Hazard Reporting Toolbox Talk: Spot It, Report It, Check It's Fixed

This hazard reporting toolbox talk is for every person on site, from new starters to supervisors. It takes about five minutes and works well at the start of a week. The crew should leave knowing exactly how to report a hazard or near miss here, and feeling that reporting is expected, not a complaint.

Why does hazard reporting matter?

Most incidents have warning signs: a loose handrail, a drip on the floor, a guard that keeps getting left off. The crew sees these first, long before any inspection does.

OSHA calls the failure to identify or recognise hazards one of the "root causes" of workplace injuries. Its recommended practices include investigating close calls and near misses, and fixing simple hazards like housekeeping and tripping hazards on the spot.

CCOHS advises workers to report actual or potential hazards to their supervisor immediately, rather than waiting for an inspection or an injury. It notes that health and safety legislation in Canada requires workers to report hazards. In the US, OSHA says workers can report safety concerns without being punished or treated unfairly. Check the rules where you work.

Talking points for your hazard reporting toolbox talk

• Everyone is a hazard spotter. You don't need a safety title. The person who walks past a hazard every day is the best person to report it.
• Report it quickly, through the site process. Card, app, logbook or a word with your supervisor: use whichever this site uses, and do it the same shift.
• Make it safe or mark it, if you can do so safely. Wipe a small spill, put out a cone, close a hatch. Don't take on anything you're not trained or equipped for.
• Don't assume someone else has reported it. If everybody thinks that, nobody reports it. A duplicate report costs nothing.
• Report near misses too. A near miss is a free lesson. CCOHS points out that reporting them helps stop the same thing happening again with a worse result.
• Be specific. Say what, where and when, and add a photo if your system allows. "Loose step on stairway B, third from top" gets fixed faster than "stairs are dodgy".
• Check back. If a report seems to have disappeared, follow it up. A closed loop is how people learn reporting is worth it.

Example to share with the crew

For example, three people on different shifts notice a floor tile lifting near the canteen door. Each one steps around it and assumes facilities already know. A month later, someone carrying a tray catches their foot on it and falls.

One two-minute report would have fixed it. Ask the crew: what have you walked past this week because you thought it was already reported?

Hazard reporting checklist

• Everyone knows how to report a hazard on this site
• Reporting forms, cards or app access available to all shifts
• Near misses reported as well as hazards
• Hazards made safe or marked where it's safe to do so
• Reports logged with what, where and when
• Open reports reviewed and actions assigned
• Reporters told what happened to their report

Questions to ask the crew

1. What hazard did you notice this week that hasn't been fixed yet?
2. What stops people reporting things here: time, the process, or something else?
3. When did you last hear back about a report you made?

How to close the talk

Close this hazard reporting toolbox talk with one message: if you see it, report it, even if you think someone else already has. Use the site reporting process or speak to your supervisor, and follow it up if nothing happens. For more ideas to keep these conversations going, see our safety moment ideas or browse more safety topics for toolbox talks.