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Safety topics · 5 minutes

5-minute safety topics: 10 talks with a script

Short answer

A 5-minute safety topic covers one hazard. Spend about 30 seconds on what goes wrong, two minutes on what to say, a minute and a half on one question, and a minute on the rule and one action. The 10 talks below are written to that timing.

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How to spend the five minutes

Five minutes is enough for one hazard. It is not enough for two. The talk that fails is the one where the supervisor reads ten reminders off a sheet and nobody can repeat one of them an hour later.

Each talk below follows the same timing: about 30 seconds on what goes wrong, two minutes on what to say, a minute and a half on one question, and a minute on the rule and one action. The times are a pacing guide we wrote for these talks. They do not come from any standard.

Fill in the bracketed blanks before you start. A talk with a name and a place in it is about this crew. If you only have a minute, use the 1-minute safety topics. The full library is on the safety topics hub.

  1. The hazard0:00 to 0:30
  2. What to say0:30 to 2:30
  3. Ask the crew2:30 to 4:00
  4. The rule and one action4:00 to 5:00
How the five minutes are spent. The bar is drawn to scale. The split is a pacing guide, not a rule.

The 10 talks

Each one fits the timing above. The rule under each talk links to the standard on osha.gov.

  1. Tell a supervisor about a serious injury right away

    The hazard
    Someone is hurt at 2 a.m. and admitted to hospital. The supervisor hears about it two days later. The reporting clock did not wait for them. It started when the company first knew.
    What to say
    • If someone on this crew is badly hurt, tell me or the shift lead before anything else. Do not wait for the morning.
    • The employer has 8 hours to report a work-related death to OSHA.
    • For an in-patient hospitalization, an amputation or the loss of an eye, it is 24 hours.
    • The report goes by phone to the nearest OSHA area office, to 1-800-321-OSHA (6742), or online. Here that call is made by [name]. Your job is to make sure they know.
    Ask the crew
    It is Saturday night and I am not here. Who do you call, and where is that number written down?
    The rule

  2. Where we meet and who counts heads

    The hazard
    The alarm goes. People leave by four different doors. Ten minutes later nobody can say whether the contractor on the mezzanine got out.
    What to say
    • Our assembly point is [place]. Point at it now so everyone sees the same spot.
    • The person who counts us is [name]. If they are off, it is [name].
    • Visitors and contractors working in our area leave with us and get counted with us.
    • If your emergency job is to shut something down before you leave, say so now so the rest of us know why you are not at the door.
    Ask the crew
    From where you are standing, which door do you use, and what would you do if it was blocked?
    The rule

  3. The extinguisher you cannot get to

    The hazard
    A pallet has been parked in front of the extinguisher for a month. The gauge behind it is in the red. Nobody has looked.
    What to say
    • Walk to your nearest extinguisher today and move whatever is in front of it.
    • It has to be mounted, marked and easy to reach. It gets a visual check every month and a maintenance check every year. The tag shows the last one.
    • For ordinary combustibles the travel distance to an extinguisher is 75 feet or less. For flammable liquids it is 50 feet or less.
    • Where extinguishers are there for employees to use, the employer teaches you how at hire and every year after. If you have not had that, your job is to raise the alarm and get out.
    Ask the crew
    Without looking, where is the nearest extinguisher to your station, and what is in front of it right now?
    The rule

  4. Nothing parks in the exit route

    The hazard
    The route to the back exit doubles as overflow for empty totes. On a normal day you walk around them. In smoke with the lights out you will not.
    What to say
    • Nothing gets placed in an exit route. Not for good and not for ten minutes.
    • Exit routes are lit, and every exit has a sign that says Exit.
    • Fire doors, alarms, sprinklers and exit lights are kept working. If one is broken, propped open or covered, report it today.
    • If the process keeps putting things in the route, the layout is wrong. We fix the layout. We do not blame the person holding the tote.
    Ask the crew
    Which exit route in this area gets blocked most often, and what ends up there?
    The rule

  5. A new chemical arrived this week

    The hazard
    A new cleaner or adhesive shows up. The drum looks like the old one, so people use it like the old one. Nobody has read the label.
    What to say
    • This week we started using [product]. Let us read the label together, here, now.
    • The safety data sheet is at [place]. You must be able to get to it during your shift, from your work area.
    • You get hazard training when you are first assigned and again when a new chemical hazard comes into the area. This talk does not replace that training.
    • The label stays on the container. If it is torn or painted over, bring it to me.
    Ask the crew
    If this splashed on your arm right now, where would you look for what to do, and how long would it take you to get there?
    The rule

  6. Damaged PPE gets swapped, not worn

    The hazard
    Scratched glasses, a cracked face shield, a glove with a hole. People keep wearing them because a new pair means a walk to the crib and a signature.
    What to say
    • Check what you are wearing right now. Lenses, straps, gloves, the shell of your hard hat.
    • Damaged or defective PPE is not allowed to be used. Swap it before the next job.
    • With a few exceptions written into the rule, such as ordinary safety-toe boots you can wear off the job, the company pays for required PPE. That includes a replacement, unless you lost it or damaged it on purpose.
    • It has to fit you. If it does not, say so and we will find one that does.
    Ask the crew
    Which piece of PPE do people here put up with instead of replacing, and what makes replacing it a hassle?
    The rule

  7. Tag the bad ladder

    The hazard
    A stepladder with a bent spreader goes back on the hook. The next person takes it down in a hurry and climbs it.
    What to say
    • Look the ladder over before you first use it each shift. Rails, rungs, feet, spreaders.
    • If something is wrong, tag it Dangerous: Do Not Use, or words like that.
    • Then take it out of service until it is repaired or replaced. It does not go back on the hook.
    • Tags and the place for bad ladders are at [place].
    Ask the crew
    Where does a damaged ladder go in this building, and is there a tag there right now?
    The rule

