At a glance
- 72 tips in 9 topics, one a day, in rotation by date (US Eastern time).
- 37 tips state an OSHA rule and cite its paragraph; the rest are good practice or NIOSH guidance.
- Each tip links to one of the full toolbox talks, with a PDF and a sign-in sheet.
- Free to use in your meetings, posters and newsletters.
How do you use a safety tip of the day?
- Read the tip out loud at the start of the shift, before the crew splits up.
- Point at the place on this site where it applies: the ladder, the trench, the panel, the water cooler.
- Ask one person to say what they will do differently today.
- When there is time, follow the link to the full toolbox talk and its sign-in sheet.
The toolbox talk guide covers longer meetings, and the safety topics page sorts every talk by risk, trade and season.
All 72 safety tips, by topic
Falls and ladders
| Tip | Full talk |
|---|---|
| In construction, a worker on an unprotected side or edge 6 feet or more above a lower level is protected by a guardrail, a safety net or a personal fall arrest system (29 CFR 1926.501(b)(1)). | Fall Protection Essentials |
| Inspect your harness, lanyard and connectors before each use, and take anything worn or damaged out of service (29 CFR 1926.502(d)(21)). | Fall Protection Essentials |
| Rig a personal fall arrest system so you can neither free fall more than 6 feet nor contact any lower level (29 CFR 1926.502(d)(16)(iii)). | Fall Protection Essentials |
| When a portable ladder gives access to an upper landing, its side rails extend at least 3 feet above the landing, or, where the ladder is too short, it is secured at the top to a rigid support with a grasping device such as a grab rail (29 CFR 1926.1053(b)(1)). | Ladder Safety |
| Set a non-self-supporting ladder so its foot sits about one quarter of the working length out from the top support (29 CFR 1926.1053(b)(5)(i)). | Ladder Safety |
| Do not use the top or the top step of a stepladder as a step (29 CFR 1926.1053(b)(13)). | Ladder Safety |
| A ladder with a broken rung or a split rail is marked as defective or tagged "Do Not Use" and taken out of service until it is repaired (29 CFR 1926.1053(b)(16)). | Ladder Safety |
| Face the ladder, keep three points of contact as you climb, and haul tools up on a line instead of carrying them. | Ladder Safety |
| Keep material back from the edge of a deck or a scaffold so it cannot be knocked onto someone below. | Dropped Objects |
| Cover a floor hole as soon as it is cut, secure the cover and mark it so nobody lifts it by mistake. | Fall Protection Essentials |
| In construction, scrap and debris are kept cleared from work areas, passageways and stairs (29 CFR 1926.25(a)). | Slips, Trips and Falls |
| Clean up a spill or an icy patch on a walkway right away, or mark it and report it. | Slips, Trips and Falls |
Scaffolds and trenches
| Tip | Full talk |
|---|---|
| A competent person inspects a scaffold for visible defects before each work shift and after anything that could affect its structural integrity (29 CFR 1926.451(f)(3)). | Scaffolding Safety |
| Each employee in an excavation is protected from cave-ins by an adequate protective system, unless the excavation is entirely in stable rock, or less than 5 feet deep and a competent person's examination of the ground shows no indication of a potential cave-in (29 CFR 1926.652(a)(1)). | Trenching & Excavation Safety |
| Keep spoil and equipment at least 2 feet back from the edge of an excavation, or hold them back with retaining devices (29 CFR 1926.651(j)(2)). | Trenching & Excavation Safety |
| In a trench 4 feet deep or more, a stairway, ladder, ramp or other safe way out sits within 25 feet of lateral travel for each worker (29 CFR 1926.651(c)(2)). | Trenching & Excavation Safety |
| A competent person inspects the excavation, the adjacent areas and the protective system each day, before work starts and as needed through the shift (29 CFR 1926.651(k)(1)). | Trenching & Excavation Safety |
| Never climb the cross braces of a scaffold; use the access the scaffold was built with. | Scaffolding Safety |
| Call 811 before you dig, and wait until the lines are marked. | Trenching & Excavation Safety |
Electrical
| Tip | Full talk |
|---|---|
