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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 site-tour observations.
  5. Annual review. Programme revised each May based on incident trends, audit findings, and any new SOP releases.

2026 programme (May 2026 – April 2027)

Month Topic Lead reference Priority driver
May 2026 Excavation safety & buried services SOP 8.11 · POL_HSQE_06 Underground Cables · POL_HSQE_13 Excavation Top operational risk for AMWS work
June 2026 HAVS — hand-arm vibration SOP 8.10 Long-term health surveillance trigger
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 SOP 9.4 / 9.5 · POL_HSQE_10 APP_06 Aspect 3
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 · MHFA cover (Jason / Leanne) RA_HO_08

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.

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