Safety Toolbox Talks in India: Who Should Be Leading Them on Site?

Dear friends, I have worked for five companies in Qatar, UAE, and KSA, and now I am in India. In the last four companies, the toolbox talk was conducted by the site supervisor. However, in Saudi Arabia, it is done by the safety officer or safety supervisor themselves. In Saudi, my company is a third-rate company, and safety is just for show.

Responsibility for Conducting Safety Toolbox Talks in India

In India, whose responsibility is it to conduct the safety toolbox talk or toolbox meeting?

In our company, we share the responsibility and encourage all of our technical employees to provide toolbox talks on various subjects among other technical employees and contractors in the local language.

In our company (in India), safety is overseen by site supervisors. However, as a safety professional, we must ensure the quality of the toolbox talk. This includes discussing not only job safety measures for the day but also sharing incidents that may have occurred within our organization or others in the past day. Additionally, we can provide other relevant safety information. At times, we are required to present in meetings and share safety-related topics that are pertinent to the audience.

It is better that all toolbox talks be conducted by the concerned immediate supervisor and receive input from HSE professionals. The basic reason for this is that the dangers, hazards, and risks involved in the operations, as well as the control measures to avoid incidents and accidents, are very clear to supervisors.

Thanks,
V R Peddi

Dear All,

It is good to see that we are giving importance to toolbox talks because it is one of the important tools for HSE. We are doing the same, but we don't have a specialized format for recording such discussions. According to my knowledge, toolbox talk discussions should not be more than 5-10 minutes. So, if anyone has a toolbox reporting format, please send that.

Regards,
Yogesh Hausare
HSE Executive

Dear Yogesh Hausare, you are 100% correct that toolbox meetings should be recorded as proof that the organization is providing proper safety instructions for the workforce. In many GCC countries, toolbox talk records are very important. In 2008, I witnessed a fatal accident near a site in a high-rise building project in Qatar. It occurred due to a fall from a 24-floor height. During the police investigation, they requested the toolbox talk document. Unfortunately, the organization had an incomplete record of toolbox talks, and the worker who died had not signed in a single toolbox meeting format.

The next step the police took was to detain the foreman, supervisor, and safety officer in prison for two weeks. They were released, but their passports were withheld until the company paid full compensation to the worker's family.

Thank you.

Please find the format of a toolbox talk record. Thank you.

Dear All,

Who Should Conduct the Toolbox Talk?

The answer to who should conduct the Toolbox Talk (TBT) is the Line Supervisor or Engineers. However, in most Indian companies, Safety Professionals are the ones actually conducting it.

In Saudi Arabia and other Arabian countries, safety professionals have more authority compared to those in India. They conduct TBTs and have the power to stop any unsafe job. The situation is different in Indian companies where a safety professional may face threats from management if they stop a job. Conditions vary greatly, so comparisons are not straightforward.

Record-Keeping of Toolbox Talks

Regarding the record-keeping of TBT, is it always possible to maintain? Is it feasible to get every employee's signature regularly? One of our forum members suggests that the ideal time for a TBT is 5-10 minutes. If 50 workers participate, taking everyone’s signature daily would be time-consuming. Instead, we can keep photographs and maintain a register where only the conducting site supervisors need to sign.

The key is to ensure that TBT is conducted daily before work begins. This can be ensured with the involvement of top management personnel. Our top management representatives visit different locations daily to verify if TBT is being conducted by Line Supervisors or Engineers. This process continues for a month or two until TBT becomes a regular practice. We even involve workers as speakers, sharing their experiences, which has a greater impact on their co-workers.

Regards

Yes, if we start taking signatures after the toolbox talk, it will take more than half an hour or longer, depending on the workforce number. To avoid this situation, what we do is conduct the TBT first. After that, we provide this form to supervisors, foremen, and charge hands (most of them are experts in taking photocopies from the office, so they will make their copies, and no distribution is needed for them). They will collect the workers' signatures under them during spare time and submit the filled-up form to the HSE department office every week. We also take a minimum of two photographs of the TBT as proof of conducting the toolbox talk. During audits, auditors ask for toolbox talk records and photographs.

