Skip to content

Toolbox-Talk Programme

Document Information

Field Value
Document Reference TBT_PROG_01
Issue Number 1
Issue Date 4 May 2026
Next Review 4 May 2027
Controlled By Jason May (Site Supervisor)
Approved By Aaron Mason, Director

What this is

A 12-month rolling programme of monthly toolbox talks covering AMWS's highest-priority operational risks. Each topic has a short brief, attendance is recorded, and the programme rotates so every operative receives all topics within a year. Maps to SOP 2.2 — Communication, Consultation & Worker Participation, APP_07 / APP_08 hazard registers, and the Achilles UVDB B2.7.6 evidence test.

How this works

  1. Monthly cadence. One TBT per calendar month, delivered by the Site Supervisor (Jason May) or a deputised Team Leader during morning briefings.
  2. Duration. ~10–15 minutes — focused, single-topic, practical.
  3. Attendance. Signed sheet per session captured against the topic. Filed under docs/communications/tbt-records/<YYYY>-<MM>-<topic-slug>.md.
  4. Outputs. Any concerns raised by operatives feed back into APP_21 — NC & Improvement Register or the next standing weekly Director / HSQE compliance call. Workforce-sentiment trend is also picked up via the AMWS H&S Culture Survey (Onyx Operations) from Q3 2026 onwards.
  5. Annual review. Programme revised each May based on incident trends, audit findings, and any new SOP releases.

Programme (March 2026 – April 2027)

Month Topic Lead reference Priority driver
March 2026 (Spring Environmental Campaign — Brief 1, pre-programme backfill) Diesel & fuel spills SOP 9.3 · COSHH_24 Diesel · POL_HSQE_10 Most likely real spill on AMWS work
April 2026 (Spring Environmental Campaign — Brief 2, pre-programme backfill) Disinfection water & chlorine discharge SOP 9.3 · MS 3.6 Disinfection · COSHH_07 EPR-notifiable event risk; Anglian / Severn Trent expectation
May 2026 Excavation safety & buried services (pre-audit priority)
Waste on site (Spring Environmental Campaign — Brief 3)		 SOP 8.11 · POL_HSQE_06 · POL_HSQE_13
SOP 9.4 · SOP 9.5		 Top operational risk + waste Duty of Care
June 2026 HAVS — hand-arm vibration (pre-audit priority)
Watercourses & drains (Spring Environmental Campaign — Brief 4)		 SOP 8.10
SOP 9.3 · POL_HSQE_10		 Health surveillance + watercourse protection
July 2026 COSHH — fuels & chlorine handling SOP 8.5 · COSHH 04 / 07 / 23 / 24 Daily exposure pathway
August 2026 Manual handling — pipe & aggregate SOP 8.2 Highest single LTI risk class
September 2026 Driving for work — fatigue & distraction SOP 8.13 Fleet RA RA_HO_12
October 2026 Confined space awareness SOP 8.12 Manhole / chamber work pathway
November 2026 Lone working & buddy check-in SOP 8.8 RA_HO_04
December 2026 Winter / cold-weather hazards RAMS update + RA_HO_06 Seasonal driver
January 2027 PPE — selection, condition & rejection SOP 8.4 Ties to PPE register sign-off
February 2027 Spill response & environmental controls (annual refresher) SOP 9.3 / 9.4 · POL_HSQE_10 Reinforces Spring 2026 campaign content
March 2027 First aid & emergency response on site SOP 8.3 · APP_16 RIDDOR-pathway awareness
April 2027 Wellbeing & mental health — talking & noticing POL_HSQE_26 Welfare · POL_HSQE_29 Mental Health · MHFA cover (Jason / Leanne) RA_HO_08

Spring 2026 Environmental Campaign — what got delivered

The four briefs ran March → June 2026 as a coordinated set covering the environmental events most likely to happen on an AMWS working day (fuel & oil, chlorinated water, solid waste, watercourses). March and April 2026 were pre-programme backfill (entered into the record retrospectively when the programme formalised); May and June 2026 ran alongside the pre-audit Excavation and HAVS briefs already scheduled. Reinforcement scheduled February 2027 as an annual refresher. Each brief has a one-pager comm in local-docs/communications/tbt-onepagers/ for noticeboard / WhatsApp use.

