Safety talks by month
August safety topics for plants and warehouses
August holds Safe + Sound Week, OSHA's yearly campaign for workplace safety and health programs. It is also the month after shutdown, when guards are still off, new chemicals have arrived and overtime is running. In some regions wildfire smoke reaches the yard. These eight talks follow that order.
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Print 30 toolbox talks, one page each
For plants and warehouses, with a sign-in sheet. Free after one short form.
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August dates and observances
Only observances confirmed on the organiser's own page are listed, each with its owner and a link. Where a date moves from year to year, the year is given. Check the source before you print a calendar.
Where the dates fall in August
Safe + Sound Week
A week in August set each year. It was August 10 to 16 in 2026.
Peak of Atlantic hurricane activity begins
Most activity falls between mid-August and mid-October
Days it can fall onDate set by the organiser each year
Safe + Sound Week
When: A week in August set each year. It was August 10 to 16 in 2026.
Who runs it: OSHA
A week for showing the crew how hazards get found and fixed on your site.
Peak of Atlantic hurricane activity begins
When: Most activity falls between mid-August and mid-October
Who runs it: NOAA National Hurricane Center
Coastal sites check the plan again now. September's talks go further.
Source for Peak of Atlantic hurricane activity begins (opens in a new tab)
8 safety talks for August
Each talk gives the hazard, words a supervisor can say at the start of a shift, one question to put to the crew, and the rule or guidance it rests on. Say it in your own words and wait for an answer to the question.
1. Find the safety data sheet
The hazard: A binder in a locked office is no use at 2:00 a.m. OSHA requires safety data sheets to be readily accessible to employees in their work area during each work shift.
What to say: Pick one chemical you used today and show me its data sheet. If it takes more than a couple of minutes, we fix how they are kept.
Ask the crew: Where would you look for a data sheet on night shift?
2. New chemical, new briefing
The hazard: New coolants, cleaners and adhesives arrive after a shutdown. OSHA requires training at initial assignment and whenever a new chemical hazard is introduced into the work area.
What to say: If a drum or a bottle shows up that you have not seen before, do not open it. Wait until someone has gone through the label and the data sheet with you.
Ask the crew: What has changed in the chemicals you use since last month?
3. Find one, fix one
The hazard: OSHA's Safe + Sound campaign rests on management leadership, worker participation and a systematic approach to finding and fixing hazards. The third part only works if reports come back with an answer.
What to say: Each of you shows me one hazard in your area today. I write it down with a name and a date, and next week I tell you what happened to it.
Ask the crew: What have you reported before that never got fixed?
4. Does the PPE still match the job
The hazard: Jobs change after a shutdown and the PPE list does not always follow. OSHA requires the employer to assess the workplace for hazards that call for PPE, and to provide required PPE at no cost to employees, with limited exceptions.
What to say: Tell me if your task changed and your PPE did not. If something you need is worn out, ask for a replacement. You do not buy it yourself.
Ask the crew: Which task here has PPE that no longer fits the hazard?
5. Twelve-hour shifts
The hazard: Overtime climbs after a shutdown. OSHA cites research that working 12 hours per day is associated with a 37 percent increased risk of injury.
What to say: On a long shift the last hours need the most care. Swap out of the hardest task if you are fading, and tell me before you drive home exhausted.
Ask the crew: Which task would you least want to do in hour eleven?
6. Guards back on after shutdown
The hazard: Guards taken off for maintenance do not always go back. OSHA requires machine guarding that protects people from the point of operation, ingoing nip points, rotating parts, flying chips and sparks.
What to say: Before you start a machine that was worked on, walk around it. A missing guard, an open cover or a bypassed interlock means it does not run.
Ask the crew: Which machine came back from shutdown looking different?
7. Wildfire smoke in the yard
The hazard: Smoke can travel far from a fire. NIOSH advises checking air quality on EPA's Fire and Smoke Map, moving or rescheduling outdoor work, and using enclosed spaces with filtered air.
What to say: On smoky days I check the map before the shift and move yard work indoors where I can. A NIOSH-approved N95 helps with particles. It does not protect against gases.
Ask the crew: Which outdoor jobs could wait a day if the air were bad?
Source: NIOSH, Wildfire Smoke and Outdoor Workers (opens in a new tab)
8. Skylights are holes
The hazard: Summer brings roof work on fans, air units and drains. OSHA counts a skylight as a hole and requires each employee to be protected from falling through it.
What to say: Nobody steps or sits on a skylight, and nobody goes on the roof without telling me. If a skylight has no cover or guard, stay well away from it.
Ask the crew: Who has been on our roof this year, and do they know where the skylights are?
A week-by-week plan for August
One way to spread the talks over the month. It is an example order, so move a talk when your own shutdown, weather or shift pattern says it belongs in a different week.
| Week | Talks | Why then |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | The first days after shutdown, before every machine is back at speed. | |
| Week 2 | Safe + Sound Week fell in the second week in 2026. | |
| Week 3 | Overtime is running and tasks have settled. | |
| Week 4 | Late-summer outdoor and roof work. |
Safety topics for every month
The year by month, with the hazards each month's talks are built around. For talks sorted by length and by workplace, go to the safety topics library.
The year in safety talks
Guides that go with these talks
FAQ
August safety topics, answered
It is OSHA's yearly week for recognising workplace safety and health programs. The campaign is built on management leadership, worker participation and finding and fixing hazards.
In August. OSHA sets the dates each year. In 2026 it ran from August 10 to 16.
NIOSH lists it after other steps: check air quality, move or reschedule the work, and use enclosed spaces with filtered air. A NIOSH-approved N95 can reduce exposure to particles but does not protect against gases.
Print 30 toolbox talks, one page each
For plants and warehouses, with a sign-in sheet. Free after one short form.
Free to use: print it, copy it and edit it for your team. Enter your name and work email once to download.
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