30+ Free Toolbox Talks For Construction

A toolbox talk might only be a short chat for 5 or 10 minutes, but it takes much longer to prepare.

• What should you talk about?
• What information do you need to include?
• What are the facts and statistics?
• What about rules and regulations?

Researching a topic takes time.

To help you out, we've done the research for you, and we've made some of our most popular toolbox talks free to download.

Each of the free toolbox talks we discuss in this blog post can be found on the HASpod Free Plan. Join today to download toolbox talks for your construction site.

Toolbox talks are heavily used in the high-risk construction industry. In fact, it is often said that the term toolbox talk originates from construction workers standing around their toolboxes in the morning, preparing for the day ahead.

And the morning is most likely the best time of day to carry out a toolbox talk - especially when you're working a standard day shift.

Delivering your talk near the start of the day brings safety to the front of the minds of your workers, before any work starts.

We have talked before about how regular toolbox talks are not only a great way to refresh health and safety knowledge, but also help to comply with legal requirements.

And there's no better time to get started than as soon as possible.

The talk you give today could make someone think before taking risks in their work later. You could stop an accident from happening.

Here are the free toolbox talks for construction you can download and use on your sites to get started.

1. Asbestos Awareness

🆓 Free Asbestos Awareness Toolbox Talk

The biggest construction killer gets the number 1 spot on our list, of course. If you are going to start with any subject, start with this one. Every construction worker should have asbestos awareness training, and this asbestos awareness toolbox talk is a great way to remind workers of the hidden killer that lurks on building sites.

2. PPE Use

🆓 Free PPE Toolbox Talk

PPE is the last line of defence for construction workers. Here are 50 reasons to wear PPE.

Failure to wear the correct PPE, or wear any PPE at all, could have serious or even fatal consequences. Remind workers of the importance of PPE, and what PPE to wear, with this free PPE toolbox talk.

3. Safety Signs

🆓 Free Safety Signs Toolbox Talk

Every site has health and safety signs, and they come in various shapes and colours. But what does each safety sign mean, and how do we know what the symbols tell us? Find out more in the safety signs toolbox talk.

4. Excavations

🆓 Free Excavations Toolbox Talk

You can find excavations on most construction sites, especially during new build projects.

Construction foundations, installing services, or carrying out other work below ground usually means that excavations will be needed. Get the low down on excavation safety in the excavations toolbox talk.

5. Vibration

🆓 Free Vibration Toolbox Talk

Drilling, sawing, compacting - lots of construction work results in vibration exposure. To prevent long-term damage like hand-arm vibration syndrome, workers need to stay within the legal limits and take precautions. Remind them of the risks with the vibration toolbox talk.

6. Welfare Facilities

🆓 Free Welfare Facilities Toolbox Talk

It's not glamorous, but welfare facilities should be provided on every construction site. Construction work is messy, after all. Not only do workers need somewhere to relieve themselves, but also somewhere to keep clean and take a break. Download the welfare facilities toolbox talk.

7. Scaffolding

🆓 Free Scaffolding Toolbox Talk

Temporary access is often provided on construction projects by the use of scaffolding.

Scaffolding can be a safe way to carry out work at height, but it must be installed and used correctly. Communicate the rules with the scaffolding toolbox talk.

8. Ladder Use

🆓 Free Ladder Use Toolbox Talk

Despite the myth, ladders are not banned on construction sites. However, ladders should only be used in the right circumstances and be safe and suitable for their purpose. Get refreshed on ladder safety with the ladder use toolbox talk.

9. Outdoor Working

🆓 Free Outdoor Working Toolbox Talk

Both the blessing and the curse of construction work is that it often takes place in the great outdoors. It's nice on a fine day with a gentle breeze, but not so great in gale-force winds and rain. Each type of weather presents its own risks, from sunburn to frostbite - check out the outdoor working toolbox talk.

10. Asbestos Surveys

🆓 Free Asbestos Surveys Toolbox Talk

The hidden killer gets another mention in our top 10.

Asbestos is the biggest health and safety risk facing the construction industry, and asbestos surveys are a legal requirement. But what survey is needed, and when? Find out in the asbestos surveys toolbox talk.

11. Permits to Work

🆓 Free Permit to Work Toolbox Talk

There are many high-risk tasks on a construction project, and some need extra precautions to make sure they get done safely. These activities are often best controlled by a permit to work.

Use the permit to work toolbox talk to communicate when permits are required and how to comply with them.

12. Fire Extinguishers

🆓 Free Fire Extinguishers Toolbox Talk

In the event of a fire on your construction site, quick thinking and action can stop the fire from getting out of control and save lives.

Fire extinguishers should be provided, but using the wrong type of extinguisher can cause more harm than good. Refresh your knowledge with the fire extinguishers toolbox talk.

13. COSHH

🆓 Free COSHH Toolbox Talk

Hazardous substances are used in nearly every type of workplace, including construction sites. And these substances have their own set of regulations. COSHH.

Make sure your team knows how the COSHH regulations apply, with the free COSHH toolbox talk.

