Toolbox Talks

Toolbox Talks safety briefings are an easy and efficient way to keep construction employees safe.

What are Toolbox Talks?

These brief meetings offer an opportunity for team members to learn about potential hazards and preventive measures, as well as a chance for the employer to review safety regulations. They are a great way to ensure that everyone is aware of the safety protocols that must be adhered to in order to prevent accidents and injuries on the job site.

Each toolbox talk has been reviewed and approved by a subject matter expert at L&I DOSH.

We also offer safety talks in Spanish and Russian.

NEW! Search Toolbox Talks

Type a search term in the search box below to view English toolbox talks that match your search query. Or, use the category dropdown to view related talks.

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Funding and support for the Toolbox Talks project and mobile apps has been provided by the State of Washington, Department of Labor & Industries, Safety & Health Investment Project.

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Anchorage Selection

Date Posted: 05/31/2024

WAC 296-880-095 defines anchorage as “A secure point of attachment for lifelines, lanyards, or deceleration devices….” Insufficient anchorage strength and inappropriate anchorage connection are two common mistakes with fall protection equipment. While anchorage connectors are essential tools for keeping workers safe while working at height, they are only effective if selected and used correctly.

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Connecting Devices

Date Posted: 05/30/2024

According to WAC 296-880-095, a connecting device or connector is “a device which is used to connect parts of the personal fall arrest system and positioning device systems together. It may be an independent component of the system, such as a carabiner, or it may be an integral component of part of the system (such as a buckle or D-ring sewn into a harness, or a snap hook spliced or sewn to a lanyard or self-retracting lanyard).

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Supported Scaffolding

Date Posted: 05/30/2024

According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), scaffold-related accidents result in roughly 60 deaths and 4,500 injuries yearly throughout the country. Falls from scaffolds account for approximately 25% of fatal falls from all working surfaces. In the BLS study, 72% of workers injured in scaffold accidents attributed the accident to the planking or support giving way or the employee slipping or being struck by a falling object. All of these can be controlled by compliance with regulatory standards.

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Step Ladder Safety

Date Posted: 05/29/2024

According to the According to Washington Administrative Code (WAC) 296-876-099 , “A self-supporting portable ladder, nonadjustable in length, with flat steps and hinged at the top. The size is designated by the overall length of the ladder measured along the front edge of the side rails.” A stepladder is a handy, simple tool, but if you do not choose the right one for the job or it is not maintained properly, you have an increased risk of injury.

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Roof Work and Warning Lines

Date Posted: 05/29/2024

Roofing work can be dangerous even under the best conditions. High elevations, unprotected roof edges, and steep slopes pose fall risks. Those risks may be increased by other factors, such as wind and wet surfaces, equipment misuse or failure, particularly involving ladders, and unsafe behavior on the part of workers.

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Planning Ahead for Fall Protection

Date Posted: 02/17/2024

According to the Labor and Industries Department of Safety and Health (DOSH), Falls are the number one serious hazard for workers in most industries that can result in injuries or even death and accounted for 17 fatalities from 2017-2022 in Washington State.

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Fall Protection Full Body Harness

Date Posted: 02/17/2024

Full-body harnesses are critical elements of adequate fall protection systems. Workers must understand how to wear and use full-body harnesses when operating at height properly. When used correctly on the job, a properly fitted and properly worn full-body harness can help prevent serious injury or death.

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The Fatal Four in Construction – Falls

Date Posted: 12/12/2023

Statistically, construction sites are one of the country’s most dangerous workplaces, with one in every five deaths occurring in construction as well as being a WA Top 10 rule violation. Falls are the number one cause of construction worker fatalities, accounting for more than one-third (34%) of all deaths in the industry.

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Download the FREE
Toolbox Talks App!

Discover, discuss, and document over 150 Toolbox Talks! The Toolbox Talks app makes it simple to find safety talks for both construction and marine industries in English, Spanish, and Russian. Find a talk to review, then document your safety briefing with a signature capture form that generates a PDF of the meeting details that you can email or save to your device.

Toolbox Talks App Screenshots

Funding and support for the Toolbox Talks project and mobile apps has been provided by the State of Washington, Department of Labor & Industries, Safety & Health Investment Project.