  8. Fix it or guard it

    The hazard
    A floor plate lifts at one corner. Everyone on the crew knows to step around it. The new starter does not.
    What to say
    • Walking surfaces get inspected regularly and when things change. You walk them every day, so you will see the problem first.
    • A hazard on the floor is corrected before that floor is used again. If it cannot be fixed straight away, it is guarded so nobody can use it.
    • A cone that everyone walks past is not guarding.
    • If the repair is structural, a qualified person does it or supervises it.
    Ask the crew
    What is the one spot in this area that everyone has learned to step around?
    The rule

  9. The breaker that keeps tripping

    The hazard
    A breaker trips. Someone resets it. It trips again next week, and again, until resetting it is part of the job.
    What to say
    • The first trip gets reported, with the time and what was running.
    • A circuit is not turned back on by hand until someone has determined that it is safe.
    • Resetting a breaker over and over, or putting in fuse after fuse, is prohibited.
    • Finding out why is a job for a qualified person. Yours is to stop and call.
    Ask the crew
    Is there a breaker or a reset button in this area that someone presses more than once a week?
    The rule

  10. Who gives first aid on this shift

    The hazard
    Nights lost its first aider in the spring and nobody replaced them. The eyewash by the caustic tank has a drum parked in front of it.
    What to say
    • The first aiders on this shift are [names].
    • Where there is no clinic or hospital close by, there has to be someone on site trained in first aid, and supplies that are easy to get to.
    • Our kit is at [place]. Open it now and see what is in it.
    • Where corrosive material could get in your eyes or on your skin, there is an eyewash or shower in the work area, ready to use at once. Check that nothing is in front of it.
    Ask the crew
    Who is the first aider today, and how do you reach them from the far end of the line?
    The rule

When to use each talk

A talk lands best in the week the hazard is in front of people. The last column is what to find out before you stand up.

When to use each talk
TalkUse it whenFill in before you start
Tell a supervisor about a serious injury right awayNew supervisors start, or after any injuryWho makes the OSHA report, and the out-of-hours number
Where we meet and who counts headsNew starters, after a drill, after a layout changeAssembly point, the counter and their backup
The extinguisher you cannot get toThe week of the monthly extinguisher checkThe nearest extinguisher to each station
Nothing parks in the exit routeOverflow stock is building upWhich route gets blocked, and by what
A new chemical arrived this weekThe week it arrivesProduct name and where the SDS is kept
Damaged PPE gets swapped, not wornStart of the monthWhere to swap PPE and who signs
Tag the bad ladderBefore a maintenance shutdownWhere the tags are and where bad ladders go
Fix it or guard itAfter rain, a leak or floor workWho to call for barriers
The breaker that keeps trippingAfter the first tripWho the qualified person is on each shift
Who gives first aid on this shiftThe shift pattern changesFirst aider names and where the kit is
  1. Week 1A new chemical arrived this weekMoved up: a new degreaser was delivered on Monday.
  2. Week 2Where we meet and who counts heads
  3. Week 3Nothing parks in the exit route
  4. Week 4Tag the bad ladderMoved up: a cracked side rail was found on Tuesday.
  5. Week 5The extinguisher you cannot get to
  6. Week 6Damaged PPE gets swapped, not worn
  7. Week 7Fix it or guard it
  8. Week 8The breaker that keeps tripping
  9. Week 9Who gives first aid on this shift
  10. Week 10Tell a supervisor about a serious injury right away
An illustrative ten-week rotation. Two talks were moved up because the week called for them. The rest ran in order.

One talk, minute by minute

Illustrative example

This example is made up to show the timing. A bottling plant runs a night shift of nine people. The supervisor gives Who gives first aid on this shift, standing beside the caustic wash tank.

0:00 to 0:30. She says the shift has had no first aider since spring, and points at the drum parked in front of the eyewash.

0:30 to 2:30. She names the two people who will be trained, opens the kit on the wall and reads out what is missing from it.

2:30 to 4:00. She asks who the first aider is today and how you would reach them from the far end of the line. Two people give two different names.

4:00 to 5:00. She reads the rule and writes two actions on the board. Move the drum now. Book first aid training for two people by Friday, owner the shift lead.

Where the action goes after the talk

A talk ends with a hazard someone has to fix. In LeanSuite that hazard gets an owner and stays open until it is closed.

FAQ

5-minute safety topics: common questions

  1. Pick a hazard the crew will meet this week that fits one rule: reporting a serious injury, the assembly point, a blocked extinguisher, an exit route, a new chemical, damaged PPE, a bad ladder, a floor hazard, a breaker that keeps tripping, or who gives first aid. All ten are scripted on this page.

  2. Stand where the hazard is. Spend about 30 seconds on what goes wrong, two minutes on what to do, a minute and a half on one question to the crew, and the last minute on the rule and one action with an owner and a date.

  3. One. Two hazards in five minutes leaves no time for the question, and the question is where you find out whether the rule is being followed.

  4. Yes, the first time. Fill in the blanks first so the names and places are yours. After that, keep the hazard, the question and the rule, and say the rest in your own words.

  5. Wait. Count to ten in your head. If it stays quiet, ask one person by name about their own station. Do not answer it yourself.

Take the talks to the floor

One page per talk: the hazard, what to say, a question for the crew and the OSHA rule. The last page is a sign-in sheet.

  • 10 for all areas: exits, PPE, first aid
  • 10 for the plant floor: lockout, guards, cranes
  • 10 for warehouses and docks: trailers, forklifts, racking

Pick your paper size

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