Regarding threatening words from the management, this is common in Gulf countries as well. This is due to the fear of delays in work schedules and penalties from consultants for not completing jobs on time. Interestingly, management never uses threatening language with safety professionals who appear physically strong and muscular, fearing possible physical retaliation. Most of the safety professionals I have worked with are bodybuilders, which has helped me avoid receiving any threatening words.

Dear friends,

I wish you all a very happy, prosperous, and safe Navratri and Vijayadashmi.

Toolbox Meetings and Safety Talks

A toolbox meeting, pep talk, or safety talk is certainly the responsibility of the job supervisor for routine and repetitive tasks. For jobs of irregular nature, the HSE personnel should be consulted for their views. For irregular or new jobs, a Job Safety Analysis (JSA) should be carried out to identify associated hazards and control measures. This information should then be communicated to the entire task force through toolbox meetings, pep talks, or safety talks.

Recording toolbox meetings can greatly assist in demonstrating commitment to creating awareness and ensuring continual improvement, especially when undergoing audits for ISO OHSAS 18001. These records may prove valuable in the unfortunate event of facing inquiries following a fatal accident. Since it is a statutory requirement for the occupier to inform all workers about the hazards involved in their work, signed records of toolbox or pep talks can be crucial in proving to authorities that individuals were made aware of the hazards and the control measures. The format provided by Mr. Sudhir is perfect.

I look forward to receiving more insights on this topic.

Query on Color Coding of Machine Parts

Friends, I have a query that I would like to include in this discussion. I kindly request assistance from all of you in this matter. I would like to learn about the color coding of machine parts and guards used for protection against machine hazards. Please share your knowledge on this subject.

Regards,
Raman

Responsibility for Toolbox Talks

Toolbox talks are the responsibility of frontline engineers, supervisors, and foremen. The HSE person plays the role of facilitator.

Thank you.

It is nothing but pep talks given to workers before the start of work every day. It outlines the job to be carried out, the hazards associated with it, and the precautions to be taken to tackle such potential hazards in order to ensure a safe working environment. By the way, are you in the HSE field?

Regards,
Pon

In my company, it is done by the supervisors and sometimes shop floor members. Safety observers chip in one or two things. It is believed that they know the job better and understand the hazards inherent in the task to be carried out.

I agree very much with Mr. V R Peddi. Only the supervisors who are at the worksite are clearly aware of the HEMP and are to conduct the toolbox talk so that necessary controls can be in place. M A Chari

Importance of Supervisor-Led Toolbox Talks

It is better that all toolbox talks are conducted by the concerned immediate supervisor and get input from HSE professionals. The very basic reason is that the dangers, hazards, and risks involved in the operations, and control measures to avoid incidents and accidents are very clear to supervisors.

Thanks,
V R Peddi

Very good discussions on this thread so far. According to me, communicating the hazards to the workmen and making them aware of operation controls is MOST IMPORTANT, no matter who conducts it. The ultimate aim of any organization is ZERO ACCIDENT.

Dear Mr. Pon, thanks for providing the link.

Thanks & Regards,
Sudhir

Engineers/Supervisors have the primary responsibility of conducting Toolbox Talks (TBT), and safety professionals are there to assist the engineers whenever required.

Regards,
Prashant Holkar

Safety Instructions and Toolbox Meetings

Daily before the commencement of work, there will be some safety instructions given by the Safety team to the workforce regarding the day's tasks. This is known as a Safety Pep Talk. The instruction will be provided before entering the work premises.

However, in the case of a Toolbox meeting, the meeting will be conducted at the work location during working hours, focusing on specific tasks and led by Safety personnel in the presence of Site Engineers.

The Toolbox Meeting is the prime responsibility of Safety Personnel as it is aimed at creating safety awareness among workers and engineers.

Thank you.