Free toolbox talk · Weil’s disease

Weil’s disease toolbox talk

A toolbox talk on Weil’s disease (leptospirosis), written to be read aloud in about six minutes: where it is caught on site, how it gets in, covering cuts, gloves and washing, no eating with dirty hands, the flu-like symptoms that come one to three weeks later, and telling the doctor where you work. The last page is the attendance record.

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PDF · 3 pages · 210 KB · Word 41 KB · Free to use and reuse · Terms

Attendance record page of the free weil’s disease toolbox talk from Unibuild, where each person signs to say they were given the talk and understood it

Front page of the free weil’s disease toolbox talk from Unibuild

Law: COSHH Regulations 2002, regulation 7
Time to deliver: About six minutes
Format: PDF and Word, with a sign-off sheet
Cost: Free, always

What this toolbox talk covers

This talk is for anyone who works where rats live or where water may be dirty: drainage and sewer work, excavations that fill with water, demolition and refurbishment of old buildings, river and canal work, voids under floors, and clearing overgrown or flooded sites. It takes about six minutes to give and covers how Weil’s disease is caught, covering cuts, gloves and washing, eating and smoking, the symptoms and what to tell the doctor.

It is written to be read aloud, with the points in the order a supervisor makes them, short lists of do and do not, and questions about this site. The last page is the record: who gave it, who heard it and what was raised.

The COSHH toolbox talk covers hazardous substances more widely, and the pest control risk assessment covers dealing with rats on site.

Checked against HSE guidance and legislation.gov.uk on 28 October 2026.

Toolbox talk · About six minutes

Weil’s disease: the talk

Read it as written or in your own words. Tick each point as you make it. Stop for the questions.

Why it matters

In England from 2020 to 2023 there were on average 57 confirmed and 89 probable cases of leptospirosis a year, the UK Health Security Agency says, and it lists construction among the higher risk occupations. Weil’s disease is the severe form. It can cause liver failure and jaundice, meningitis and kidney failure, and it can kill.

Most people who catch it never connect it to work. It starts a week or more later, feels like flu, and by then nobody remembers the flooded trench or the rat droppings in the void. This talk is about the simple habits that keep it out, and telling the doctor early so the antibiotics work.

UK Health Security Agency, Leptospirosis: guidance, data and analysis

The points to make

Where it comes from

Leptospirosis is caused by bacteria carried in the urine of infected animals, most often rats. On site it is in water, mud and wet ground where rats have been: drains, sewers, ditches, flooded excavations, riverbanks, canal sides, cellars, voids and derelict buildings. Heavy rain and flooding spread it further. You will not see it, and the water can look clean.

How it gets in

The bacteria get in through cuts, grazes and scratches, and through the eyes, nose and mouth. Skin that has been in water for a long time lets it in more easily. Splashes in the face, wiping your eyes with a dirty glove, eating a sandwich with unwashed hands, or smoking after handling wet materials are all ways in. It is not usually passed between people.

Cover cuts and wear gloves

Before work near water or rats, cover every cut and graze with a waterproof plaster, and change it if it gets wet or comes off. Wear waterproof gloves for wet work, and gloves for handling anything rats may have been on. Wear eye protection where water may splash, and waterproof clothing and boots for drainage and flooded work. Never handle a dead rat with bare hands.

Wash before you eat

Wash your hands and arms with soap and warm water before eating, drinking, smoking or using your phone, and before going home. Do not eat, drink or smoke in the work area. Clean any new cut straight away. If you fall into water or get soaked by it, shower as soon as you can. Keep work clothes and boots separate from the welfare cabin and from your clothes for home.

Keep rats away

Rats come to food and shelter. Keep food waste in sealed bins, do not leave scraps in the work area, clear rubbish piles and report rats, droppings or burrows on site so pest control can deal with them. Do not try to catch or kill rats yourself. Keep the welfare area clean and food stored in closed containers.

Know the symptoms

Symptoms usually start 7 to 21 days after exposure, sometimes sooner or later. It feels like flu: high temperature, severe headache, aching muscles, sickness, and sometimes red eyes. Some people seem to get better and then become much worse, with yellow skin or eyes, which needs urgent help. Many people only have mild symptoms or none at all.

Tell the doctor where you work

If you get flu-like symptoms within a few weeks of working near water, drains or rats, see a doctor and tell them about your work and possible exposure to leptospirosis. It is treated with antibiotics, which work best when started early. Many employers give a card to show the GP. Tell your supervisor too. A confirmed case linked to work is reportable to HSE.

Do

Cover cuts and grazes with waterproof plasters before starting work.
Wear waterproof gloves for wet work and eye protection where water can splash.
Wash your hands and arms before eating, drinking, smoking or going home.
Shower as soon as possible if you fall in or are soaked by water.
Report rats, droppings and burrows on site.
See a doctor about flu-like symptoms after wet work, and mention leptospirosis.

Do not

Do not eat, drink or smoke in the work area or with dirty hands.
Do not rub your eyes or face with dirty gloves or hands.
Do not handle rats, dead or alive, or their nests with bare hands.
Do not leave food waste where rats can get to it.
Do not shrug off flu-like symptoms after working in water or drains.