| In construction, nobody works close enough to contact an electric power circuit unless it is deenergized and grounded, or guarded by effective insulation or other means (29 CFR 1926.416(a)(1)). | Electrical Safety & Arc Flash |
| In general industry, access and working space around electric equipment is kept clear so it can be operated and maintained safely (29 CFR 1910.303(g)(1)). | Electrical Safety & Arc Flash |
| Check an extension cord before you plug it in, and pull any cord with cut insulation or a missing ground prong. | Electrical Safety & Arc Flash |
| Look up for overhead power lines before you raise a boom, a ladder or a dump bed. | Electrical Safety & Arc Flash |
| Treat every wire as live until it has been locked out and tested. | Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) Procedures |
Chemicals and dust
| Tip | Full talk |
|---|---|
| Each container of a hazardous chemical in the workplace is labeled, tagged or marked, except as the HazCom rule allows (29 CFR 1910.1200(f)(6)). | Understanding GHS Labels |
| Safety data sheets are kept in the workplace and readily accessible to employees in their work area during each shift (29 CFR 1910.1200(g)(8)). | Hazard Communication (HazCom) |
| Employees get information and training on the hazardous chemicals in their work area at their initial assignment, and again whenever a chemical hazard they have not been trained on comes into that area (29 CFR 1910.1200(h)(1)). | Hazard Communication (HazCom) |
| Read the label and Section 8 of the safety data sheet before you open a product you have not used before. | Chemical Safety Best Practices |
| Label every bottle you fill, even for a quick job; an unmarked container is a guess for the next person. | Understanding GHS Labels |
| Store incompatible chemicals apart, oxidizers away from fuels and acids away from bases. | Chemical Safety Best Practices |
| For each employee on a task listed in Table 1 of the construction silica standard, the employer fully and properly uses the controls the table lists, unless exposure is assessed and limited another way (29 CFR 1926.1153(c)(1)). | Silica Dust Exposure (Table 1 Controls) |
| Cut concrete, block and stone wet, or with the dust collection the tool was designed for. | Silica Dust Exposure (Table 1 Controls) |
| A respirator user gets a medical evaluation before being fit tested or required to wear the respirator (29 CFR 1910.134(e)(1)). | Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) |
| Before work that could disturb old pipe insulation or a sprayed ceiling, ask what the building owner found about asbestos at the work site (29 CFR 1926.1101(k)(2)(i)). | Asbestos |
Fire and emergencies
| Tip | Full talk |
|---|---|
| Where you weld, cut or heat, suitable fire extinguishing equipment is immediately available and ready for instant use (29 CFR 1926.352(d)). | Fire Prevention & Hot Work |
| When normal precautions are not enough, someone is assigned to guard against fire during the hot work and long enough afterward to make sure no fire can start (29 CFR 1926.352(e)). | Fire Prevention & Hot Work |
| In general industry, portable fire extinguishers are visually inspected monthly (29 CFR 1910.157(e)(2)). | Fire Extinguisher Use |
| Know where the nearest extinguisher is before you start, and keep the path to it clear. | Fire Extinguisher Use |
| Keep fuel cans closed and away from heaters, torches and anything else that sparks. | Working with Flammable Materials |
| In general industry, exit routes stay free and unobstructed, with no materials or equipment placed in them, even temporarily (29 CFR 1910.37(a)(3)). | Fire Extinguisher Use |
| In construction, a person with a valid first aid certificate is available at the worksite when no infirmary, clinic, hospital or physician is reasonably accessible (29 CFR 1926.50(c)). | First Aid |
| Know the site address and the gate an ambulance should use before anyone needs them. | First Aid |
| Before the shift, find the assembly point and the nearest exit from where you will work. | First Aid |
PPE and health
| Tip | Full talk |
|---|---|
| Put hearing protection in whenever you have to raise your voice to be heard by someone an arm's length away. | Hearing Protection |
| In construction, ear plugs are fitted or determined individually by competent persons (29 CFR 1926.101(b)). | Hearing Protection |
