TL;DR
March safety topics have a ready-made theme: March is National Ladder Safety Month, Workplace Eye Wellness Month and Brain Injury Awareness Month, and National Poison Prevention Week falls in the third week. This plan gives you two toolbox talks a week for four weeks on ladders and walkways, eye protection and eye strain, chemical labels and storage, and head protection with spring housekeeping.
March toolbox talk plan: 4 weeks, 8 talks
Two short talks a week. Each title opens the full talk with talking points, crew questions and a printable sign-in sheet.
Week 1
Ladders and walkways
March is National Ladder Safety Month, and spring maintenance puts more people on ladders, steps and scaffolds after the winter.
- Ladder Safety
Ladders are useful for short, light tasks but need setting up and using correctly.
- Stairs and Walkways
Rushing on stairs and walkways causes many avoidable falls.
- Ladder Safety
Week 2
Protect your eyes
Prevent Blindness runs Workplace Eye Wellness Month all March, covering everything from eye strain at screens to eye safety in industrial settings.
- Eye and Face Protection
Flying particles, splashes and dust can cause serious eye injuries in an instant.
- Eye Breaks and the 20-20-20 Rule
Regular breaks from close focus help reduce eye strain at screens.
- Eye and Face Protection
Week 3
Chemicals and labels
National Poison Prevention Week falls in the third week of March, so line up your chemical talks with it.
- Reading Labels and Safety Data Sheets
Labels and safety data sheets tell you how to handle a chemical safely.
- Chemical Storage
Storing chemicals correctly prevents reactions, spills and fires.
- Reading Labels and Safety Data Sheets
Week 4
Heads up, clear floors
Close with Brain Injury Awareness Month and a spring cleanup of the clutter and storage that built up over winter.
- Head Protection
Hard hats protect against falling objects and bumps in marked areas.
- Good Housekeeping
Clean, tidy work areas prevent many slips and trips.
- Head Protection
Safety observances in March
Every March · American Ladder Institute (ALI)
Run the week 1 ladder safety talk as a hands-on ladder inspection, in line with ALI's focus on safe ladder use.
March 1-31 every year · Prevent Blindness
It covers both screen-related eye strain and industrial eye safety, which is exactly the pairing in week 2.
National Poison Prevention Week
The third week of March every year · Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Poison Help
Schedule the week 3 safety data sheet talk for this week and post the Poison Help line, 1-800-222-1222, next to your chemical storage.
Every March · Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA)
Use it to introduce the week 4 head protection talk on choosing, wearing and replacing hard hats.
March safety topics are among the easiest to plan, because the calendar does most of the work. It is National Ladder Safety Month, Workplace Eye Wellness Month and Brain Injury Awareness Month, and National Poison Prevention Week lands in the third week. Add the first spring maintenance jobs and the clutter left over from winter, and you have a full month.
Here are eight short toolbox talks, two a week, each with a full script in our safety talk topic library.
Why do these March safety topics fit the month?
Spring maintenance means more work at height. At many sites, March is when outdoor repairs that waited through the winter finally start. OSHA's fall prevention campaign highlights falls from ladders, scaffolds and roofs. It tells employers to plan the job and use the right ladder or scaffold for it.
Week 1 pairs the ladder safety toolbox talk with stairs and walkways, so crews check steps, edges and handrails before spring work picks up.
Eyes get a month of their own. Prevent Blindness runs Workplace Eye Wellness Month from March 1 to 31. It covers everything from eye strain to eye safety in industrial settings. OSHA says thousands of people are blinded each year by work-related eye injuries that the right eye and face protection could have prevented.
So week 2 covers both choosing the right eye and face protection on the shop floor and screen breaks for office staff. Our free 20-20-20 eye break timer is handy for the second talk.
Poison Prevention Week falls mid-month. HRSA says National Poison Prevention Week takes place every year in the third week of March. OSHA's Hazard Communication Standard requires chemical manufacturers and importers to provide labels and safety data sheets. Its own summary: the standard that gave workers the right to know now gives them the right to understand.
How should you run your March toolbox talks?
Keep each talk to about five minutes, and make it hands-on. For ladders, bring two ladders to the talk, one good and one tagged out, and have the crew find the faults. For chemicals, pick a real product from your shelves and read its label and safety data sheet together.
In week 4, tie head protection to housekeeping. Clear the walkways, check what's stored overhead, and remove anything that could fall. If spring work brings a job you haven't done in a while, such as roof access or high-level cleaning, plan it with our free JSA template.
What tips go with your safety topics for March?
- Pick the right ladder. OSHA's fall campaign tells employers to use the right ladder or scaffold for the job, and to provide fall protection for workers six feet or more above a lower level.
- Post the Poison Help line. HRSA lists 1-800-222-1222. Put it next to chemical storage and in the first aid area.
- Match eye protection to the task. OSHA says eye and face protection must be provided whenever it's needed to protect against chemical, environmental, radiological or mechanical hazards.
- Report damage after winter. Ask crews to flag broken steps, loose handrails and damaged ladders now, before spring workloads build.
Plan ahead for April
April brings Distracted Driving Awareness Month, National Work Zone Awareness Week and Workers Memorial Day. Note which of these March toolbox talk topics got the best response, and keep the hands-on format going.
Frequently asked questions
What are good March safety topics?
Ladder safety and walkways, eye protection and eye strain, chemical labels and storage, and head protection with spring housekeeping. Each lines up with a March observance, which makes the month easy to promote.
When is National Ladder Safety Month?
Every March. The American Ladder Institute says thousands of organizations across North America take part each year to promote the safe use of ladders.
When is National Poison Prevention Week?
HRSA says it takes place every year in the third week of March. Congress created it in 1961 to increase knowledge about preventing poisonings.
What height requires fall protection?
OSHA's fall prevention campaign, which is aimed at construction, says workers six feet or more above lower levels are at risk of serious injury or death and must be given fall protection. Check the standard that applies to your industry.
How long should a March toolbox talk be?
About five minutes. Demonstrate one thing, such as a ladder check or reading a label, then ask the crew a question.
Sources
- Home - National Ladder Safety Month
- Workplace Eye Wellness Month: Protect Your Vision at Work
- National Poison Prevention Week | Poison Help
- Brain Injury Awareness Month - Brain Injury Association of America
- OSHA's Fall Prevention Campaign | Occupational Safety and Health Administration
- Eye and Face Protection - Overview | Occupational Safety and Health Administration
- Hazard Communication - Overview | Occupational Safety and Health Administration
This plan is general safety information. Adapt it to your site's hazards and procedures and follow the regulations that apply where you work.