Ask the team

Where on this site might there be rats or dirty standing water?
Has anyone seen rats, droppings or burrows here?
Where are the washing facilities, and is there always soap and warm water?
Does everyone have waterproof plasters and gloves for today’s work?
What would you tell a doctor if you came down with flu a fortnight after this job?

To close

Weil’s disease is rare but can be very serious, and it gets in through a cut, a splash or a dirty hand at break time. So cover every cut, wear the gloves, wash before you eat or smoke, keep food away from rats, and report them when you see them. If you get flu in the weeks after working near water or drains, see a doctor and tell them where you have been working. Early antibiotics make the difference.

Record it. Who gave the talk, where, when, who was there and what was raised. The last page of the sheet is the record.

In Unibuild a talk is read in each operative’s own language and signed on the phone. How toolbox talks work

The law behind this talk

Checked against the source

Control of exposure to biological agents

An employer prevents or adequately controls exposure to substances hazardous to health, which include biological agents. Where exposure to a biological agent cannot be prevented, the measures include decontamination and disinfection procedures, safe collection and disposal of contaminated waste, hygiene measures with appropriate and adequate washing and toilet facilities, and where appropriate a ban on eating, drinking and smoking in areas where there is a risk of contamination.

COSHH Regulations 2002, regulation 7(6)

Reporting a work-related case

Where the responsible person receives a diagnosis of any disease attributed to an occupational exposure to a biological agent, such as leptospirosis caught at work, they follow the reporting procedure to the enforcing authority.

RIDDOR 2013, regulation 9(b)

Washing facilities on site

Construction sites provide suitable and sufficient washing facilities, with clean hot and cold, or warm, running water, soap or other suitable means of cleaning, and towels or other means of drying, at readily accessible places.

CDM 2015, Schedule 2, paragraph 2

What is on the sheet

3 pages, the talk and the record

The talk, over two pages

Why it matters, the points to make, do and do not, and the questions to ask, laid out to read from in the cabin or at the workface. Space at the top for the site, the date and who is giving it.

The last page, the record

The attendance record: each person's name, company and signature, the questions raised and any actions, signed off by the person who gave the talk. Type into it or print it and pass it round.

The Word version

The same talk as a Word document, so you can put your own letterhead on it, add a site photograph or change a point to match how your job is set up.

Download the talk as PDF Word versionPDF · 3 pages · 210 KB

After it is given

Delivered on the phone, signed in the room

On Unibuild a toolbox talk is picked from the library, read by each operative on their own phone in their own language and signed there and then. The record is filed against the operative, the site and the date.

A site manager sees who has had which talk, and who has not, without a sheet going round on Thursday.

How toolbox talks work on Unibuild

Asked most often

Weil’s disease toolbox talk questions

How long should a Weil’s disease toolbox talk be?

About five to ten minutes. This one reads in about six if you make every point and stop for the questions. Give it before drainage, sewer, river, canal, demolition or flooded site work, and again after heavy rain or flooding.

What is the difference between leptospirosis and Weil’s disease?

Leptospirosis is the infection. Weil’s disease is the name for its severe form, which causes liver failure and jaundice and can affect the kidneys. HSE also describes Hardjo, a usually milder form caught from cattle.

How do you catch Weil’s disease on a building site?

From water, mud or materials contaminated with the urine of infected rats, getting in through cuts and grazes or the eyes, nose and mouth. HSE lists construction, demolition and building renovation workers as at risk where there are rodents or stagnant water.

What are the symptoms of Weil’s disease?

HSE says symptoms usually start 7 to 21 days after exposure, though it can be 2 to 30 days, and are like flu: fever, severe headache, muscle pain and vomiting. Severe cases can lead to jaundice, meningitis and kidney failure, and can be fatal.

Is there a vaccine for Weil’s disease?

No. The UK Health Security Agency says there is no vaccine against leptospirosis for humans, so prevention depends on covering cuts, gloves and protective clothing, washing, and controlling rats.

Is Weil’s disease reportable under RIDDOR?

Yes, where a doctor diagnoses leptospirosis attributed to exposure at work. RIDDOR regulation 9 requires the employer to report any disease attributed to an occupational exposure to a biological agent.

What is a leptospirosis card?

A small card many employers give to workers at risk, to show a doctor if they become ill. It says the person’s work may expose them to leptospirosis, so the doctor considers it early. It is good practice, not a legal requirement.

Do we have to keep a record of the talk?

There is no regulation that names toolbox talk records, but COSHH requires information, instruction and training on the risks and precautions, and most principal contractors and auditors ask for the evidence. The last page of the sheet is the record.

Is this Weil’s disease toolbox talk free?

Yes. Download it, print it, give it, edit it and put your own name on it, including on paid work and for clients, with no sign-up and no email address.

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The blank toolbox talk template, the toolbox talk register, every talk by topic and every other free form are on Free downloads.

Next step

The talk given, understood
and on record.

Unibuild keeps every toolbox talk against the operative who signed it, the site and the date, for seven years, ready for the principal contractor or an auditor.

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