Record · MHSWR 1999 regulation 10
Toolbox talk attendance sheet
The sign-off sheet on its own: site, date, time, topic and who gave it, twenty rows of names and signatures, the questions raised, the actions and sign-off.
Free download · Editable PDF
Free toolbox talk template
A toolbox talk template is the sheet a supervisor writes a short safety briefing on and the record that it was given. This one is two pages: the talk, with space for why it matters, the points to make, do and do not, questions and the close; and the attendance record with signatures. Editable PDF and Word, free to use and reuse.
- Format
- Editable PDF
- Pages
- 2
- Built on
- MHSWR 1999, regulation 10, and HSE guidance
- Cost
- Free, always
What is in the toolbox talk template
2 pagesThe talk sheet
Site, date, who is giving it, the topic and how long it took. A box for why it matters, in one real reason from this site or this trade.
The points to make
Six rows, each with a tick box, the point in a few words and what to say. Tick as you go so nothing is missed.
Do, do not, ask, close
Two short lists the team can repeat back, the questions you will put to them, and the one thing that changes today.
The attendance record
Site, date, time, topic and who gave it, then fifteen rows for name, company, trade and signature.
Questions and actions
What was raised and the answer given, and any action with an owner and a date, signed off by the person who gave the talk.
What the law and HSE say
Checked against the sourceNot named in law
No regulation uses the words toolbox talk, sets a length or an interval. The duty behind it is to give workers the information, instruction, training and supervision necessary for their health and safety.
Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, section 2(2)(c)Comprehensible and relevant information
Employers must provide employees with comprehensible and relevant information on the risks identified by the risk assessment and on the preventive and protective measures. A talk the team cannot follow does not meet this.
Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, regulation 10Training when the risk changes
Adequate health and safety training on recruitment and when exposed to new or increased risks, repeated periodically where appropriate. A toolbox talk is how many sites deal with the change on the day.
Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, regulation 13(2) and (3)On construction sites
A contractor must provide each worker under their control with appropriate supervision, instructions and information so that construction work can be carried out, so far as is reasonably practicable, without risks to health and safety.
Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, regulation 15(3)The record
No regulation sets what a toolbox talk record contains or how long it is kept. A dated sheet with the topic, the giver and the signatures of those present is what principal contractors and auditors ask for. Keep it with the project records.
HSE INDG345, Health and safety training: a brief guideHow to use it
Write it before you give it
Pick the subject for this week, from the work about to start or what went wrong last week. Fill in why it matters and the points, in words the team uses. Or pick a written talk and skip this step.
Give it and get it signed
Ten minutes at the start of the shift. Tick the points as you make them, ask the questions, and pass the record round on the day, not later in the week.
File it and log it
Keep the sheet with the site records and add a row to the toolbox talk register. Anyone who missed it is given the talk before they next do that work.
Asked most often
Questions about
Questions about
this template.
What is a toolbox talk template?
A blank sheet for a short safety briefing: the topic, why it matters, the points to make, questions for the team, and an attendance record with signatures. The talk is written on it, given from it and kept as the record.
Is a toolbox talk a legal requirement?
Not by name. The Health and Safety at Work Act and the Management Regulations require employers to give workers the information, instruction and training they need, and CDM 2015 requires contractors to provide instruction and information to the workers they control. A toolbox talk is one recognised way of doing that.
Is this toolbox talk template free?
Yes. It is free to download, use and reuse, including on paid work and for clients, with no sign-up and no email address.
Is there a Word version of the toolbox talk template?
Yes. Download it as a Word document to put your own letterhead on it or add rows. The editable PDF can be typed into in any PDF reader, or printed and filled in by hand.
How long should a toolbox talk be?
Five to ten minutes. One subject, a handful of points, time for questions. No regulation sets a length.
How often should toolbox talks be given?
No law sets an interval. Weekly or fortnightly is common on UK sites, plus a talk whenever the work changes, a new team starts or something has gone wrong. Many principal contractors set the frequency in the construction phase plan.
Do we need to keep the signed sheet?
There is no regulation that says so, but without it there is no evidence the information was given. Keep it with the project health and safety records, at least for the life of the project.
Are there toolbox talks already written?
Yes. Working at height, manual handling, PPE, housekeeping, slips and trips, electrical safety, fire safety, dust and silica, COSHH, asbestos awareness, noise and mental health are written out in full, each with its own sheet, at toolbox talk topics.
More free downloads
All 95 downloads →
Register · MHSWR 1999
Toolbox talk register
One row per talk given on the site, with the date, topic, who gave it, how many attended and the sheet reference, plus a planner for the year and a page of who has had which talk.
Talk · Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012
Asbestos awareness toolbox talk
Where asbestos is still found, why disturbing it kills, the survey, and stop work if you find something.
Next step
The same records,
The same records,
without the paper.
On the platform these stop being sheets. The check, the person, the date, the signature and the action that followed are recorded as the work runs and retrieved by site.