Toolbox Talks

Upskill the team to develop best practice approaches on-farm with our quick, pre-prepared meeting guides.

If you've never held a Toolbox Talk meeting before, then you can find out exactly how you can use them with our free training, too!

How to use Toolbox Talks

Three young farmers sit around some tables discussing health and safety issues on-farm.

Sector-specific Toolbox Talks

These resources can help farming and growing businesses upskill their teams in areas specific to the sector they operate in.

A JCB telehandler lifts a rectangular bale onto a stack.

Bale safety part 1: Stacking and storage

Promote safe working practices when working with bales on-farm.

A farmer moves a stack of bales using his telehandler.

Bake safety part 2: Transporting bales

Prevent accidents and fatalities when loading or transporting bales.

Farm slurry safety

Recognise the risks involved in working with slurry stores.

Safe handling of cattle

Identify and mitigate common risks involved in working with cattle.

A field worker trims a cauliflower using his knife.

Safe use of knives

Reduce the risk of cuts or serious injuries when working with knives.

A young calf standing wearing a heat jacket.

Staying safe during calving season

Understand the changes in behaviour of cattle around calving time.

Health and safety Toolbox Talks

Keeping your team up to date on safety practices is crucial in agriculture and horticulture. Use these short discussions to share best practices.

Avoiding dangerous impacts

Being struck by an object is a common cause of death and injury on-farm.

A pleumatic trailer is tipped close to an overhead power line.

Overhead power line (OHPL) safety

Discuss best practices involved in working around power lines.

A tractor with front hitch approaches a gate on a road.

Farm vehicle safety on public highways

Understand the risks involved with driving farm machinery on the roads.

A farm machinery operator climbs the ladder of his large combine harvester.

Safe use of ladders

Reduce the risk of serious injuries when working with ladders.

A female farm manager lifts a movable fence panel as she prepares to move some cattle.

Manual handling

Promote correct carrying techniques to reduce the chances of an injury.

Staying well during busy periods

Ensure you don't neglect your wellbeing during busy times.

A farm worker gives instruction to one of her colleagues who is in the driving seat of their JCB telehandler.

Moving vehicles safely on-farm

Moving vehicles are a major cause of fatalities and injuries in agriculture.

Business Toolbox Talks

These toolbox talks can help you improve the security and fire safety processes which are common to all farming and growing businesses.

A numerical code padlock keeps a farm door secure.

Farm security

Take action to prevent the rise in rural crime affecting your business.

Fire safety on farm

Reduce risks and understand emergency processes around fires.

Environment Toolbox Talks

Few industries play such a crucial role in our environment as farming and growing. These courses are primarily focused on managing environmental threats while also managing the environment to farm sustainably.

A nutrient map is shown on a grower's mobile phone.

Nutrient awareness

A soil sample is pulled from a field by a grower.

Soil sampling

An agronomist looks at the soil structure and texture of a quick field sample.

Taking a soil sample

Demonstrate how to take a soil sample to understand your fields.

Work to optimise crop growth while reducing environmental damage.

Understand the different levels of nutrients and organic matter in soils.

An agronomist feels the texture of the soil he's pulled in a sample.

Soil texture

Discuss how soil texture and structure impact the health of your soils.

A farm manager breaks up the soil sample he's taken to get a feel for its texture.

Soil texture: Assessing your soil

This practical task can demonstrate how important soil texture is.

A tanker and dribble bar applies liquid fertiliser to a field.

Water quality - fertiliser and manure

Discuss actions which can reduce the incidence of water pollution.

Leadership Toolbox Talks

Help your team understand common issues around working alone and during busy periods.

A farm manager pulls one of her employees to one side to discuss a farm issue.

Managing stress at work

Recognise how stress at work and mental health issues often go together.

A solitary farmer helps a young calf out of his trailer.

Working alone safely

Promote ways to stay safe and well when
working alone.

People Toolbox Talks

Help your team tackle issues around their mental health and take actions to protect themselves from excessive heat and sun exposure.

Two farmers discuss issues on their farm.

Mental wellbeing for farm staff

Help your team identify and tackle poor mental health in each other.

A farm office whiteboard showing "Wear suncream" as a reminder to all the business' staff.

Sun and heat safety

Reduce the risk of health issues caused by sun exposure and heat.

Technical Toolbox Talks

Improve processes around working with machinery with these short discussions

A young farmer is given instructiuon on how to safely operate a tractor PTO from her instructor.

Power take-off (PTO) safety

Promote the safe use of PTOs and ensure suitable guards are in place.

A farm worker performs some checks as he hands over a round bale from one machine to another.

Staying safe working with machinery

Build safe processes around the machinery you use on-farm.

A young farm worker drives in the field on a quad bike wearing his helmet.

Using ATV quad bikes safely

Tackle the main risks involved in using quad bikes with this talk.

Contact us

We'd love to hear your thoughts about our Toolbox Talks, what's worked well for your team and what you'd like to see developed next!

And if you come across anything which hasn't worked as well as you'd hoped, then don't hesitate to let us know.