Pre-audit priority — three TBTs to deliver before 3 June 2026

Date Topic Brief Lead
Wk of 12/05/2026 Excavation safety & buried services TBT-2026-05 brief Jason May
Wk of 19/05/2026 HAVS — hand-arm vibration TBT-2026-06 brief Jason May
Wk of 26/05/2026 COSHH — fuels & chlorine handling TBT-2026-07 brief Jason May

These three close the audit-readiness commitment in the gap-closure tracker.

TBT-2026-05 — Excavation safety & buried services

Why this matters. Hitting a live cable or service is the single highest-consequence event AMWS encounters daily. Strike-line incidents have triggered HSE prosecution and supply-network downtime. We work to permits and CAT scans for a reason.

Talking points (10 minutes):

  1. Before you dig — every excavation needs a CAT/genny scan, a service drawing, and a permit. No exceptions, even for "small jobs". CAT batteries checked before deployment.
  2. Hand-dig the first 600 mm for any excavation within 1 m of a known service. Power tools start only when services are confirmed clear.
  3. Buried services rule of thumb — if you weren't told what's down there, assume it's there. Stop, escalate, get the drawing.
  4. What to do if you strike — stop work, evacuate the immediate area, isolate and call the service owner. Don't try to "tidy up" first.
  5. Recent learning — Anglian Water issued a 2025 alert on uncharted private services on heritage estates; treat domestic frontage as service-rich.

Discussion question for the team: "When was the last time we had a near-miss with a service strike, and what did we change after it?"

Reference: SOP 8.11 Work at Height (yes — also relevant for trench-bottom access), POL_HSQE_06 Avoidance of Underground Cables, POL_HSQE_13 Excavation, NRSWA chapter 8.

TBT-2026-06 — HAVS — hand-arm vibration

Why this matters. HAVS is irreversible. Operatives who don't manage exposure now will get tingling, numbness or whitening of fingers years later — and AMWS is legally responsible.

Talking points (10 minutes):

  1. Action / Limit values — HSE Exposure Action Value (EAV) is 2.5 m/s² A(8); Exposure Limit Value (ELV) is 5.0 m/s² A(8). We calculate exposure per tool from the tool data sheet and the time spent on trigger.
  2. Trigger time, not total job time — what counts is fingers-on-vibration. A 2-hour breaker job might only be 25 minutes of trigger time.
  3. Symptoms to flag — tingling, numbness, white finger after cold weather, loss of grip strength. Tell Jason or Leanne early — not at the next health surveillance.
  4. Controls in order — eliminate (do we need to break it out?), substitute (lower-vibration tool), reduce trigger time (job rotation), anti-vibration gloves last.
  5. Health surveillance — annual HAVS questionnaire + tier-2 examination if symptoms reported. This is on the Training Matrix.

Discussion question: "Of the tools you used last week, which had the highest vibration rating? Did you know before you picked it up?"

Reference: SOP 8.10 HAVS, Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005, HSE INDG175.

TBT-2026-07 — COSHH — fuels & chlorine handling

Why this matters. Fuels (diesel, petrol, 2-stroke) and chlorine compounds are AMWS's most-handled hazardous substances. They cause real harm if mishandled and they're the substances that come up first in any HSE / Anglian audit.

Talking points (10 minutes):

  1. The four fuels we handle — diesel (COSHH_24), petrol (COSHH_23), 2-stroke (COSHH_22), AdBlue (COSHH_01). Each has a different SDS — read it, know the symbol.
  2. Chlorine spray & tablets for water-main disinfection — COSHH_04 (spray), COSHH_07 (tablets). PPE is non-negotiable: chemical gloves, splash goggles, vapour mask if poor ventilation. Never mix with cleaning agents.
  3. Bunding & spill control — diesel bowsers must be bunded to 110% of capacity. Liquid hazardous waste containers go on hard standing, segregated.
  4. First aid — eyes flushed for 15 minutes continuously; skin contact wash with soap and water; ingestion do not induce vomiting — call 999 and quote the chemical.
  5. Storage — incompatibles separated (fuel away from oxidisers); locked when unattended; signage current.