14. Electrical Safety

🆓 Free Electrical Safety Toolbox Talk

With electrical alterations, electrical equipment, electrical installations, and temporary electrical supplies, knowing electrical safety is a big deal in construction.

Find out more with the electrical safety toolbox talk.

15. Benefits of Safety

🆓 Free Benefits of Safety Toolbox Talk

What's the point of all these toolbox talks? Or of safety in general? There are loads of benefits, above and beyond the obvious reward of keeping people safe. See how many you know about in the benefits of safety toolbox talk.

16. CDM Client

🆓 Free CDM Client Toolbox Talk

Do you know client CDM duties? Does your client?

If you work on a construction project, you need to make sure the client knows about their duties. And CDM applies to every construction project, so download the CDM client toolbox talk.

17. CDM Principal Contractor

🆓 Free CDM Principal Contractor Toolbox Talk

Any construction project with more than one contractor needs a principal contractor.

Make sure their duties get done with the CDM principal contractor toolbox talk.

18. CDM Principal Designer

🆓 Free CDM Principal Designer Toolbox Talk

Any construction project with more than one contractor needs a principal designer. Make sure their duties are fulfilled with the CDM principal designer toolbox talk.

19. CDM Contractor

🆓 Free CDM Contractor Toolbox Talk

Every contractor involved in construction work must comply with CDM contractor duties. Get the CDM contractor toolbox talk.

20. CDM Designer

🆓 Free CDM Designer Toolbox Talk

Every designer involved in construction work must comply with CDM designer duties. Get the CDM designer toolbox talk.

21. Hand Tools

🆓 Free Hand Tools Toolbox Talk

Hand tools are often used in construction. We might not give much thought to using a hammer or a chisel, but some basic safety checks help stop injuries from faulty or wrongly used tools. Find out more with the hand tools toolbox talk.

Maybe this talk should have been number one since you would actually find hand tools in a toolbox!

22. Manual Handling

🆓 Free Manual Handling Toolbox Talk

While it's not strictly a construction-specific health and safety issue, manual handling affects construction just as much as other industries.

In fact, because of the temporary nature of construction sites, manual handling can be harder to control on building projects. Raise awareness with the free manual handling toolbox talk.

23. Slips and Trips

🆓 Free Slips and Trips Toolbox Talk

Slips and trips might not seem like a major hazard, but did you know that slips, trips, and falls on the same level account for around 30% of non-fatal injuries reported in construction? That sounds like a pretty big problem. Bring attention to this with the slips and trips toolbox talk.

24. Tower Scaffolding

🆓 Free Tower Scaffolding Toolbox Talk

Tower scaffolding is widely used in the construction industry and can provide an effective and safe means of gaining access to work at height. But like every piece of equipment, it must be used safely. Download the tower scaffolding toolbox talk.

25. COSHH Symbols

🆓 Free COSHH Symbols Toolbox Talk

What do those symbols on the sides of containers mean? Are you up to date with the new red and black symbols? Find out more with the COSHH symbols toolbox talk.

26. Cold Environments

🆓 Free Cold Environments Toolbox Talk

From October to March, and sometimes beyond, the UK can be hit with some pretty cold weather. And often, in construction, we might need to brave the elements to survive winter work. You can use the cold environments toolbox talk to raise awareness of the risks of working in cold environments, both outdoor and indoor, and the controls needed.

27. First Aid

🆓 Free First Aid Toolbox Talk

We hope we won't need it, but accidents can happen. What should we do in the event of an accident, and what first aid procedures need to be in place?

Get the first aid toolbox talk so that your team knows what to do and where to get help.

28. Good Housekeeping

🆓 Free Good Housekeeping Toolbox Talk

Good housekeeping is the process of keeping your workplace clean and tidy. Not an easy task on a busy construction site, so it's important that every worker contributes and understands what is needed. Raise awareness with the good housekeeping toolbox talk.

29. Step Ladder Use

🆓 Free Step Ladder Toolbox Talk

Similar to the ladder toolbox talk earlier in our list, step ladders are also used on construction sites for access and short-duration work.

Do you know the different components and rules regarding step ladder use? Download the step ladders toolbox talk.

30. Safety Awareness

🆓 Free Safety Awareness Toolbox Talk

A good health and safety culture on a construction site needs everyone to be safety aware. Not just complying with a set of rules, but actively looking for hazards and ways to create a safer site. Pass on the message with the safety awareness toolbox talk.

31. Near Miss Reporting

🆓 Free Near Miss Reporting Toolbox Talk

Research has shown that for every 90 near misses, an accident will occur. But what if that accident could be stopped before it happens? Welcome to near-miss reporting!

Teach your team the basics with the near miss reporting toolbox talk.

32. Public Protection

🆓 Free Public Protection Toolbox Talk

Construction sites will often be near public areas or even within occupied buildings. Protecting the public is one of the important aspects of planning your work and site security. Make sure your public protection procedures are up to scratch with the public protection toolbox talk.

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