Jobsite Housekeeping Toolbox Talk
Nobody has ever had a serious injury because the site was too clean. Trips over debris are the most common injury on residential jobs and the cheapest one to prevent.
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The talk, read this out
Look at the floor where you are standing. If you had to walk backward carrying a sheet of plywood right now, what would you go over?
Slips, trips and falls on the same level are the injuries nobody respects, and they are the ones that fill up the log. A twisted knee, a broken wrist, a head on a stud. All of them from something on the floor that was going to be picked up later.
The reason it is worse in construction is that everybody is carrying something. You cannot see your feet with a sheet of drywall in your hands, so the floor has to be clear before you start, not after you trip.
Nails and screws in scrap. Every piece of pulled trim, every offcut of sheathing and every broken pallet is a puncture waiting to happen. Bend them over or pull them, and get scrap into a container the same day, not into a pile in the corner.
Cords and hoses are the trip hazard we create ourselves. Run them along walls and around the perimeter, not across doorways and walking routes, hang them where you can, and pull them back when the tool is done.
Combustibles are the other half of housekeeping. Sawdust, cardboard, rags with finish on them, plastic wrap and foam offcuts. A pile of that next to a heater, a light or hot work is an actual fire, and rags with oil based finish can heat up on their own and ignite without any source at all. Those go in a sealed metal can.
The rule that works is clean as you go. Fifteen minutes at the end of the day, every day, beats a half day cleanup on Friday, and it means Monday starts on a floor you can walk across.
Point at these before anybody starts
A talk delivered in a trailer is a meeting. Stand where the work is and put a hand on each of these.
- The walking routes: from the door to the work, and from the work to the saw
- Cords and hoses lying across any route people use
- Scrap with nails and screws in it, and where the container is
- Sawdust, cardboard and packaging, especially near heaters and lights
- Any rags with oil based finish on them and what they are being stored in
- Stairs and landings, which are where debris does the most damage
The rules that apply
- Clear scrap, debris and packaging at regular intervals during the shift, not only at the end.
- Keep walkways, stairs, landings and exits clear at all times.
- Bend over or pull nails and screws in scrap lumber the moment it comes off.
- Route cords and hoses along walls and overhead, never across doorways or walking routes.
- Store combustible scrap in covered containers and rags with oil based finish in sealed metal cans.
- Clean as you go, and finish the shift with the floor walkable.
Ask the crew
Three questions, answered out loud by name. This is the part that tells you whether anybody was listening.
- What is on this floor right now that somebody is going to go over today?
- Where does the scrap actually go on this job, and does everybody know?
- Who is doing the last fifteen minutes today?
Close with this
Clear routes, cords out of the way, scrap in the container, nails bent over. Fifteen minutes at the end of every day.
A talk nobody signed for is a talk that, as far as anybody can later prove, never happened. Use the free toolbox meeting sign in sheet in PDF, Word or Excel, or print the PDF above, which already has the signature lines on it.
Questions people ask
Does OSHA require jobsite housekeeping?
Yes. 29 CFR 1926.25 requires scrap, debris and waste to be cleared from work areas, passageways and stairs at regular intervals, combustible scrap to be removed, and containers to be provided for waste.
Why are rags with finish on them a fire risk?
Oil based finishes cure by oxidation, which gives off heat. A bunched pile of rags holds that heat in, the temperature climbs, and the pile can ignite with no external source. Sealed metal containers or laying them flat outdoors to dry prevents it.
How often should a site be cleaned up?
Continuously during the shift for anything in a walking route, and a full sweep at the end of every day. Waiting until the end of the week means a week of trip hazards and a half day of work to fix.
More toolbox talks
TOOLBOX TALK: HOUSEKEEPING
Attendance
Everybody who was present signs, including subcontractors and anybody visiting the site.