Enacting a housekeeping toolbox talk with your employees will set a high standard for cleanliness and safety throughout your company. Although housekeeping will look different across industries, the statistics stay the same. A clean work environment produces the best outcomes in productivity and safety.
Good housekeeping is more than just an award-winning women’s magazine, it’s the framework of a safe job site. Poor housekeeping in work areas can result in employee injury, the breaking of company equipment, or damage to the job site itself.
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Managerial roles looking to take an active, cost-saving approach to housekeeping must create an open conversation with their employees. Designating a toolbox talk specifically to housekeeping allows managers to establish, monitor, and get feedback about the best housekeeping strategies for their workforce.
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What are Toolbox Talks?
Toolbox talks are generally informal work meetings led by a supervisor about a specific safety issue. Frontline workers will often find themselves in these talks to discuss hands-on labor best practices.
If the thought of discussing housekeeping with your workforce doesn’t sound thrilling, don’t fret!
Just follow these toolbox talk quick tips:
- Keep it short and sweet: A housekeeping toolbox talk should not take up too much of your time. It’s best to shoot for less than thirty minutes of total discussion time.
- Mandate Attendance: Albeit possibly boring, it’s imperative to require the attendance of all workers during housekeeping toolbox talks.
- Stick to Relatable Topics: In order to host the most productive housekeeping toolbox talk, make it informative. It’s essential to set clear expectations for your company’s workplace and then listen. Allowing your employees to lead the discussion will help build team alignment and spark innovative housekeeping tactics.
Housekeeping should be tackled by using a united front. Most often, employees are left with these duties at the end of their shift. If one worker forgets cleaning protocols, then they are putting the following shift workers in danger.
Enacting recurring housekeeping toolbox talks will lead to a safer, more productive workplace.
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Why are Toolbox Talks Important?
“Starting each day with a toolbox safety talk not only reinforces those general safe work expectations and obligations, but more importantly, demonstrates to the workforce the importance of putting safety first each and every day.”
—Shelley Sutton, Vice President of Shared Services, HTH Companies inc., Union, Missouri, STEP Platinum, ABC Accredited Quality Contractor
Toolbox talks most importantly signify a company’s commitment to safety. When a company prioritizes safety in a workplace it demonstrates their dedication to their employee’s well beings. Safety is a significant factor in the management of frontline workers like plumbers, electricians, construction workers, ect.
And how employees feel about their safety directly impacts the company. Regardless of experience or the availability of technology, frontline work can be dangerous. Managerial roles that focus on putting safety first will notice various benefits that boost productivity.
Companies that create a positive work culture around safety have increased:
- Employee Retention
- Attendance
- Job Satisfaction
- Safety
- Customer Service/Satisfaction
- Performance
- Productivity
- Time Management
Not only does the workplace safety culture affect your company’s bottom dollar, it’s also government regulated. Many of the procedural standards set by insurance companies and licensures require an active safety protocol.
Toolbox talks are the perfect way to provide your staff with company expectations that comply with government regulations. Thus making sure your employees are adequately protected and leaving your company out of hot water.
However, the only way to make sure that safety protocols are enacted is through accountability. Toolbox talks ensure that all employees are made aware of safety standards and given time to discuss their experiences. Streamlining communication between workers will also lead to team development and bonding that also has a variety of production benefits.
Benefits of a Housekeeping Toolbox Talk
A housekeeping toolbox talk goes far beyond the the idea of keeping a work site looking visually pleasing for aesthetics. An effective housekeeping toolbox talk will emphasize the importance of housekeeping protocols while also exploring the consequence of not doing so.
Housekeeping toolbox talks will align frontline workers with management, ensuring open communication. During team huddles, management will:
- Set Safety Expectations: Housekeeping toolbox talks allow managers to communicate specific responsibilities that will maintain a safe workplace. Leaders take a critical role in delegating clear safety expectations and how their employees can meet those goals.
- Provide general awareness about safety hazards: Labor intensive work experiences a variety of known dangerous conditions. Hazards, however, go a step further into covering all known social, natural, or occupational risks that could occur. Providing employees with safety awareness will allow them to develop an eye for potential safety issues.
- Correct bad practices in the work place or on site: A toolbox talk is one of the best ways to improve onsite safety. Through regular employee engagement, management will correctly define safety issues. Employee feedback will offer a collective response and troubleshooting from different perspectives.
Did you know that a substantial portion of on-the-job injuries are directly related to housekeeping practices, which is then labeled as negligence?
Housekeeping falls under a vast spectrum of everything from proactive material maintenance to providing dry accommodations. Simply put – bad housekeeping is dangerous at anytime and will lead to higher costs, production delays, federal safety regulation violations, and potential harm.
So, what should you cover in your housekeeping toolbox talk?
9 Item to Cover in a Housekeeping Toolbox Talk
It’s always important to remember that a housekeeping toolbox talk differs from safety training. Therefore, safety training requirements must still be met outside of toolbox talks.
However, a toolbox tox actually works as an extension of mandated safety training. It is a way to offer quick demonstrations, provide safety reminders, and answer questions within an informal atmosphere.
