinery is shut off and can’t be started again before maintenance work is done. Lockout/tagout protects workers from serious injury or death while working on equipment.
Machine Safeguarding
All machines have hazards. Machine motion from care and use can harm workers and the workplace. 35% of injuries related to machine motion are serious. Machine guarding is an important safety measure to protect workers.
Manual Material Handling
Manual materials handling is handling items by lifting, lowering, pushing, pulling, carrying, holding, or restraining. It is the most common cause of occupational fatigue and lower back injuries. Three quarters of Canadians whose job includes manual handling suffer from back injury at some point. Many are unable to return to their jobs and some are […]
Pedestrian Safety
Pallet jacks, scissor lifts, aerial lift platforms, forklifts, and other equipment are used in manufacturing. Safe use of this equipment includes pedestrian safety. Workers are at risk when they are near mobile equipment. Operators and pedestrians need to be aware of hazards and safety tips when working near mobile equipment.
Power Tool Safety
In the manufacturing sector, many serious injuries are the result of hand held power tools. The list includes portable circular saws, routers, hand grinders, reciprocating saws and jig saws. These tools are very versatile and as a result are frequently used in tight quarters, on ladders, and for shaping and sizing small pieces where the […]
Safety Footwear
All workers must wear footwear suitable to the conditions and hazards in their workplace. This is usually enclosed footwear of leather or rubber with adequate ankle support. Many workplaces require “safety footwear” which has a protective toe cap and may have sole protection to prevent injury from nails or other sharp objects.
Scissor Lift Safety
Scissor lifts are a relatively economical way to work at height safely and efficiently and as a result they are present on most medium to large workplaces, they are economical to rent so you even see them on small sites during projects. They are simple to operate, but because the operators are working at height, […]
Slips, Trips, and Falls
Slips, trips and falls are the 3rd leading cause of recordable injuries across BC and accounted for 15% of recordable injuries in the food and beverage industry. In 2009, slips, trips and falls on the same level accounted for 235 reportable injuries in the Food and Beverage Processing industry sector and 6,275 for all BC […]
WHMIS
When dealing with hazardous products in Canada (in-use, handling, storage) you need a WHMIS (Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System) program. WHMIS is aligned with the GHS – the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals. This is a global program developed by the United Nations.
Working Alone
Working alone or in isolation means working where there is no readily available assistance in case of emergency, injury or illness.
Workplace Roles and Responsibilities
The Internal Responsibility System (IRS) is the underlying philosophy of occupational health and safety legislation in Canada. The key to the IRS is that everyone in the workplace is responsible for his or her own safety, as well as for the safety of others in the workplace. To ensure a safe workplace, there must be […]
X-ray Safety
Radiation is simply energy that is in motion. It can travel either in waves or as particles through space or some other material medium. All matter, whether at rest or moving, has energy. X-rays are a form of high energy electromagnetic radiation. It has the potential to harm us, so it is important to receive […]
X-ray Safety and the JHSC
The JHSC brings workers and employers together to identify existing or potential health and safety hazards in the workplace.