| In construction, employees in areas with a possible danger of head injury from impact, falling or flying objects, or electrical shock and burns are protected by protective helmets (29 CFR 1926.100(a)). | Dropped Objects |
| Pick the glove for the task: a cut-resistant one for sheet metal, a chemical-resistant one for solvents, leather for heat. | Hand Safety |
| Safety glasses go on before the tool starts and stay on until the dust settles. | Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) |
| Keep the load close to your body, and get help or a hoist for anything awkward or heavy. | Safe Lifting & Back Safety |
| In construction, protective equipment used to comply with the standards is provided at no cost to employees, with the exceptions the rule lists (29 CFR 1926.95(d)(1)). | Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) |
Equipment and vehicles
| Tip | Full talk |
|---|---|
| No one operates a forklift, except for training, until the employer has made sure they successfully completed the operator training (29 CFR 1910.178(l)(1)(ii); in construction, 29 CFR 1926.602(d)). | Forklift & Powered Industrial Truck Safety |
| In general industry, a forklift is examined before it goes into service, at least daily or after each shift when it runs around the clock, and stays out of service if anything affects its safety (29 CFR 1910.178(q)(7)). | Forklift & Powered Industrial Truck Safety |
| Never stand between a backing vehicle and a wall, a truck or anything else it could pin you against. | Backing Vehicles and Spotters |
| Make eye contact with the operator before you walk into the path of any equipment. | Backing Vehicles and Spotters |
| Stay out of a crane's swing area, marked with barriers or, where barriers are not feasible, with warning signs and markings (29 CFR 1926.1424(a)(2)(ii)). | Line of Fire |
| Never ride on a load, on forklift forks or on the outside of a vehicle. | Struck-By Hazards (Focus Four) |
| In general industry, servicing a machine where an unexpected startup or release of energy could hurt someone follows an energy control procedure, written down unless the machine meets every condition of the rule's exception (29 CFR 1910.147(c)(4)(i)). | Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) Procedures |
| In construction, a power tool designed to accommodate a guard is used with that guard (29 CFR 1926.300(b)(1)). | Machine Guarding |
| In general industry, aisles and passageways used by mechanical handling equipment are kept clear and in good repair (29 CFR 1910.176(a)). | Forklift & Powered Industrial Truck Safety |
Heat and cold
| Tip | Full talk |
|---|---|
| For moderate work in the heat, NIOSH recommends a cup of water every 15 to 20 minutes. | Hydration |
| In construction, an adequate supply of potable water is provided in all places of employment (29 CFR 1926.51(a)(1)). | Hydration |
| Watch new workers closely in their first hot days; their bodies have not adjusted to the heat yet. | Heat Stress Prevention |
| In the cold, wear loose layers and carry spare socks and gloves, as NIOSH advises. | Cold Stress |
| Shivering, clumsiness and confusion in the cold are early signs of hypothermia, so get the person somewhere warm and call for help. | Cold Stress |
| Check the forecast before work at height; wind and ice change the job. | Fall Protection Essentials |
Attention and reporting
| Tip | Full talk |
|---|---|
| Report every work-related injury, however small: employees have the right to report, and employers are prohibited from retaliating for it (29 CFR 1904.35(b)(1)(iii)). | Incident Reporting |
| Report a near miss the same day; OSHA's recommended practices treat close calls as a sign that hazards are not controlled. | Near Miss Reporting |
| Take ten seconds before each task to look above, below and around you. | Situational Awareness |
| Put the phone down before the vehicle moves; NIOSH recommends banning phone use while driving company vehicles, hands-free included. | Distracted Driving |
| When a task feels routine, check it the way you would on your first day. | Complacency |
| If a coworker seems to be struggling, ask directly and help them reach 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, by call or text. | Mental Health and Suicide Prevention |
| When you see someone in the line of fire, warn them out loud, right away. | Line of Fire |