Discussion question: "If a 25 L can of chlorine spray went over in the back of the van right now, what's the first thing you'd do?"

Reference: SOP 8.5 COSHH, COSHH_01 / 04 / 07 / 22 / 23 / 24 SDSs (van pack), POL_HSQE_08 COSHH.

Spring 2026 Environmental Campaign — four coordinated briefs

A focused four-month run on the environmental events most likely to happen on an AMWS working day: a fuel/oil spill, a chlorinated discharge during commissioning, waste mis-segregation on a dig, and pollution of nearby watercourses. Each brief is short and practical — 10 minutes at morning brief, no slide deck needed.

TBT-2026-03 — Diesel & hydraulic spills

Why this matters. A bowser fill that goes over, a perished plant hose, a knocked-over jerry can — these happen. Diesel reaching a road drain is a chargeable Environment Agency incident. The first five minutes decide whether it's a near-miss or a prosecution.

Talking points (10 minutes):

  1. Spill kit location. Every van carries one. Know where yours is before you need it — granular absorbent, oil-only socks, drain mat, yellow hazardous-waste bag.
  2. The 5-step response — STOPS. Stop the source. Think (drains or watercourse nearby?). cOntain (drain mat down first, then socks). Pick up with granular absorbent. Signal Jason — and the EA hotline 0800 80 70 60 if a drain or watercourse was reached.
  3. What goes in the yellow bag. Used absorbent + contaminated PPE. Never general waste, never the spoil heap.
  4. Prevention. Refuel at least 10 m from drains and watercourses; bowsers bunded to 110%.

Discussion question: "Where's your spill kit right now, and is it complete?"

Reference: SOP 9.3 Land & Water Protection, COSHH_24 BP Diesel, POL_HSQE_10 Environmental.

TBT-2026-04 — Chlorine discharge control

Why this matters. Disinfecting a new main is routine. Tipping the chlorinated flush water into the wrong place is a notifiable pollution incident — free chlorine above 0.1 mg/L kills fish and invertebrates. Anglian and Severn Trent both expect us to control this.

Talking points (10 minutes):

  1. The risk is the flush water. The end of every disinfection cycle leaves chlorinated water that has to go somewhere.
  2. Test before you tip. Every discharge gets a DPD residual-chlorine test. Foul sewer (with consent): below 0.5 mg/L. To ground (10 m+ from any watercourse or borehole): below 0.1 mg/L. If above, dechlorinate with a vitamin-C or thiosulphate tablet and re-test.
  3. Never direct to surface drain, ditch, brook or river. Three legal routes only: foul sewer with consent, ground at safe residual, or tanker off.
  4. If it goes wrong. Stop the source, dam with sandbags, call EA 0800 80 70 60 and Jason. Note volume, residual, receiving water and time.

Discussion question: "Last commissioning job — where did the flush water actually go, and did we test it?"

Reference: SOP 9.3 Land & Water, MS 3.6 Disinfection, COSHH_07 Hy-Ram Chlorine Tablets, POL_HSQE_10.

TBT-2026-05-env — Waste segregation on excavation jobs

Why this matters. Every spadeful of spoil is someone else's problem if it's mixed wrong. Asbestos cement in general spoil turns a routine job into a hazardous-waste consignment. Duty of Care under EPA 1990 means AMWS is responsible cradle-to-grave — Waste Transfer Notes are the paper trail that proves we did it right.

