Toolbox talks to improve wellbeing

In the past five years, there has been increased awareness of stress and burnout in the construction industry and its relationship to health, safety, and wellbeing in the workplace. In this article, Site Safe explores how you can make mental health and wellbeing the focus of your toolbox talk  

At Site Safe, we are not just about ensuring physical safety in the construction industry – we are committed to emotional and mental wellbeing in the workplace, too. We have demonstrated this with research initiatives and partnerships in recent years with our Mental Health First Aid in Construction course, which we run with St John, and our partnership with the wellbeing social enterprise, Ignite Aotearoa.

When we researched stress in the construction industry with Massey University in 2021, we found that construction is a high-risk industry for work-related stress. Similar, more recent studies confirm this remains a concern for the industry.

Work-related stress is known to be one of the root causes of unsafe behaviours in construction, as well as other problems like high absenteeism, alcoholism, drug abuse and even suicide.

Everyone experiences stress at some point. Some stress can be beneficial – it is designed to keep us safe. However, chronic stress is what starts to cause physical and mental health problems: irritability, poor sleep, headaches, inability to concentrate, anxiety and depression. Left unaddressed, chronic stress eventually leads to a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion, where you might feel drained, unable to cope with day-to-day decisions, cynical, detached, ineffective and unproductive. This is what we call burnout.

Meaningful health and safety discussions, including mental health, are crucial for teams under pressure. A toolbox talk is an effective way to share mental health information, raise awareness, and encourage supportive conversations among staff.

Topics to discuss

Discussion points at safety meetings should be topical and relevant to current or upcoming activities in the workplace. Topical items for discussion can be identified by asking workers for input, changes in the plant or work process or work environment, or in response to accidents/incidents in the workplace.

Listed below are some topics for discussion suggested by Mates in Construction:

• Mental health tips to use onsite. 
• What to do if you’re stressed or feeling anxious or worried. 
• Steps to de-stress. 
• How to start a conversation about mental health. 
• Self-care. 
• The dimensions of wellbeing. 
• Case studies on managing mental health and wellbeing.

Site Safe has material to guide you through relevant and beneficial mental health and safety discussions on our website, including case studies, trusted and relevant mental health videos, and other useful information.

Site Safe members can also access one of New Zealand’s most comprehensive online mental health and wellbeing platforms through Ignite Aotearoa. On the platform, you’ll find a curated and clinically validated library of mental health and wellbeing content. These resources can be shared with and used by your team to help support their mental health and overall wellbeing.

How to run a toolbox talk 

1. Schedule the meeting.

Let the team know where and when the meeting is. At the start of the day works best with most workplaces.

2. Set the scene for the meeting –  keep it real and be positive!

Encourage everyone to join in and provide their own feedback, knowledge and experiences. Use simple language for everyone to understand to convey the key health and safety messages. 

Toolbox meetings are an opportunity to provide positive feedback for safe actions, hard work and initiatives. It’s also important to avoid criticism and acknowledge everyone for their contributions. The meeting shouldn’t be a lecture but a chance for engagement with the team.

Ensure that running and attending toolbox safety meetings is recognised as an important part of a person’s role. If the worker regards health and safety as an add-on, it will often be neglected.

3. Follow an agenda

Follow an agenda to make sure you cover everything off: 

• Inform workers of any changes to company procedures. 
• Identify new hazards and review existing hazards. 
• Develop/review hazard controls. 
• Discuss/review accident and incident data. 
• Discuss any new equipment on site. 
• Discuss the work programme for the day/week ahead. 
• Have company leaders talk about the business direction or a particular topic – this is where you could cover off the topic of mental health and wellbeing. 
• Provide a short training session – this could also include watching a relevant video on mental health and wellbeing or undertaking a specific activity.

4. Close the meeting.

Thank the team for their time and let them get to work. 

5. Record meeting notes.

Details of meetings should be recorded and kept on file. Record meeting dates, attendees and discussion points.
Show follow-up items from previous hazards, accidents and incidents. The Site Safe Site-Specific Safety Plan (SSSP) includes a free-to-download ‘Site briefing/toolbox meeting minutes’ template. This template includes all the things you need to cover off in a Toolbox meeting.

6. After the meeting.

Following up after a meeting is key part of the dialogue. Consider the answers workers provided during the talk to see if there are any improvements you can make to your safety systems around mental health and make sure you communicate your mental wellbeing systems to current and new workers.  

 

Site Safe is a not-for-profit, membership-based organisation that supports a culture of health and safety in New Zealand construction. For more information go to: www.sitesafe.org.nz