Category: Toolbox Talks

Harness Inspection: Why Inspect Your Harness? Safety harnesses are essential protection against falls, the leading cause of serious injuries on job sites. Inspecting your harness before every use can save your life. Defective harnesses put you at risk, even if…

Construction Material Salvage typically requires the deconstruction of a building in a way that preserves building materials for future reuse. The salvage of lumber, bricks, steel, windows, stone, floor coverings, ornamental items, etc. are common, if in good condition, for…

Every year hundreds of people risk serious injury falling from vehicles. This talk sets out the basic steps you can take to prevent falls while loading and unloading vehicles. Causes of Falls Slipping and falling from loads and access steps…

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), nearly one-third of reportable injuries and 40% of fatalities in construction result from slips, trips, and falls nationally. These injuries result in 50% more days away from work than other injuries. Slips,…

Working with or near power lines can expose workers to electrical hazards, but these dangers can be avoided through safe work practices. Exposure to overhead power line hazards is not limited to employees of electrical utilities—workers in industries like construction…

Noise is unwanted sound that can affect your job performance, interfere with communication, startle you, and disrupt your concentration leading to incidents. In addition, the psychological effects of noise include annoyance and disruption of attention. Ideally, engineering design or limiting…

Electric pallet jacks make quick work of moving loads around the workplace. Pallet jacks protect your back from strains and injuries by moving heavy and awkward loads and objects that would be unsafe to lift manually. However, as with any…

An arc flash is a high-voltage electric short circuit that leaves its intended path and travels through the air from one conductor to another (or to the ground). The electrical explosion caused by the event can reach temperatures as high…

Hoisting is used to lift and lower loads using a drum or wheel wrapped around ropes or chains. Hoists can be powered manually, electrically, or pneumatically. Hoists effectively move heavy and/or awkward equipment, requiring specialized training and following safe work…

The loading dock is one of the busiest areas in any facility. Semi-trucks come in, trailers get dropped off, and workers move quickly to load or unload inventory. Forklifts, pallet jacks, hand trucks—and sometimes even people lifting manually—are all in…