It’s best to tweak each conversation to be most relatable to your frontline. But whether you are in the construction business or manage a team of electricians, there is a standard housekeeping narrative to follow.
So, here a few common topic ideas for your housekeeping toolbox talk:
🔧 Unattended Tools
- Leaving tools lying around the jobsite is a tripping hazard. Also, potentially a falling hazard if the tool is left in a higher location.
- Power-actuated tools must never be left unattended. This will pose a risk of an immediate OSHA violation, which will shut down production and cost your business a hefty fine.
- Never leave equipment plugged in when not in use. This is hazardous to employees without experience using the equipment.
🤯 Clutter
- Jobsite clutter poses the risk of trips, falls, and other injuries.
- Start by mapping out what material/tools workers need to complete their job. Only bring those specific tools.
- Provide reminders on where to put equipment when not in use.
🚪 Improper Tool Storage
- Provide tool storage away from exits and doorways.
- Teach employees proper tool storage techniques.
- Leaving equipment dirty or wet can reduce it’s lifespan and utility.
- Putting machinery away without blade covers, stacking equipment, not tying up cords, or putting tools in the wrong place all pose safety risks.
- Hold employees accountable for cleaning and putting tools away.
🔥 Storage Compliance (Flammable or Toxic Substances)
- Hazardous waste must be managed within compliance of federal laws.
- Establish inventory management and clear information to avoid the incompatible co-location of chemicals.
- Implement and review an emergency response program.
🗑️ Trash and Dust Accumulation
- Trash and dust on a worksite pose health and safety risks.
- Demonstrate how to wear PPE (personal protective equipment) and how to choose smart clothing.
- Consider the environmental impact of air and water pollutants from a job site.
💦 Wet Surfaces
- One of the best ways to reduce dust and pollutants from a work site is by wetting the area down.
- This will then pose significant slip and erosion risks.
- Provide education on this risk management and preventative measures associated with water damage.
💡 Low Lighting
- Too little or too much light can pose health risks and on-site accidents.
- Eye strain, headaches, and stress will lead to loss of productivity and a decline in company morale.
- Light housekeeping will open the discussion to proper lighting and instill a cleaning procedure.
🧼 Poor Facility Hygiene
- Sanitation protocols will keep your staff healthy and prevent the spread of infectious diseases.
- Emphasize the importance of daily housekeeping measures for toilets, urinals, and any other clean-up facility.
- Provide a soap/hand sanitizer location.
Remember to keep your housekeeping toolbox talk short and sweet. Keep your chat to one specific topic, possibly even one small portion of that topic. Not only is this a topic that might bore your employees, you don’t want to cut into production time.
Hosting a morning toolbox talk might make it even harder to engage employees. The transition from home to work might be challenging enough without a thirty minute talk on best cleaning practices. But don’t fret!
Follow these guidelines to make the most of your housekeeping toolbox talk!
Make Your Housekeeping Toolbox Talk Count
A regular housekeeping toolbox talk is one of the most impactful ways to create a workplace safety mindset. But how should you begin your toolbox talk initiatives?
A “safety mindset” evolves from messages through individual experiences that connect a workplace. When an employee believes in your message they turn that into action, which gives the desired results. And the best way to reach this positive safety mindset is through storytelling.
Begin your morning toolbox talk with an individual’s experience. This doesn’t have to be negative. Promote a story about an employee actively preventing a fall by cleaning an area or placing non-slip mats in a wet area.
Focused storytelling will provide a clear positive message that allows employees to understand their role in worksite safety. Undergoing an experience often helps develop the safety mindset.
How to Follow Up on a Housekeeping Toolbox Talk
Focusing on progress is the best way to follow up on team huddles. Follow this guideline to making the most out of your housekeeping toolbox talk.
💪 Maintain a higher standard
- It’s easy to talk about a problem but with workforce safety, there must be action.
- Implement and follow changes that combat bad practices.
👍 Note improvements to practices
- Keeping notes of every toolbox talk will enhance progression.
- Metrics and standards should be reviewed to align company policy with the best possible practices.
👏 Give praise or incentives
- Highlight individual or team best practices through positive reinforcement.
- We’ve all seen the signs in movies and television shows about how many days since an onsite accident.
- Incentivize your workforce enforcing a safety mindset.
✍️ Revisit highlights before the next toolbox talk
- Management and staff must be prepared to get the most out of each meeting.
- Send meeting reviews and highlights to prepare employees for their daily discussion.
- Provide meeting notes to employees that missed the last meeting.
If you’re a manager or team supervisor that is feeling overwhelmed by the thought of orchestrating a daily housekeeping toolbox talk, don’t worry!
One of the best ways to (keep your management team happy) and ensure that your housekeeping toolbox talk is effective is through organization and documentation. Cut out the paper and pen process with an operational management application available on your ipad or phone.
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Xenia provides a simple interface for contractors and construction managers to manage subcontractor tasks, site safety inspections, punch lists and equipment maintenance. Centralize project data and generate analytics reports and proof of work for legal and government compliance.
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