Talking points (10 minutes):

  1. The four streams on a typical dig. Clean inert spoil → reuse or permitted inert tip (WTN). Contaminated ground → tested first, then permitted hazardous tip (HWCN). Asbestos cement → double-bagged, licensed asbestos carrier only (HWCN). General arisings (PE offcuts, packaging) → correct bin — never the spoil heap.
  2. Asbestos cement pipe. Assume any pre-1985 cement-bonded pipe is AC. Wet to suppress dust; double-bag offcuts in 1000-gauge polythene; consignment note. RA_06 covers full controls — don't shortcut.
  3. Paperwork. WTN for every load (kept 2 years); HWCN for hazardous (kept 3 years). Carrier licence + destination permit checked before the lorry leaves. Leanne holds the folder.
  4. What an EA inspector asks first. "Show me the WTN for the last load." Be ready.

Discussion question: "Of the last five loads sent off site, can you name the carrier and the destination?"

Reference: SOP 9.4 Waste Management, SOP 9.5 Hazardous Waste, RA_06, POL_HSQE_10, EPA 1990 s.34.

TBT-2026-06-env — Working near watercourses & site drainage

Why this matters. A brook, ditch or road gully next to a dig puts AMWS one careless act away from polluting a watercourse. Sediment, paint, washwater and fuel are all reportable if they reach surface water. Most jobs have a drain or ditch within 10 m — assume it's there until you've checked.

Talking points (10 minutes):

  1. Identify before you start. Every job: walk the site and mark every drain, gully, ditch, brook within 10 m.
  2. Sediment control. A hessian sock or drain guard around any nearby gully or grate catches silt before it travels. Bunds and screens for stockpiles in wet weather.
  3. Washwater discipline. Saw water, concrete washout, paint cleanup, line-paint rinse → contained pit lined with poly. Solidified waste leaves as inert/hazardous. Never to a drain, ditch or watercourse.
  4. If something gets in. Stop the source, dam with sandbags or sock, call Jason and EA 0800 80 70 60. Note volume, receiving water and time.

Discussion question: "Last job by a brook or ditch — what did we do to protect it?"

Reference: SOP 9.3 Land & Water Protection, POL_HSQE_10 Environmental, Water Resources Act 1991 s.85.

One-pager comms

Each of the four Spring 2026 briefs has a single-page A4 communication held under local-docs/communications/tbt-onepagers/:

  • TBT One-Pager — March 2026 — Diesel & Fuel Spills
  • TBT One-Pager — April 2026 — Disinfection Water & Chlorine Discharge
  • TBT One-Pager — May 2026 — Waste on Site
  • TBT One-Pager — June 2026 — Watercourses & Drains

These are designed for noticeboard / van-pack / WhatsApp Works distribution — large title, "Why this matters" callout, six plain-English bullets, and a discussion prompt. Issued to operatives alongside the verbal TBT delivery.

Attendance record template

Each delivered TBT is logged with this format under docs/communications/tbt-records/<YYYY>-<MM>-<topic>.md:

# TBT-<YYYY>-<MM> — <Topic> — <DD Month YYYY>

| Field | Value |
|-------|-------|
| **Topic** | <e.g. Excavation safety & buried services> |
| **Date / time** | DD/MM/YYYY · HH:MM |
| **Lead** | <Jason May / Team Leader> |
| **Duration** | <minutes> |
| **Location** | <site / yard / virtual> |
| **Reference doc(s)** | SOP / POL / RA refs |

## Attendees (signed)

| Name | Role | Signature | Comments / questions |
|------|------|-----------|----------------------|
| … | … | … | … |

## Issues raised / actions

| # | Issue | Owner | Action | Due |
|---|-------|-------|--------|-----|
| 1 | … | … | … | … |

---
*Filed under `docs/communications/tbt-records/<YYYY>-<MM>-<slug>.md`. Cross-ref: SOP 2.2.*

Why this matters for the audit

Achilles UVDB B2.7.6 expects:

  • A planned programme of safety briefings (this page),
  • Attendance records with signatures (the per-session records),
  • Topic relevance to AMWS's actual hazards (rationale column above),
  • Two-way communication — issues from briefings tracked through APP_21.

The 12-month programme + the 3 pre-audit deliveries give the auditor a complete evidence trail.

Back to Communications · SOP 2.2 · APP_07 Hazards